War 1931-1945 Flashcards
1
Q
1931-1937: Japanese Militarism and East Asia
A
- Founding of “Manchukuo” Puppet State
- Eyes on further Chinese territory
- Increasing brutality in Korea
- Debate in China on Japanese issue intensifies
- Dilemma Chiang Kai-shek: counter Japan or the CCP?
2
Q
1937-1945: Japanese Militarism and East Asia
A
- Full invasion of China
- Leads to further invasions of South-East Asia and the Pacific War
- China: Second United Front of KMT and CCP to fight Japanese
- 1941: China as part of Allied Powers
- Variations in anti-Japanese resistance among Chinese and Koreans will shape postwar history
- Theme: increasing Japanese brutality; inability of Japanese to control conquered
3
Q
Showa Period 1926-1989
A
- Showa Emperor: Hirohito
- Two radically different halves:
– 1926-1945
– 1945-1989
4
Q
18 September 1931: “Mukden Incident”
A
- Militarists want full control in Manchuria
- “Mukden Incident” is staged as excuse to justify Japanese invasion
- Both without approval from civilian government
- 15 May 1932: Prime Minister assassinated. Now militarists in charge.
5
Q
“Manchukuo” Puppet State (February 1932-August 1945)
A
- Appearance: Features of an autonomous nation-state:
– Head of state (Emperor Puyi)
– Own government & army
– Symbols of nationhood (national flag, national anthem, national ideology)
– Conducted its own diplomatic relations, even with Japan - Reality: Japan exercised informal/indirect control over Manchukuo:
– Japanese officials controlled policy- and decision-making
6
Q
Why is Militarism so popular?
A
- Economic instability of Great Depression
- Weariness of labour unrest
- Violent repression
- Nationalist propaganda
- Resonance of militarists’ message:
– Necessity of “Manchurian lifeline”
– Critique of capitalism and communism
– Rejection of racial hierarchy of global order
7
Q
Ensuing Domestic & International Crises
A
Japan’s domestic crisis:
- Liberal-leaning party-led cabinets collapsed after resignation and assassination
- Right-wing groups led wave of terror attacks against those against invasion
Japan’s crisis abroad:
- Isolation after leaving League of Nations in 1933
- Truce signed with China in 1933 but relations remained tense
8
Q
From 1932: Militarists’ Domination
A
- Militarists and pro-militarists appointed to premiership from 1932
- Tactics to eliminate opposition (censorship, arrests, assaults, and assassinations)
- Why stop with Manchuria?
- National security to be achieved only with more natural resources in Northern China
- Tunnel vision of militarists will lead to disaster
9
Q
The Challenges of Chiang Kai-shek
A
- The Communists
– Civil War with CCP 1927-36. This has priority for Chiang. - The Japanese
– From 1931 Japanese encroachment increasingly serious and undermines his rule, prevents him from vanquishing the CCP. - The Warlords
– Chiang nominally in charge, but local warlords still maintain own armies and large areas are hardly under KMT central control. This makes Nanjing government ineffective and financially constrained.
10
Q
Mao Zedong 1893-1976
A
- Born in rural Hunan province in relatively well-off peasant family
- Becomes a Marxist at Peking University in 1910s
- Present at founding CCP in Shanghai 1921
- But, just one of many communist leaders until 1934
- Unlike other communists, will never spend significant time abroad
- Maoism
– Peasantry as forefront of the revolution, not proletariat
– “Mass line”: CCP must not be separate from popular masses, different from Lenin’s “Party as forefront”
– “Continuous Revolution”: class struggle continues during socialism to eliminate remnants of bourgeois thinking
11
Q
“Ten Year Civil War” 1927-1936
A
- KMT governs from Nanjing and controls large cities
- CCP based in several countryside strongholds
- From early 1930s: KMT encirclement campaigns of CCP
- After founding of “Manchukuo”, Chiang establishes truce with Japanese in 1933
- Chiang Kai-shek more interested in fighting communists than tackling Japanese encroachment in Northeast
- This changes in 1936: Second United Front KMT-CCP against the Japanese
12
Q
CCP: The Long March (Oct 1934-Oct 1935)
A
- Reaction to KMT advances on CCP strongholds
- Red Army groups move their separate bases to Shanxi province
- Only 1/10 remains: 100k to 7k
- New base: Yanan
- Long March extremely important in CCP historiography
- 1935: Mao Zedong emerges as CCP leader in the Long March
13
Q
Second United Front 1936-1941
A
- Xian Incident: Chiang kidnapped by Warlords that force him into United Front against Japanese
- “National Revolutionary Army” of CCP and KMT revived
- But largely separate units, CCP focused on Guerilla warfare, KMT on conventional battles
- High point: Battle of Wuhan 1938
- KMT does more fighting against the Japanese
- CCP solidifies base in Yanan and Chinese countryside
- Sino-Japanese War: conventional warfare by KMT in Southwest China; guerilla warfare by CCP in North China
14
Q
Start of the Second Sino-Japanese War (7 July 1937)
A
- 7 July 1937 “Marco Polo Bridge Incident”: Fighting between Chinese and Japanese troops erupted;
- Japanese Army then invade Beijing and Tianjin;
- August 1937: Battle of Shanghai. Fierce fighting for three months
- December 1937: Battle of Nanjing
- The surprise: Chiang Kai-shek does not surrender but moves capital to Wuhan, and then Chongqing
15
Q
Nanjing, December 1937
A
- Chinese government relocates on 1 December 1937 to Wuhan (= no Chinese surrender)
- Remaining troops eventually surrounded
- Many try to blend into civilian population as Japanese enter
- Japanese troops start rounding up Chinese soldiers in civilian clothing
16
Q
Nanjing Massacre
A
- Six weeks starting from 13 December 1937
- Background: Aug 1937 Japanese Imperial Army removes the constraints of international law on the treatment of Chinese prisoners of war
- Estimated deaths: 40k-300k (contested)
- Tens of thousands of women raped
- Though unique in scale, it is representative for a lot of Japanese atrocities in China in this period
