World War II: The Road to War

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World War II The Road to War

• III. Japan Builds an Empire

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Objectives

• Discover the causes and effects of Japans
  growing military power.
• See why the Manchurian Incident was a turning
  point for Japans civilian government.
• Find out about the initial outcome of Japans war
  against China.
• Lean why Japan looked beyond China for future
  expansion.

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A) Setting the Scene

• Japan forced by US to trade by Perry in 1853.
• Became modern to defend itself.
• Government went from monarchy to constitutional
  monarchy
• Beat China in 1894-1895 and Russia in 1904-1905
• Gained Korea, and part of Manchuria
• Became very powerful in late 1930s.

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B) Growing Military Power

• After WWI policy was peace joined the League of
  Nations and signed the Kellog-Briand Pact that
  condemned war
• Economic recession in Japan (1920s) caused many
  Japanese to resent the new democracy government
  also limited the size of the military by
  accepting the limits of the Washington Conference
  (1922)
• Radicals began to assassinated leaders hoping for
  chaos to get the military to take over.

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C) The Manchurian Incident

• Japans population growing need more room
  (living space?)
• 11) Manchurian Incident Japans army without
  permission take Manchuria in China.
• Puppet State supposedly independent country
  under the control of a powerful neighbor.
• US and UK did nothing League of Nations ordered
  them out of China Japan left League
• 1932 navy officers assassinated Prime Minister
  ends multiparty government 1936 uprising of
  junior officers almost topples government
  people began to be afraid of the military (583)
• Military gains power.

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D) War Against China

• 1937 Japan again attacked China soon took
  Beijing and Tianjin.
• 2 enemies in China Jiang Jieshi (Nationalist)
  and Mao Zedong (Communist) quit fighting each
  other and fought the Japanese.
• Japans superior technology forced them both back
• Rape of Nanjing Japanese soldiers brutalized
  or killed 100,000 civilians
• Burma Road Britain supplied Chinese with
  weapons along a 700 mile road
• 1939 war in China a stalemate

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E) Looking Beyond China

• Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere Japanese
  control from Manchuria to Dutch East Indies
  (Indonesia)
• Needed oil and rubber to finish off China
• 1940 sign the Tripartite Pact join Germany
  and Italy.
• Take French Indochina sign peace with USSR
  ready to take on US

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Review

• What were the causes and effects of Japans
  growing military power?
• Why was the Manchurian Incident a turning point
  for Japans civilian government?
• What was the initial outcome of Japan's war
  against China?
• Why did Japan look beyond China for future
  expansion?