History DOjapan, OB ww2 EU, Apac Flashcards
[D] Overextension of the japanese empire
[EX] huge empire, struggled to defend. At war with china since 1937, usa into war cannot match industrial capacity, lacked resources, lack of support from allies esp germany after defeat
[A] war on two fronts (china and US+allied powers) overstretched resources
[D] USA strat: keeping china in the war
[EX] at war w japan since 1937, provided advice and military aid to the Nationalist army in china via the Burma Road. after burma fell to J, supplies airlifted via the Hump, from India → fierce chinese resistance
[A] forced 2 fronts, diverted resources and troops to fight china
[D] USA strat: island hopping 1943
[EX] attacked strategically impt and weak defences islands. Establish air base at the island, used as a launch point to take another island. Capture of islands near japan like okinawa allowed bombers to reach mainland japan.
[A] allowed allied forces to reach japan quickly, not capturing all saved resources and manpower. Allowed bombed japan, destroying industries and economy → unable to sustain war efforts
[D] USA strat: unrestricted submarine warfare
[EX]destroyed more than 75% of japanese merchant ships (their lifeline), destroyed their naval ships
[A] severe shortage of war mats and products, cut off oil suppy, unable to prot merchant ships or prot territories → outnumbered, cannot sustain long war
[D] The battle of Midway (japans last offensive)
[EX] japan lost ¾ experienced pilots, 290 aircraft; US intelligence broke Japanese naval code, americans anticipated the surprised attack
[A] deprived of large and vital portion of air force, stopped J expansion to east, boosted american morale
[D] Battle of Leyte Gulf, philippines sea
[EX] japan greatest loss of ships - 4 aircraft carriers and 26 warships
[A] cut off J supply route of oil. Also helped liberate philippines. Gave allies control of air and sea
[D] operation Meetinghouse - 1945 firebombing of Tokyo (low altitude, at night)
[EX] over 50% tokyos industry spread out among residential and commercial neighbourhoods, firebombing cut cities output by half
[A] industries and econ destroyed, no means to continue awr w/o supplies and war machinery
[D] allied forces industrial might vs japans weak industrial capability
[EX] merchant ships: american well prot by convoys, japanese 75% attacked and sunken by US subs, cutting off food and resource supply
[A] shortage of mats, resources and manpower → J unable to produce essential weapons as quickly as allied forces → unable to sustain long war // combined efforts and resources of allies → able to sustain war for longer
[D] morale of allied troops vs morale of J troops
[EX] atomic bomb ‘little boy’ exploded over Hiroshima on 6 aug 1945, ‘fat man’ on nagasaki on 9 aug 1945
[A] strengthened allies determination to end the war // extremem destruction → J morale to plunge, led to J surender
[D] Japans ambition to be world power (not to be treated as weak or unequal)
[EX] 1868 Meiji restoration - modernisation and industrialisation
[A] embarked on rapid industrialisation, ^ military strength, ^ aggression, had to invade for mats they lacked
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[EX] korea paid tribute to china. Japan went to war with china, won and gained possession of korea 1894-1895, later annexing korea in 1910
[A] ^ aggression in getting territories. ^ territories = ^ resources and raw mats = ^military prod
[D] japan treated as an unequal
[EX] 1853, humiliation, seen as weak: forced to open up to usa terms dictated by shogun. /// 1921 washington naval treaty - japan had to reduce naval strength more than USA and britain
[A] saw expansionism and having colonies as a way to be treated as an equal, as a world power → needed to invade
[D] Lack of resources
J econ problems
[EX] Japan is mountainous, lacks natural resources, raw mats like oil and rubber unavailable in J SOI, had to import oil and other raw mats; most oil from USA and rubber from British Malaya
[A] needed to expand for more territories, aggressive towards china because manchuria had resources, ^resources
[D] overpopulation and shortage of land (lack of agricultural and living space)
J econ problems
[EX] 1900-1930 rapid pop growth from 45mil-64mil, incr demand for housing goods and products: high rent, farmers not enough land not enough rice prod
[A] needed to expand for more territories
[D] West protected own economies after Great Depression
j econ problems
[EX] prot own industries from foreign comp (made imported goods more ex via taxes, J unable to sell goods, no income to buy raw mats → needed to find new markers & cheap sources of raw mats
[A] became aggressive towards china as manchuria had an abundance of raw mats and a market for J goods
[D] incresing military power in Japans govt (rise of militarists)
[EX] gained influence: long trad of military rule (shoguns), respect to military (samurai code), military successes in early 1900s incr confidence; declared martial law in 1932
[A] ^ aggressive, followed expansionist policy ad solution to econ problems and make J strong and independent → ^invasions eg china 1937
[D] militarists expansionist policy
rise of militarists J
3 EX :(
[EX] why? Resources (korea, manchuria), invaded to become a world power
[EX] Greater East asia co-prosperity sphere - group of nations whose combined resources allowed japan to be independent (impt mats for war machine) → made asian believe they all benefit but it just benefited japan
[EX] asia for asians: promised to free SEA from colonial rule (Japan strongest military power in Asia)
[A] ^aggressive in getting territories and protecting own SOI → ^territories = ^resources = ^military production
Failure of LON
[D] japans interests in manchuria: took her from china
[EX] japanese imperial army in manchuria accused china of tryna attack them when bomb exploded on train on J-owned south manchurian railway. Full invasion launched, china too weak with civil war to reisist. China asked league for help, appointed Lytton commission to study the problem (took a year, reacted slowly) LON condemned J, J refused to leave and withdrew from LON 1933. LON did not agree on sanctions, no army sent
[A]saw west as weak, unwilling in stopping aggressiveness → ^ambition. Manchuria = ^resources to wage war
Failure of LON APAC
[D] failure of disarmament
[EX]J left LON 1933, terminated washington naval treaty in 1936 and incr navy size
[A] allowed J to rearm and incr navy size. ^militarism, ^confidence to wage war
[D] japans worsening r/s w USA (as a result of J aggression in china and indochina (french colony))
[EX] 1941- USA banned steel iron and oil to Japan due to aggression in Indochina (french). Embargo on J, ended all trade relations. J imported 80% of oil from USA, could not cont fighting in china w/o it
[A]to cont war and expansion into resource rich SEA, japan ^aggressive towards USA, attacked pearl harbour → needed resources, eliminate USA as a threat to J expansion in Asia pacific (large US pacific fleet at pearl harbour)
weakness of LON OB-EU
failure to get countries to disarm
World Disarmament Conference held between 1932 to 1934 was a failure. Germany insisted on matching with the other countries armament level and France refused to limit their own armament levels. Both Britain and USA refused to commit to a level requested by France. Germany withdrew from both the conference and LON
weakness of LON OB-EU
Failure to impose sanctions effectively
In 1935, Mussolini’s Italy invaded Abyssinia, half-hearted in imposing economic sanctions on Italy, fearing that it might affect the economic interests of member countries. undermined the effectiveness of the sanctions when the delayed ban on the sale of oil to Italy was finally imposed. Member countries feared that an embargo of oil would mean Italy’s alliance with Hitler. Other strong deterrents such as closing the Suez Canal to prevent Italy’s shipment of war supplies were also not taken for fear of affecting British economic interests.
weakness of LON OB-EU
Major powers acting outside the LON
British and French foreign ministers proposed a secret plan to give Mussolini 2/3 of Abyssinia in return for his stopping the invasion. This meant that the League was not consulted which was a breach of the Kellogg-Briand Pact. = lose credibility
hitlers expansionist policies OB-EU
Germany withdrawal from LON and geneva conference
Hitler demanded that France disarm to the level of armaments that the TOV allowed Germany. Otherwise, Germany should be allowed t to rearm to the level of the French. The French objected and Hitler used their objections as an excuse to withdraw from both the conference and the LON. Germany’s withdrawal meant that it was not bound by the League or obliged to accept the League’s decisions.
hitlers expansionist policies OB-EU
Rearmament
Hitler wanted to restore Germany’s pride and strength after the humiliation of the TOV. From 1933 to 1934, the Nazis stepped up their secret rearmament programme and conscription Allies only made verbal protests instead of imposing sanctions on Germany thus giving Hitler the freedom to transform Germany into a formidable and dangerous military power. At the same time, Britain signed the Anglo-German Naval Agreement with Hitler allowing Germany a limited build-up of its navy.
