Wednesday, March 14th

We continued taking Notes (see below):

 

Japan

 

Dictatorship also came to Japan

          -not through a political party but the military-taken over by 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-scene as a god

          -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—after great Britain-strongest navy in the world

Showed off new power in several wars

  1. 1.     Sino-Japanese War

-1894-95

-Japan won—sino is china

 

  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

JAPAN BECAME THE MOST POWERFUL COUNTRY IN ASIA

 

1920’s

 

-gave all men the right to vote

-signed the 4, 5 and 9 Power Pacts-respect the islands in the pacific, free trading rights for countries to China, and

-joined the League of Nations

-signed the Kellog-Briand Pact-outlawed war

 

 

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

Japan depended on imports from U.S. –but the high tariffs stopped them from trading with us

 

 

 

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

-soldiers take upon themselves to do what they want to do

 

Japan Invasion of Manchuria

  • The league of nations could not enforce the authority
  • Great Britain and France wanted to avoid war at all costs
  • Other powers would use this as a sign that they too could get away with the use of force
  • The league also lost its most powerful member in the far east—Japan

 

1932

FDR vs. Hoover-people blamed Hoover for bad economy

 

 

Good Neighbor Policy—makes sure Hitler and Mussolini don’t get Latin America on their side

 

Ethiopia invaded by Mussolini in 1935

  • Italy lost its Ethiopia colony in Africa at the 1896 Battle of Adua
  • One of the worst colonial disasters of modern history
  • 2-23-1935- Italy sends large forces into Ethiopia
  • 10-7-1935-league of nations declared Italy the aggressor

League of Nations condemned the action

11-18-1935 League of Nations sanctions begin

--arms embargo, financial embargo, non-importation of Italian goods

--Feb. 1936-league of nations could not agree on ethical oil sanctions mainly because FDR refused—US controlled 50% world of trade

Feb 29-1936-FDR signed the 1936 Neutrality Act

  1. 1.     mandatory arms embargo with warning nations
  2. 2.     mandatory ban on loans to warning nations

 

May 5-Italy occupies ----annexed all Ethiopia May 9

 

1936-1939—the Spanish civil war

--Generalissimo Francisco Franco was neutral

Hitler and Mussolini help him get into power

Hitler sent troops their, got to try out tanks and weapons, give troops experience

 

1936

FDR vs. Alf Landon

 

Rome-Berlin Axis-1936

-Official alliance between Germany and Italy

 

Rape of Nanking 1937—20,000 women or children were raped and killed by Japanese soldiers and killed thousands of civilians

 

Quarantine Speech-1937—Franklin Roosevelt’s famous speech, he was shifting his attention to what was happening over seas and the New Deal ended, China was invaded twice by Japan. The U.S. and other Countries in the world Needed to Quarantine Japan, Germany, Italy and Soviet Union.

 

Appeasement Policy—appease means to satisfy—a diplomatic policy aimed at avoiding war by making concessions to an aggressor.

          -Great Britain and France use this policy throughout the 1930’s

-Helped give Japan, Italy, and Germany confidence that they would face no consequences for their actions

          -Considered to be a huge mistake by historians

 

1937-Panay Incident—two Japanese planes attacked an American ship, but they said it was an accident


Anschluss with
Austria -1938—Anschluss-when a country annexes another country—Hitler used united instead of annex

 

Sudetenland/Munich Conference-1938—Hitler wanted the Sudetenland area because it had German speaking people TO REUNITE GERMAN SPEAKING PEOPLE

          -Munich Conference

  • Neville Chamberlain-Great Britain—announces that he made peace for our time
  • Adolf Hitler-Germany
  • Benito Mussolini-Italy
  • Edouard Daladier-France
  • RUSSIA IS NOT ON HERE

 

MUNICH PACT APPEASEMENT

 

  • Germany was given the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia

 

  • Czechoslovakia had the option to accept pact or deal with Germany itself

 

  • Czechoslovakia lost its defensible borders and fortifications

 

  • Also lost 70% of its iron/steel and lost 3.5 million citizens and 70% of its electrical power to Germany as a result of settlement

 

-Winston Churchill—criticized the Munich Pact appeasement but he would later redeem himself

 

  • Hitler takes over the rest of Czechoslovakia –March 1939—different because TO REUNITE GERMAN SPEAKING PEOPLE

 

  • British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain started taking Nazi Germany and Hitler much more seriously
  • Winston Churchill had warned about this happening (Hitler taking over the rest of Czechoslovakia)
  • Great Britain and France started mobilizing (preparing) for war

 

Nazi-Soviet Non-aggression Pact-1939

  • Axis powers-Germany Italy and Japan
  • German Ambassador von Ribbentrop and Soviet dictator Stalin sighed this pact
  • Russian gave raw materials to Germany in exchange for money and weapons
  • Both agreed to stay neutral if the other entered the war
  • Secretly agreed to invade Poland and split it. Germany would get the western half and USSR the eastern half
  • Russia would get Finland, Estonia and Latvia and Germany would get Lithuania

 

How did the world react to this pact?

  • Shock
  • Poland was in a tough spot
  • Hitler thought it would force Great Britain and France to back out of their promise to help Poland if attacked

 

The invasion of Poland

-Poland best know for their Calvary forces

 

Blitzkrieg attack

  • Lightning war
  • Germany focused more on offense tactics
  • Goal was to achieve victory as quickly as possible
  • Air force attacks enemy front line
  • Blitzkrieg-was mainly about terrorizing the enemy
  • Troops, air force, communication lines, transportation lines,
  • Disrupt the war of the enemy
  • Used tanks-panzers
  • Mechanized groups-tanks and tanks with trucks on them let troops off and trap the enemy
  • Get it in their minds mentally that we’re done
  • Hitler was able to tour Poland after Germany defeated Poland

 

Sitzkrieg-The phony war—Germans called it the sitting war

  • Germany and Great Britain did not go in the defensive
  • Britain and France declared war

 

Tripartite Pact is signed –Axis Powers formed

  • Main: Germany Italy and Japan
  • Other: Albania, etc

 

Allied

  • Main Great Britain, Soviet Union, United States, China, France, Australia, and Canada

 

German invasion of Denmark and Norway-April 1940

  • North Sea—Great Britain and Germany-Great Britain had control—Germany could not get control of that area
  • Germany was able to sink Great Britain ships
  • Van-Sheaplan Plan-Germany went to Belgium
  • In WWII Germany went through Belgium again

 

Maginot Line

  • A line of concrete barrier fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defenses
  • France constructed this along its borders with Germany and Italy after what happened to them in WWII
  • Built from 1930-1940
  • From Italian to French border
  • Germany went the opposite way than France thought they would
  • Germany attacked Belgium by flanking them
  • Posts were designed to stop or slow down tanks

 

Battle of France

  • France, British and Belgium armies
  • Miracle of Dunkirk millions were not killed
  • June 1940 Hitler gets his revenge on France-had a railroad car and he forced France to sign a treaty
  • France-Vichy government--leader Marshall Henri Petain-did exactly what Hitler told him to do
  • Many French people fled to Great Britain—Free French Underground-Led by Charles do Gaulle=goal to free France from German control-Alli

 

July 1940-Battle of Britain-Europe is overtaken by Germany

  • Hitler wanted to take over Great Britain
  • Germany bombed Great Britain to soften them up

 

Nazi Goals

  1. 1.     Destroy the Royal Air force (before invasion was possible—hopefully by 9-15-1940)—Germany did not succeed #1
  2. 2.     Attack and destroy the British Navy
  3. 3.     Attack British troops
  4. 4.     After gaining air superiority, the invasion of Great Britain would began if G.B had not already surrendered

 

  • Germany bombers did so poorly against the RAF that they started bombing at night only—randomly attacking cities
  • G.B. was aided heavily by the radar and Ultra-Germany sifering German code—hit them over English Channel-saved a lot of lives

 

Operation Sea Lion—NEVER happened

 

Winston Churchill-said they will never surrender

 

Germany Luffwaffe-the area we bombed in Germany

 

Bases-G.B. needed destroyers and Great Britain gave us naval bases

 

1940 Election

  • FDR vs. Windal Wilke

 

FDR signs the Lend-Lease Act—said we would lend a country something and after the war we would give it back—but if damaged give us one of your ships

 

PICTURES

  1. 1.     Hitler and Stalin –Russia and Germany working together about to kill each other if something does not go right
  2. 2.     Hitler and Stalin criticizing each other

 

 

-

                                               

Pearl Harbor

 

In July, 1941, Japan invaded French Indochina

China was to Japan as

--Indochina was large

 

In response, the US stops trading with Japan

 

Due to embargo, Japan felt it had three options:

  1. 1.     abandon ambitions in South East Asia
  2. 2.     compromise with the US
  3. 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. 1.     destroy three aircraft carriers, eight battleships, seven cruisers and other small ships
  2. 2.     attack Wake Island and Guam
  3. 3.     attack Malay and Hong Kong
  4. 4.     attack Philippines, Dutch East Indies and Burma

 

Japanese attack force consisted of:

  1. 1.     Six aircraft carriers
  2. 2.     360 airplanes

-Kate High level bombers

-dive and torpedo bombers

-Zero fighters

  1. 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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