The collapse of the League Flashcards
6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, 6.6. (48 cards)
by 1933, how many American’s were unemployed?
around 15 million
how did the Great Depression affect the League of Nations?
- Hitler & Mussolini were not afraid to use violence to get what they wanted
- the League had to have an army to fight aggressive dictators
- the League would have to ask its members to fight but countries did not want the expense of a war
- the only sanctions the League could impose were economic
- in a time of economic crisis, countries were not willing to stop trading with other countries- this would create more unemployment and hurt their own people
when did the Manchurian crisis occur?
September 1931
where is Manchuria?
a region of China on the North-Eastern coast
what was so important about the area of Manchuria?
- rich in natural resources
- coal & iron ore
- fertile farmland
- industry
why did Japan want Manchuria?
- Japan was suffering in the Great Depression
- much of its economy was based on exporting silk to rich countries like the USA
- silk- luxury item- people cut back on luxuries when their families were starving
by 1932 how much was silk in Japan worth?
1/5 of what it had been sold for in the early 1920s
why did Manchuria seem like a good place to invade?
- geographically close to Japan
- Japanese army was strong
the Japanese generals killed the warlord in Manchuria in what year?
1928
what happened on 18th September 1931?
there was an explosion on the South Manchurian Railway
in what year did the Japanese army murder its prime minister?
1932
what date exactly was the Manchuria crisis?
18th September 1931
what did the Japanese army claim about the explosion on the South Manchurian Railway?
the train had been attacked by Chinese soldiers who had also shot at the railway guards
how did the Chinese respond to these claims?
they denied it & said their soldiers had been asleep at the time
what were the Japanese army called?
Kwantung army
in 1932 what did Japan rename Manchuria as?
Manchukuo
who did the Japanese put as the ruler of Manchukuo?
Pu YI- an ex- Chinese emperor who had been thrown out of power in 1911- in charge as a puppet ruler- this meant Japan could control him
why were Britain and France reluctant to act upon the Manchuria crisis?
- China and Japan were far removed from the League’s headquarters in Switzerland
- Britain & France felt that the incident was too far away to be any real concern
why were the League reluctant to act upon the Manchuria crisis: (confusion) ?
- Japan was a powerful member of the League- Japan claimed China had attacked them first- there was lots of confusion about the attack and people believed Japan due to them being powerful and not wanting to get involved
why were the League reluctant to act upon the Manchuria crisis: (Chinese politics)?
- China’s politics were disorganised
- many members of the League felt it was a good thing that Japan was trying to introduce order in the region
why was there little the League could do once they issued Japan a moral condemnation?
- members of the League could not afford to send troops so far away to fight someone else’s battles
- the League could issue Japan economic sanctions so that members would stop trading with Japan but Japan’s main trader was the USA- not a member of the League
who was the Commission of Inquiry led by?
a British politician called Lord Lytton
when was the Lytton report published?
October 1932
what did Japan do in regards to the League?
they left it
