The Japanese threat, 1931–41-The significance of the Manchurian Crisis of 1931–33 Flashcards
What did the Wall street crash in 1929 mean for Japan
exports were hit hard- USA raised its imports tariff
why did Japan have to look towards China?
expanding population, lack of raw materials
what was the Tanaka memorial (1927)
alleged Japanese strategic planning document from 1927 in which Prime Minister Baron Tanaka Giichi laid out for Emperor Hirohito a strategy to take over the world.
what had Chiang Kai Shek achieved by 1928
unifying most of china
what did China’s more unified state under Chiang Kai Shek mean for Japan?
threatened its dominance in Manchuria
what did the Japanese do to assert dominance in Manchuria
assassinated the warlord there, hoping his son would be more compliant to their demands– he proved to be loyal to china
What did Chiang and the GMD turn their attention to
the rising communist threat- saw it as more significant than the threat posed by military presence of Japan in manchuria
was Japan united in its approach towards China?
no- military supported the Tanaka Memorial but the government supported a more diplomatic approach
what did the Kwangtung army do on the 18th of sept 1931
blew up a segment of the south manchurian railway and blamed Chinese saboteurs
what happened after the Mukden incident
the Kwangtung army occupied official buildings in Mukden, japan gov was forced to agree with this even tho the military had acted before orders.
what was Chiang’s reaction after the Mukden incident
he did not want to fight the japanese- he saw communism as a more prominent issue and was deep into a campaign to destroy the communists so he told Zhang Xueliang to withdraw troops
what did Chiang do in the wake of japanese invasion
appealed to the League of Nations
what did the League of nations do in response to China’s appeal
set up the lytton commission to investigate the matter
what did the lytton commission find
that japan was guilty of agression and that China’s sovereignty had been compromised
how did Japan react to the Lytton report
ignored it and walked out of the league, never to return
did the League offer any support to china despite the report’s findings?
no, didnt send troops
how did Chinese people react to the Japanese invasion
boycotts- Japanese sales in china were cut by 2/3
when was Manchuria conquered by Japan
1932
what happened to Puyi?
he was made the chief executive of the newly named Manchukuo by the Japanese
why did the Japanese appoint Puyi?
to give Manchukuo a chinese character (make it legitimate) but it was really a puppet regime
Shanghai- what did japan do
military officers wanted to create a situation to justify conflict (end the boycott of japanese goods) – group of japanese monks were beaten by a chinese crowd to they had the excuse they needed
what happened when Japanese marines landed in Shanghai
they were opposed by the Guomindang ( GMD) troops– japan then ordered an aerial bombardment
how many Japanese troops were in shanghai?
70,000
what did Chiang do against the GMD army’s wishes
called them out of shanghai
how was Shanghai devastated?
after the GMD retreated, the victorious Japanese troops went on a rampage of rape, looting and murder
what was the cost of the damage to Shanghai schools, houses, shops and factories?
around $1.5 billion
what did the resulting (war in shanghai) armistice stipulated
that a neutral zone be drawn around the city
why did Chiang adopt a position of appeasement?
he still did not thing that China was strong enough to defeat japan – he truly thought that Japan could not be resisted until the CCP had been eliminated.
what did the Kwangtung army do in Rehe in 1933
claimed the area (neighbouring province to Manchuria)
what did the Tanggu treaty do
recognised japanese control of Manchuria, Rehe and Hopei
