The Second Sino-Japanese War

Question 1

What initiated the Second War? When?

Answer 1

July 1937- skirmish between Japanese and Chinese forces on Marco Polo Bridge in Beiping

This lead to Japan launching a full-scale invasion

Question 2

When did Beiping fall?

Answer 2

28th July 1937

Question 3

When did Tianjin fall?

Answer 3

30th July 1937

Question 4

When was the Second Front opened in Shanghai by Chiang? What did it result in?

Answer 4

12th August 1937

Deaths of some of the best Nationalist soldiers

Question 5

When did the Nanjing Government declare war on Japan?

Answer 5

15th August 1937

Question 6

What was Chiang’s plan to save China?

Answer 6

Trade space for time- outlast the enemy

Question 7

When was Shanghai taken by Japanese?

Answer 7

November 1937

Question 8

When was Nanjing taken by Japanese?

Answer 8

December 1937

Question 9

What was the Rape of Nanjing? (3 pt)

Answer 9

The Japanese unleashed brutal terror on the Nanjing civilians.
People were set alight, buried alive, beheaded and gunned down.
People were used as live targets for bayonet practise.
Thousands of women and girl were raped.

Question 10

How many people died in the Rape of Nanjing?

Answer 10

300,000

Question 11

How did Chiang keep the Japanese at bay while his government resided at Wuhan? Why was this such a tragedy? (6 pt)

Answer 11

Chiang ordered the dykes of the Yellow River to be blown up on the 7th June 1938.

Crops in 3 provinces were ruined

11 cities and 4,000 villages flooded

2 million people were made homeless

Thousands drowned

In the end, the Japanese took Wuhan anyway in December 1938

Question 12

Why did Chiang not surrender to the Japanese?

Answer 12

He was a staunch patriot- set on no surrender

Question 13

When did the Nationalist Government move to Chongqing?

Answer 13

November 1937

Question 14

How many businesses relocated to Chongqing?

Answer 14

2,000

Question 15

What was the Nationalist Government’s solution to a reduced income form customs tariffs and income tax? What did this cause? Example?

Answer 15

Printing more banknotes

Hyperinflation

1942-1944= rise of prices of 237%
1944-1945= another rise of prices of 251%

Question 16

How much of the aid from foreign governments was misused in Chongqing?

Answer 16

30%

Question 17

What percentage of crops did the Nationalists take as tax in Chongqing?

Answer 17

70-90%

Question 18

How did Dai Li prevent outcry from rebellious groups in Chongqing?

Answer 18

Kept up a campaign alongside secret police to quash subversive groups or criticism of Chiang

Question 19

What did Chiang do with the substantial foreign aid from the US?

Answer 19

Stockpiled it and also kept back his best troops from fighting in order to initiate future attacks against the communists

Question 20

Why did Stilwell (Chiang’s chief American advisor) disapprove of Chiang’s resistance against the Japanese? (2 pt)

Answer 20

There basically was no resistance. He disapproved of the stalemate because it would not bring quick victory. He also thought that the stockpiling of weapons and supplies was distasteful

Question 21

How did Chiang’s lack of resistance appear to the people and how did it affect his soldiers?

Answer 21

He appeared weak and it ruined the morale of his soldiers

Question 22

How many of the Nationalist conscripts died of mistreatment or disease?

Answer 22

1.5 million

Question 23

When did the Second United Front end?

Answer 23

January 4th 1941- Nationalist troops launched an attack on the communists as they had not completed an order

Question 24

How did the 2nd Sino-Japanese War benefit the communists in their fight against the GMD?

Answer 24

The GMD bore the brunt of Japanese invasion- the communists were left alone because their land was undesirable to the Japanese

Question 25

How did the CCP contribute to the war effort? (5 pt)

Answer 25

• Kept up guerrilla campaigns
• Disrupted supply and communication lines
• picked off stray soldiers
• pulled up railway tracks
• disarmed isolated battalions

Question 26

What event caused Japan’s initiative “burn all, kill all, destroy all”? (2 pt)

Answer 26

1940 ill-fated venture by the communist army against Japan

Communists lost 22,000 men while Japan lost only 4,000

Question 27

When was the Dixie Mission launched?

Answer 27

July 1944

Question 28

What was the aim of the Dixie Mission?

Answer 28

To initiate a settlement between the GMD and CCP

Question 29

Who was the Dixie Mission launched by?

Answer 29

The US

Question 30

Did the Dixie Mission succeed?

Answer 30

Not by any means… at all

Question 31

What prompted the surrender of the Japanese?

Answer 31

The US bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945

Question 32

How many Chinese died as a result of the Second Sino-Japanese War?

Answer 32

21 million

Question 33

How many refugees were created as a result of the Second Sino-Japanese War?

Answer 33

95 million