explain why the military rose to power Flashcards
(47 cards)
1
Q
key reasons
A
- high respect towards the military
- political changes in Meji Japan
- economic challenges
- discontent of the military
- growing opposition to the civilian government
2
Q
high respect for the military
A
- the Bushido spirit
- the education system
- Japan and the world in 1868-1912
3
Q
the Bushido spirit
A
- Bushido was originally a moral code for the warriors/Samurai
- gained popularity in the Meji period through books and popular culture
- Meji governement made use of it to be Japan’s “new” ideology
4
Q
explanation (feelings + outcome)
A
- militarist values like loyalty and honour becomes an important part of Japanese pride and identity (FEELINGS)
- led to significant respect towards the military as modern day warriors/Samurai (OUTCOME)
5
Q
link
A
thus, the adoption of Bushido created favourable conditions for the militarists rise to power
6
Q
the education system
A
- education, along with mass media encouraged nationlism (loyalty and devotion to one’s nation with the desire to promote its interest over other nations)
- reinforced loyalty to Emperor, state, family and community
- education also praised the military and military drills were a part of curriculum
- military’s importance as protectors of Japan especially against Western Colonial powers were emphasised
- military successes such as the Russo-Japanese war were also celebrated and emphasised
7
Q
explanation (feelings + outcome)
A
- led to the military being highly respected (FEELINGS)
- had significant influence in Japanese society (OUTCOME)
- laid the ground for the rise of militarism in Japan (OUTCOME)
8
Q
link
A
thus, nationalist focus for education created favourable conditions for the militarists rise to power
9
Q
Japan and the world in 1868-1912
A
- Japan wanted to model itself after the British and become an empire and control lands with natural resources to continue growing its economy
- Japan went to war with China over Korea (1894-1895) and won a stunning victory
- war broke out between Japan and Russia (1904-1905), resulting in another stunning victory for Japan
- it was the first time an Asian power has defeated a major European power in war
- Japan has confirmed its status as a major power in the region
10
Q
explanation (feelings + outcome)
A
- led to the military being highly respected (FEELINGS)
- had significant influence in Japanese society (OUTCOME)
- laid the ground for the rise of militarism in Japan (OUTCOME)
11
Q
link
A
thus, the key victories by the military created favourable conditions for the militarists to rise to power
12
Q
political changes in Meji Japan
A
- structural problems
- ineffective civilian government
13
Q
structural problems
A
- Japan became a Constitutional Monarchy
- in theory, the emperor must share power with his governement made of the Genro, Diet (parliament of civilian politicians), and the military
- Meji government continued to encourage loyalty to the Divine Emperor and the government had very limited power
- Emperor Yoshihito was sickly and too weak to exercise his authority over the politcians and military like how Emperor Meji did
- many of the Genro who advised the emperor also retired due to old age
- military also had their own ideas and began to act on their own
14
Q
explanation (feelings + outcome)
A
- absence of a unifying figure in the emperor led to the government now divided between court officials, civilian politcians of the Diet and the military (OUTCOME)
- sets the background for the rise of militarism increasingly diregarding the emperor and running its own agenda during a period of weak civilian government (OUTCOME)
15
Q
link
A
thus, structural problems of the government resulted in creating favourable conditions for the military to rise to power
16
Q
ineffective civilian government
A
- the civilian politicians in the Cabinet and Diet were also divided due to the emergence of party politics
- political parties fought against each other for power and influence in the government eg. Seiyukai and Minseito parties who were elected into the Diet often clashed in the Diet
- party politics made it difficult for the Prime Minister to gain support of the majority to pass laws — when one party supports, the other will reject, often due to being in opposing parties
- military also resented the emperor appointed PMs and their cabinets for cutting the military budgets
- military began to act on its own
- PMs and Cabinets and even the Emperor himself had little control over them
17
Q
explanation (feelings + outcome)
A
- PMs and their Cabinets did not last long in this era
- PM could not do anything about the Ministers of Army and Navy as they are not appointed by him
- this weakened the government, causing fragementation and disunity, resulting in slow decison-making and ineffective problem-solving, ultimately impacting people’s lives (OUTCOME)
- the Japanese lost confidence in the government, leading to increased support for the military
18
Q
link
A
thus, lack of mass support and lack of control over the military led to the military’s eventual rise to power
19
Q
economic challenges
A
- high inflation and unemployment in 1920s
- Showa Banking Crisis and Great Depression
- challenges in the countryside
20
Q
inflation and unemployment + challenges in the countryside
A
- Japan’s economy grew tremendously in the early 1900s, but it also swung from periods of economic boom and periods of economic recession
- in the early 1920s, Japan’s economy faced problems like inflation and high unemployment as the decline in demand for Japanese goods forced companies to dismiss thousands of workers
- at the same time, those living in the countryside did not enjoy the same rise in standards of living
- farming technology such as better tools and farming are not spread quickly enough to the countryside and led to stagnation of farming productivity
21
Q
explanation (feelings + outcome)
A
- economic problems in early 1920s resulted in growing resentment among the Japenese against the civilian government who seemed incapable of resolving the economic issues (FEELINGS + OUTCOME)
22
Q
link
A
thus, economic issues resulted in creating favourable conditions for the military to rise to power
23
Q
Showa Banking Crisis
A
- in the 1920s, Japan had many banks, but many of them were small banks
- they focused on small number of borrowers who tend to be from the same few industries
- these small banks were vulnerable as if the industries they lent to were not doing well, they would have difficulty getting their money back
- Japanese banks continued to issue loans, especially in 1923 where they issued loans to companies that were not stable
- this was done during a period where the Japanese economy was not doing well
- by 1927, banks did not have enough money due to these bad debts
- led to the Showa financial crisis as people rushed to withdraw their savings and more than 20 banks collapsed, losing all the savings of those who saved with these banks
24
Q
explanation (feelings + outcome)
A
- these events resulted in greater public resentment towards the civilian government
- it also led to growing distrust in the government who believed that the civilian government cared only about the elites like the banks and Zaibatsus (FEELINGS + OUTCOME)
25
link
thus, the events resulted in creating **favourable** conditions for the military to rise to power
26
Great Depression
- the Great Depression in the USA in **1929** affected Japan negatively **in terms of trade**
- **demand** for Japanese goods **fell tremendously** and it led to a **worsening of the Japanese economy**
27
explanation (feelings + outcome)
- the events resulted in **greater public resentment towards the civilian government**
- it also led to **growing distrust** in the government who believed that the **civilian government cared only about the elites like banks and Zaibatsus** (**FEELINGS + OUTCOME**)
28
link
thus, the events resulted in creating **favourable** conditions for the military to rise to power
29
**discontent** with the military
1. **tensions** between Civilian government and military
2. actions **by the military**
30
tensions between civilian government and military
- throughout the **1920s** (late Taisho-early Showa), the **military** was beginning to believe that the **civilian politcians and Zaibatsu were corrupt** and **self-seeking** (served themselves and not Japan as a whole)
- **many young** Japanese officers were **from the poorer rural farming communities** and the **new urban middle classes**, which was **worst hit by the economic problems**
- they believed the **civilian government no longer respected the military** due to the **cuts in military budgets** and **favoured Zaibatsu instead**
- **further actions by the civilian government** such as signing of the London and Washington Naval agreements that **limited the number of Japanese Navy ships compared to western powers** (5:5:3) made the **military feel the government let them down**
- the Japanese **navy presented this** to the Japanese **public** as a **betrayal by the civilian government**
31
explanation (feelings + outcome)
as a result, the **Japanese people's trust in the democratic government** was **lost** and **more people supported the military and their calls for reforms** (**FEELINGS + OUTCOME**)
32
link
thus, **tensions between the civilian government and the military** created **favourable** conditions for the military to rise to power
33
challenges in the countryside
- **industrial growth** resulted in **increased standard of living** for most Japanese living in the cities
- they had **greater access** to **cheaper and better goods**, and **improved services and infrastructure**
- those **living in the countryside** did **not enjoy the same rise in standards of living**
- there was **insufficient land** for farmers due to **large population growth**
- **farming technology** such as **better tools** and **farming techniques** were **not spread quickly enough** to the countryside which led to **stagnation of farming productivity**
- **many** Japanese farmers were **tenant farmers** who rented land from landowners and paid their rent by a portion of their harvests
- thus **many farmers were left with little to eat**
34
explanation (feelings + outcome)
- as a result, there were **tensions in the Japanese**, **especially between the city and the rural folk**
- the **government's continued support** of the **wealthy Zaibatsu** resulted in wealth concentrating on the **big businesses** while **workers and peasants continued to live in poverty**
- this led to **growing unhappiness towards the wealthy and the government**
- as a result, **many Japanese supported the military** who **opposed the internationalist policies of the government** (**FEELINGS + OUTCOME**)
35
link
thus, the **actions by the military** created **favourable** conditions for the military to rise to power
36
actions by the military
1. **assassination** of **Zhang Zhuolin** in **1928**
2. Mukden Incident in **1938**
37
assassination of Zhang Zhuolin (**1928**)
- **Manchuria** is **rich in resources** (iron and coal) and **seen as a solution** to Japan's **lack of natural materials**
- Japan created the **Kwantung Army** to **protect Japanese assets in Manchuria**
- one Manchurian warlord - Zhang Zhuolin **developed friendly relations** with Japan but seemed **unable to defend Japanese interests**
- the Kwantung army **assassinated** Zhang in an **attempt to replace him with a more cooperative warlord**
- Japanese wanted to **blame it on the rivalries among the Chinese warlords** and **force the Japanese government** to **allow the Kwantung Army** to **take over Manchuria**
- however, the **emperor criticised** the Kwantung Army's action's instead
- PM was **unable to punish** those who were **responsible for the assassination** and **showed the government's weakness**
- the emperor **criticised the Kwantung Army's actions** but **was unable to do anything more**
38
Mukden Incident (**1931**)
- Kwantung Army **invaded** China ater the Mukden Incident in **September 1931** and **controlled most of Manchuria** and set it up as a puppet state with teh name Manchukua by **March 1932**
- civilian government **clearly** had **weak control oover the military** and **had little say over the foreign policy of Japan**
- Japanese **public celebrated the invasion of Manchuria** and **saw it as a viable solution** to the **economic challenges** faced by Japan
39
explanation (feelings + outcome)
- this **weakness shown** by the government and the emperor **furhter emboldened the radical elements** in military and they **became more ambitious** (**FEELINGS**)
- military **won the support** of the Japanese people as they were **seen as the ones who are actively trying to solve Japan's problems** (**OUTCOME**)
40
link
thus, **resentment of the peasants in the countryside** led to the military's eventual rise to power
41
**growing opposition** to the civilian government
1. **rise** of ultra-nationalist militarists
2. **May 15th** incident
42
assassinations by ultranationlistic factions
- Japan saw the **rise/growth of ultranationlistic military officers** who were **against civilian political leaders and the Zaibatsu**
- eg. Showa Restoration Faction Sakurakai (Cherry Blosson Society), Kodoha (Imperial Way Faction), and Ketsumeidan (League of Blood)
- they carried out a **series of political assassinations** such as Former finance minister killed by League of Bloo din **February 1932** and head of Mitsui Corporation (Zaibatsu) in **March 1932**
43
explanation (feelings + outcome)
- these ultranationalistic factions **inimidated civilian opposition** to **drop their opposition against the military**, giving the military **greater control over the government** (**FEELINGS**)
- it also **created a sense of instablity** and gave the military **an excuse to "restore order"** (**OUTCOME**)
44
link
thus, **rise of ultranationalists** pushed the military into **taking action** to **achieve political control**
45
**May 15th** incident (**1932**)
- PM **Inukai** was **assassinated by League of Blood** for **criticising the army's actions in Manchuria**
- Attackers also attacked Mitsubishi bank (Zaibatsu), Seiyukai (political party) HQ and several government officials
- League of Blood **hoped** the Japanese people would **support** them in their coup attempt
- **people did not support** them, and the League of Blood activists were **arrested**
- military **did not condemn** the coup attempt, but issued a statement to **excuse the actions** of the officers and **demanded political reforms**
46
explanation (feelings + outcome)
- as a result of the incident, the **emperor took the side of military** and **prevented the Seiyukai, the majority party in the Diet, from forming the cabinet**, and **appointed a navy admiral as the new PM**
- Japan has **officially come under the rule of the Militarists** (**OUTCOME**)
47
link
thus, the **May 15th** incident was the **trigger** that led to the militarists taking over Japan
