Thursday, March 8th

Continuing on with notes.

 

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 from 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. 1.      Landowning clans dominated

-protected by the samurai

 

  1. 2.      Wealthy merchant class

 

  1. 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. 1.     heavy industry
  2. 2.     modern army
  3. 3.     strong navy

Showed off new power in several wars

  1. 1.     Sino-Japanese War

-1894-95

-Japan won

 

  1. 2.     Russo-Japanese War

-1904-05

-Japan shocked the world by beating Russia

-gained partial control of Manchuria

 

  1. 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. 1.     fight to the death
  2. 2.     commit suicide rather than surrender
  3. 3.     gekokujo

-open defiance of superior officers by junior officers

     -seen as a positive thing

     -shows the spirit of the soldier

 

Japaneese Invasion of Manchuria

 

1. The league of Nations could not enforce its authority

2. a major power could get away with using force

3. Great Britian and France wanted to avoid war at all costs

4. other powers would see this as a sign that they too could get away with force

5. the League also lost its most powerful member in the Far East - Japan

 

Ethiopia invaded by Mussolini 1936

  • Italy lost Ethiopia colony in Africa at the 1896 battle of Adua
  • one of the worst colonial disasters of modern history
  • Feb. 23, 1935, Italy sends large forces into Ethiopia
  • Oct. 7, 1935, League declared italy the aggressor

Italy/Ethiopia Invasion

 1. Nov. 18, 1935, Leagues sanctions began

  • arms embargo, financial embargo, non-importation of italian goods

 2. Feb. 1936 - League could not agree on critical oil sanctions mainly because FDR refused - US controlled 50% world oil trade

 3. Feb. 29, 1936, FDR signed the 1936 Neutrality Act

  • mandatory arms embargo with warring nations
  • mandatory ban on loans to warring nations

 4. May 5 - Italy occupied Addis Ababa - annexed all Ethiopia May 9th

 

 

 

 

 

E-mail me when people leave their comments –

You need to be a member of History 360 to add comments!

Join History 360

eXTReMe Tracker