The Manchurian Crisis and Consequences - Conflict and Tension

Question 1

when was the Manchurian Crisis?

Answer 1

1931-33

Question 2

important background information about Manchuria

Answer 2

• China was internally divided, following decades of decline and losses to reign powers such as Britain and Japan, the last emperor had been forced to abdicate in 1912, ending 5,000 years of imperial rule
• China was still trying to determine its own future
• a civil war had been underway since 1927

Question 3

causes of the Manchurian Crisis?

Answer 3

• Japan was a rising power looking to expand
• Japan had a significant rise in population
• Japan’s territory is made of islands with few natural resources
• most of Japan’s economy was based on exporting silk to rich countries (e.g. USA) but during the depression the demand fell for this
• the USA also put tariffs on buying goods from Japan to encourage people to buy the countries own goods
• Japan’s industry went in decline and many people were unemployed (by 1932, silk was worth 1/5 of what it was in the early twenties and employment had fallen by 30%)
• Japan was becoming more materialistic with some people thinking that the army should control the government
• in 1910, Japan had taken over Korea and was continuing to take advantage of its resources
• Manchuria in northern China was right next to Korea, and was also rich in good farmland and raw materials such as coal and iron ore
• it could also provide a market for Japanese goods
• there was a history of confusion over who owned Manchuria - Russia and Japan had already exercised some control before
• Japan had a railway and factories there

Question 4

what happened in September 1931?

Answer 4

• Japanese troops staged an explosion near the town of Mukden on the Japanese-owned South Manchurian railway
• the Japanese blamed the Chinese but the Chinese denied they were involved (this is the Mukden Incident)

Question 5

what happened after the Mukden Incident?

Answer 5

• the Japanese army invaded the Chinese territory of Manchuria
• the invasion was successful, and a ‘puppet leader’ was put in charge of the area, and Manchuria was renamed Manchukuo
• in 1932, the Chinese appealed to the League for support against the Japanese, however the League was reluctant to react

Question 6

why was the league reluctant to react to the invasion of Manchuria?

Answer 6

• members were struggling from the impact of the depression
• Japan was a leading member of the league
• Manchuria was a long way from Europe where the LON was based
• economic sanctions would be limited as Japan’s main trading partner was the USA
• military action was unpopular choice due to financial and human cost
• there was confusion over what had happened in the Mukden Incident and who was at fault
• many thought China’s civil war brought chaos and Japanese rule could bring order to the region
• the nearest powerful country was the Soviet Union but they were not members of the league
• the league sent a commission, led by Lord Lytton, to investigate
• the commission took over a year to investigate, by which time the invasion and occupation had been completed
• the league accepted the findings of the report, condemned the actions of the Japanese and asked Japan to withdraw from the province - they ignored this

Question 7

in which year did Japan invade the rest of China?

Answer 7

1937

Question 8

what was the significance of the Manchurian Crisis for the LON?

Answer 8

• this event marked the beginning of the end for the league
• one of the major members of the league ignored moral condemnation
• without an army the LON was powerless
• economic sanctions were weak because the USA was Japan’s main trading partner
• at times where most people had faith in the LON, they thought the league would be able to deal with events in Europe
• Britain and France weren’t willing to support the League in taking action against the Japanese
• the League had failed to prevent aggression which encouraged later aggression by Italy and Germany