Japan
Dictatorship also came to Japan
-not through a political party but the military
History
-rich military tradition
-feudal clans fought each other for dominance in Japan
-The Emperor presided over the Japanese government
-came form divine origin
-descendent of the Sun Goddess
-played minor role in the government
-he was above politics
-shogun had the political power
-ruled in the name of the Emperor
Japanese society
- 1. Landowning clans dominated
-protected by the samurai
- 2. Wealthy merchant class
- 3. Peasants
-most of the people of Japan
Japan was very isolated until 1853 when US Commodore Matthew Perry sailed in to Japan and forced them to open their ports
In the late 1800’s many Japanese were tired of being controlled by foreign countries.
-adopted western ways in hopes to keep Western Powers out of their country
- 1. heavy industry
- 2. modern army
- 3. strong navy
Showed off new power in several wars
- 1. Sino-Japanese War
-1894-95
-Japan won
- 2. Russo-Japanese War
-1904-05
-Japan shocked the world by beating Russia
-gained partial control of Manchuria
- 3. World War I
-allied with the US
-gained German Islands in the Pacific after the war
1920’s
-gave all men the right to vote
-signed the 4, 5 and 9 Power Pacts
-joined the League of Nations
-signed the Kellog-Briand Pact
1930’s
-Great Depression changed everything
-people blamed the government for tough times
-military leaders stepped in and took control
-said Japan had to expand in to Asia to help economy
-assassinated political leaders that opposed them
-took away people’s rights
Japanese Military Honor
- 1. fight to the death
- 2. commit suicide rather than surrender
- 3. gekokujo
-open defiance of superior officers by junior officers
-seen as a positive thing
-shows the spirit of the soldier
Japanese invasion of Manchuria
Great Britan and France didn't want to go to war
The league of nations lost its most powerful member in the far- East -Japan because they couldn't enforce their authority
election in america- FDR and Herbert Hoover FDR won
Good Neighbor policy- get along with South America.
Ethiopia invaded by Mussolini in 1936
Italy lost its ethiopia colony in africa at the 1896 battle of adua
one of the worst colonial disasters of modern history
February 23, 1935, Italy sends large forces into Ethiopia
Oct. 7, 1935, League declared Italy the aggressor
League put sanctions on trade
Neutrality act signed by FDR, arms embargo and loan embargo to warring nations.
US controlled 50% of the oil trade in the world
Generalisimo Francisco Franco Spain leader
FDR and Alf Landon 1936 election FDR won
Rome- Berlin Axis 1936
China incident 1937
Rape of Nanking- 1937 Japan invading China
Roosevelt gives Quarantine speech- 1937
Appeasement Policy- A diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by makin concessions to an aggressor.
helped Japan, Italy, and Germany face no consequences for their actions.
Considered to be a huge mistake by historians
Panay incident- 1937, Japan bombed US ship they said they thought it was a chinese ship
Anschluss with Austria -1938 Germany joined Austria
Sudetenland/Munich Conference- 1938
Munich Conference- Great Britan, Neville Chamberlain, Adolf Hilter, Germany, Benito Mussolini, Italy, France
Munich Pact, Appeasement, Great Britan and France told Czechoslovakia to accept the Munich Pact or they could deal with Germany themselves
Czechoslovakia lost 3.5 million people and a lot of resources due to the Munich Pact.
Neville Chamberlain said he made peace for our time
Winston Churchill wan't to go to war when Germany didn't have much of an army.
March, 1939 Hitler took the rest of Czechoslovakia.
Great Britan and France started to mobilize their army.
Nazi- Soviet Non Aggression Pact- Russia gave raw materials to Germany and Germany gave them money and weapons
Russia would get Finland, Estonia and Latvia and Germany would get Lithuania and they would split Poland
Hitler thought Great Britan and France would back down when they had Russia join them.
Blitzkrieg- Lightning War
airplanes come in and bomb the things the enemy needed
infantry comes in and flanks the enemy
Tanks come in and plow throuh the front line
cutting off the enemy and making them surrender
goal was to win as quickly as possible.
Sitzkrieg- The phony War-Winter was starting and Franc and Great Britan were still mobilizing their army
Axis Powers
Germany, Italy, Japan, Albania, Bulgaria, Finland, Romania, Thailand, Hungary
Allied Powers
Great Britan, Soviet Union, United States, China, France, Latin America, Canada, Australia, China
German invasion of Denmark and Norway-April, 1940
Maginot Line- Concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defenses.
France made it between Germany and Italy after what happend during WWI.
Miracle of Dunkirk- a million troops got away from the Nazis because Hitler told them to wait for the ground troops.
Vichy Government led by Marshal Henri Petain allies with Nazis they were French
Free French Underground led by Charles de Gaulle wanted to free French from Germany.
Battle of Britan
Nazi Goals
Destroy the Royal air force before the invasion
Destroy the British Navy
Attack British Troops
After gaining air superiority, the invasion of Great Britan would begin if G.B. had not already surrendered
Germany never succeeded in achieving #1
German bombers did so poorly against the RAF that they started bombing at night only- randomly attacking cities
Great Britan was aided heavily by the radar and Ultra.
Ultra was intersepting German codes and decoding them.
Operation Sea Lion never Happened against Great Britan because Germany couldn't get control of the air.
Luftwaffe was the German air force Herman was the leader of it.
1940 election Wilkie and FDR, FDR won and FDR's third term
Lend lease act- we lent other countries ships and tanks and weapons and we said you will return the favor some day.
Moscow middle, Leningrad north, Stalingrad South three major cities in Russia that Germany invaded in operation Barbarossa.
Scorched Earth Policy- Stalin Demanded this of the Soviet troops as they retreated, destroy enverything so enemy can't use it.
The Atlantic Charter- FDR/Churchill,1941- it set up war goals for the US and Great Britain
No territorial gain, No territorial changes without the peoples support
Pearl Harbor
In July, 1941, Japan invaded French Indochina- Vietnam, Palaos, Kambotia
Premier Tojo, Admiral Yamamoto, Emperor Hirohito
In response, the US stops trading with Japan
Due to embargo, Japan felt it had three options:
- 1. abandon ambitions in South East Asia
- 2. compromise with the US
- 3. attack Dutch and British possessions in the Pacific and US bases in the Pacific
Yamamoto felt that if Japan had any chance of winning a war against the US it must destroy the US Pacific fleet in a surprise attack
A surprise attack would give Japan at least six months to dominate SE Asia unopposed
Japan thought that the US then would face a long, bloody struggle and would settle for a negotiated peace that would allow Japan to do as it pleased in Asia
Tojo replaces Konoye as Premier of Japan. Konoye wanted to negotiate with the US. Tojo didn’t and had a low regard of the US
Tojo wanted war but Emperor Hirohito wanted on last peace attempt.
Japan offered this:
1. Open door policy everywhere and Japan would withdraw from
French Indochina
2. US would stop Lend-Lease Aid to China and start trading with Japan again
3. Japan would start peace talks with China
US refused plan on November 29th
US took a hard line stance with Japan now because we had deciphered their diplomatic code(Magic) and knew that they had some type of attack plan.
Magic Information
“November 29th is the deadline”
“things are automatically going to happen”
Japan felt that the key to success in the Pacific was air and sea power
-especially launching airplanes from aircraft carriers and submarines attacking enemy ships
Japan had ten aircraft carriers to our three in the Pacific(based in Pearl Harbor)
Japanese Pearl Harbor Attack Plan
- 1. destroy three aircraft carriers, eight battleships, seven cruisers and other small ships at Pearl Harbor
- 2. attack Wake Island and Guam
- 3. attack Malay and Hong Kong
- 4. attack Philippines, Dutch East Indies and Burma
Japanese attack force consisted of:
- 1. Six aircraft carriers
- 2. 360 airplanes
-Kate High level bombers
-dive and torpedo bombers
-Zero fighters
- 3. two battleships, three cruisers, eight destroyers
Admiral Nagumo commanded the force
To succeed, Japan had to travel 3,500 miles without being detected. That meant absolute radio silence and travelling through a vast, lonely expanse of the Pacific Ocean. This attack had to be a complete surprise.
“Backdoor to War” Conspiracy
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