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Incomplete essay Notes for Elective History. (Very useful for 2014 if not much syllabus change) Take note of War In AP especially***********
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E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 1 27/11/2013
Past year SEQ topics and question: 2008. 2(a) Peace settlement necessity on G. 2(b) Why G. hate TOV
3(a) Effectiveness of appeasement 3(b) Cause of war in EU
4(a) Cause breakdown of wartime ally. 4(b) Cause of USSR collapse
2009. 2(a) Reason for rise of Stalin 2(b) Reason for Stalin‟s ctrl over R.
3(a) Reason for rise of Hitler 3(b) Reason for Hitler‟s ctrl over G.
4(a) Reason for Jap‟s aggression on M 4(b) Cause of Jap‟s attack P. Harbour
2010. 2(a) Eval. absence of int. conflict 2(b) Extent of G‟s recovery
3(a) Reasons for rearmament 3(b) Cause of war in EU
4(a) Reasons for Korean war 4(b) Impact of CMC
2011. 2(a) Reason G. hate TOV 2(b) Evaluate aims of Big 3 in TOV
3(a) Aim of Jap‟s AFP 3(b) Cause of Jap‟s attack P. Harbour
4(a) Cause of outbreak of CW in EU 4(b) Evaluate USSR actions in CW
2012. 2(a) Reason for rise of militarism 2(b) Impact of militarism on Jap.
3(a) Reasons for failure of LON 3(b) Effectiveness of appeasement
4(a) Reason for CMC 4(b) Effectiveness of UN during KW
2013. 2(a) Reason for rise of militarism 2(b) Impact of militarism on Jap.
3(a) Aims of Hitler’s AFP 3(b) Evaluate Appeasement
4(a) Aims of Gorbachev policies 4(b) Evaluate Gorbachev policies.
Spotted topics: Theme 2: Hopes for a better world?
o Establishing Peace?
Treaty of Versailles
Main aim of TOV
Aims of the Big Three
o US
o Britain
o France
Impact on Germany
o War guilt clause
o Demilitarisation
o Loss of territories
League of Nations
Aims
Effectiveness
Disarmament (-)
Commitment of key states (US, Allied
Powers, Germany) (-)
International disputes (-)/(+)
Social aspects (ILO & WHO)
o Rise of authoritarian regime
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 2 27/11/2013
1. Stalin:
Reasons for rise
Strength (Personality cult & Lenin‟s funeral)
Weakness (Trotsky & rivals)
Circumstances (Stalin as secretory-general)
Impact of rise
Political
o Purges and show trials (-)
Economic
o Industrialisation (+)
o Transport (+)
Social
o Fear and suspicions (-)
2. Hitler:
Reasons for rise
Strengths (Hitler‟s Capable leadership)
Weakness (Weimar Govt.)
Circumstances (Great depression)
Impact of rise
Political
Social
Propaganda
School curriculum
Economical*
Establishing Control
Use of fear
Education and youth movements
Propaganda and censorship
Economic (Industrialisation)
Theme 3: Breakdown of world order
1. War in Europe
Reason for rearmament
o Protect homeland in view of tensions in EU.
o Conquer lands for living spaces
o Economic conditions (Great depression)
Reasons for failure of LON (refer to theme 2)
o Inability to enforce sanctions
o Negative attitudes towards the League
o Lack of armed force
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 3 27/11/2013
o Membership problems
Reasons for WWII
o Rearmament
o Nazi-soviet pact
o Appeasement policy
o Hitler‟s Aggressive foreign policy
Abolish TOV
Expand German territory
Create a “Greater Germany”
To defeat Communism
Evaluation of Appeasement policy
o Temporary prevent war, stall time to strengthen
military might (+)
o Hitler take advantage of taking over territories
without the need to fight (-)
2. War in Asia-Pacific
Reasons for Jap‟s AFP:
o Desire for empire
Asia for Asians
Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere
o Economic reasons
Living space & natural resources
Great Depression
o Aggression against China & Manchuria
Reasons for aggression towards China
o Great Depression*
o Weakness of LON**
o Internal division of China (Mukden & Marco
polo**)
o Japanese AFP
Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour
o Desire to destroy American power in the A-P.
/Benefit of Japanese invasion of China and
SEA
o Deteriorating relations with US.
o Economic security
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 4 27/11/2013
TOV – Impact of key terms on Germany Loss of land/territories:
EL: Germany had to give up her lands to other countries like France and Belgium. Germany
would also lose all of its overseas colonies and was not allowed to form a union with Austria.
It would also lose control of the Saar coalfields to France for 15 years, which then the
inhabitants could decide in a plebiscite which country they wanted to belong to after that.
EX: The Germans thought that these terms were harsh as it would mean that they would
suffer from a loss of raw materials from regions such as Saar coalfields which could result in
crippling of Germany‟s economy. They also found it a deliberate attempt to prevent German
speaking people from living together through territorial terms, weakening Germany in all
ways so that they could no longer rise up as a power in Europe. Furthermore, self-
determination for all people was one of the main principles of the TOV, thus Germans hated
TOV due to its unfairness.
Demilitarisation/ Weakened defence force:
EL: There were harsh military terms stating that the German Army could only have 100000
professional soldiers and could not have an air force, submarines or tanks. It was only
allowed to have six battleships and a few smaller ships. Conscription was also not allowed.
EX: The Germans opposed these terms as these would mean that their country would be
crippled so much so that they would definitely not be able to defend themselves properly
against other countries should an invasion occur. It was insulting that the Germans could not
station any troops on their own land, but the Allies could. For example, the Rhineland was
occupied by Allies troops for 15 years. This loss of sovereignty caused the Germans to hate
the TOV.
War guilt clause/ War reparation clause:
EL: This meant that Germany had to accept full responsibility for the war and gave the Allies
the right to punish Germany. Germany was made to pay 6600 million pounds as
compensation payments for all the loss and damages done to the Allied civilians. Failure to
do so would result in Allies having the right to occupy German‟s territories.
EX: The Germans felt bitter since they were not solely responsible for starting the war and
there were many other countries who were involved in this war but they were forced to take
on the responsibility alone. Germany‟s exclusion from post-war negotiations also meant that
the treaty was a diktat and they had no choice but to accept, which meant that her people
would suffer as her economy would be crippled for a long time to repay this clause. This also
resulted in hyperinflation of German mark, wiping out the citizen‟s hard-earned savings
overnight, resulting in severe hardships of the people.
In conclusion, the War guilt clause is the most important reason why Germans hated the
TOV, as it forced Germany to accept full responsibility for the war, which injured their pride
and economy since Germany, just like the Allied powers, only joined the war because she
wanted to help her ally. Injuring their pride and causing sufferings would result hatred to be
borne towards the Treaty and the Allied powers, whereas the loss of territories separating the
German people would not matter as long as every one of them did not suffer, and the
demilitarisation was not significant since Germany would still receive protection by the
Allied powers with Rhineland being occupied by army of the Allies as long as they pay their
reparations on time.
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 5 27/11/2013
LON – Effectiveness of the League of Nations
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 6 27/11/2013
Stalin – Reason for the rise of Stalin
Weakness of rivals:
EL: This was especially so since his strongest rival, Trotsky, was still pushed for his
ideas on establishing communism worldwide, was unpopular among commoners who
wanted peace and security since the terrible experience in the WWI. Trotsky was also too
confident as he believed that he did not need to gain support of other members in the
party. On the other hand, rivals like Zinoviev and Kamenev was oblivious to Stalin's
threat as they allowed themselves to be manipulated by Stalin.
EX: As a result, despite the fact that Stalin's rivals were all more experienced and capable
than Stalin, they underestimated Stalin's ability to scheme and play the situation to his
advantage. Troysky's ideas also lost to Stalin's "Socialism in one country", which was
more workable in the eyes of Russian majority, unlike Trotsky's sophisticated idea of
revolution, which the uneducated peasants could not even begin to relate to. Hence,
Stalin's manipulation of his rivals to remove one another from their political positions and
the incompetence of Trotsky paved the way for the rise of Stalin.
Stalin's cunning personality:
EL: Stalin was a crafty and cunning man. He evoked Lenin's authority and used the
party's 'ban on cliques' to expel dissident voices within the party one by one. This
effectively allowed Stalin to get rid of most of his strongest opponents in the party. He
also played party politics such as tricking Trotsky to not attending Lenin's funeral, which
gave him the opportunity to become the chief mourner of Lenin's funeral. Since Trotsky
was known to be cocky, party members and Russians present at the funeral were fooled
to perceive Trotsky's absence as a form if disrespect to Lenin and that Stalin was the
natural successor to the party leadership. In these ways, Trotsky lost support as his
arrogance worked against himself and allowed Stalin to easily take on the leadership of
the Politburo without viable competition and hence seal his rise to power.
Stalin's position as secretory general:
EL: As the secretory general, he had the authority to fill the government with his allies
and supporters, which he did by appointing them to important positions. Furthermore, he
was able to prevent his rivals from doing the same. Having most of the key communist
officials behind him, he was able to exert great control over the government and
strengthen his power base. This eventually allow him to stand out each time there were
internal selection if party leaders as his allies would vote for him. If got sine reason they
did not, their lives and positions would be jeopardized by Stalin.
EX: All these effectively assured Stalin of his rise to power as the politburo gets
increasingly filled with Stalin's supporters.
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 7 27/11/2013
Stalin – Impact of Stalin’s rule Industrialisation (+) Stalin introduced Five-Year Plans to speed up industrialisation. New industrial towns sprang up with steel from its factories used for building tractors and railways. There was rapid expansion of heavy industries, which needed large amounts of energy obtained from coal and oil that is rapidly produced for electricity. New areas of industries, factories and cities were built and opened up. The uneducated labour force was also taught new skills with the building of schools and training of teachers, scientists and engineers, such that they could obtain high-skilled jobs. Workers were also offered salaries based on how much they produce and rewarded for surpassing their daily targets. Industrialisation thus made the Soviet Union a powerful country. By the end of 1930s, the Soviet Union had become the second industrial power in the world. As there were many opportunities for work, employment increased. With a more educated labour force, there would be professionals in the country that could serve to good use for developing different aspects of Soviet Union. It was especially noted since he managed to do it in a short 10 years. Industrialisation (-) The working conditions were appalling and production targets were unrealistic, which were never met by the workers, causing labour unrest, as workers protested against these. However, the response by the government was strict disciplinary actions against underperforming workers or those engaged in sabotage. In addition, due to industrialisation’s over-emphasis on heavy industries, productions of basic goods were neglected. As a result, basic goods were priced at high values and although the workers work hard to get pay increment, they could buy no more than before with larger sum of money, especially due to rationing. Thus, this led to immense suffering of the Russians as they could not afford to provide food and basic necessities for their families or even last throughout the bitter cold winters without suitable clothing, food and other basic necessities, causing deaths from starvation, diseases and frostbites. Transportation (+) An important part of Stalin’s plans was the building of roads, canals and railways. Transport and communication networks were improved. These linked the mines with the factories and the factories with the main centres of population. This made it easier to transport foodstuffs from the countryside to the towns and eased the problem of transporting the finished products to the markets for sale. The major projects started included the Moscow-Volga Canal. Thousands of labourers were involved in these huge projects. This thus helped to create jobs. The unemployment rate was greatly reduced. Collectivisation (-)
Collectivisation is whereby different farms belonging to different farmers were grouped
to form a collective farm with tools, animals and tractors shared between them. These
collective farms are state-owned, managed by government officials, and the farmers are
paid labourers who work together to produce crops and sell a percentage of them to the
government at a very low price in order to supply food to the cities. They received
tractors and harvesters in return. This did not work since many farmers were reluctant to
abandon their traditional way of life and they saw food shortages in the future of
collectivisation. Any crops found hidden by the farmers were confiscated by the state.
The kulaks refused to give up their lands to the government and many farmers also
resisted collectivisation by burning their crops. Stalin hence ordered the slaughter of 17
million horses used in farming to force farmers to use tractors, which was insufficient at
that time to replace the horses killed. Uncooperative villagers sent to labour camps were
made to work on Stalin‟s ambitious construction projects. These also resulted in famine
in some areas of Soviet Union. Even so, Stalin confiscated all the crops he could to sell to
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 8 27/11/2013
other countries so that funds are raised to purchase machines, leaving over 10 million
peasants to die of hunger.
Explain: ________________________________________________________________
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Social:
During purges, people are encouraged to inform on their fellow workers, neighbours or
even family members of negative comments against Stalin. No evidence is required for
the arrest, thus anyone who had a grudge could get rid of another person easily by
denouncing him to the NKVD, which guaranteed that they were never ever heard of
again. Mass executions occurred on victims of purges, such as millions of ordinary Soviet
citizens, who often did not know what they had done to anger Stalin. They were removed
from any photos or paintings they appeared in. Just like the other heroes of Revolution,
they die and become forgotten. Religion was not allowed to be practiced and religious
leaders were persecuted. Stalin also forced authors and artists to depict him in good light.
Thus, books and arts became the propaganda of Stalin and his programmes such as
industrialisation and collectivisation. As arts were used mainly for propaganda purposes
for Stalin, there was a lack of variety in the arts. As a result, there was little entertainment
in Soviet Union and the soviets were brainwashed on a daily basis that Stalin was a great
leader and that his policies were essential for the country. The misery, constant fear and
suspicions formed between people reduced interactions as lips are properly sealed so that
they do not blurt out offensive words, be it towards the person or about Stalin as a slip a
tongue had resulted in tragedy for many. Everyone hence lost freedom of expression and
feared and dreaded living in Soviet Union.
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 9 27/11/2013
Hitler – Reason for the rise of Hitler
Hitler as a good orator:
EL: Hitler was a good orator who convinced the Germans by speaking earnestly and
emotionally of topics that were close to the hearts of the people, for instance, how
Germany‟s economic and political problems were linked to the TOV and the Weimar
government, and that he would be able to solve Germany‟s problems. Rallies and use of
propaganda won Hitler much supports with meetings and rallies carried out impressively.
Work and bread was promised for all. These won him many fanatical supporters.
EX: Due to this, the disillusioned people were confident that voting for Hitler would
definitely bring them out of the dire situation they were in, give them a better life and
make Germany a powerful country once again. The Nazi Party, being seen as well-
disciplined and well-organised, the effective use of propaganda and Hitler‟s compelling
charisma and persuasive speaking skills gave Germans the impression of Hitler as a great
leader.
Weakness of Weimar government:
EL: The Weimar government was a coalition government – the Reichstag or parliament
was made up of many other political parties. The coalition government worked well only
when nothing too serious happens. However, squabbling takes place and they split apart
during times of crisis. Furthermore, they started on a bad footing with the signing of the
TOV, with problems such as hyper-inflation, rebuilding of a war-torn Germany and
unemployment too overwhelming for them, as a new government, to handle. They were
also seen as betrayers by the Germans.
EX: In the eyes of the Germans, the weak and struggling Weimar government seen as the
representative of democracy tarnished the reputation of all other democratic parties in
Germany, causing Germans to lose confidence in democracy and related parties.
Conversely, extremist parties like Hitler‟s Nazi party promised a stable and stronger
government and solution to all problems. The Germans believed Hitler will unite them
and bring Germany back to its former glory.
Great Depression:
EL: The GD affected the economies of countries around the world including Germany
when USA adopted a protectionist policy and called back its loans to Germany due to the
Wall Street crash. All goods coming to USA were imposed high taxes, affecting German
exports to USA and resulting in German companies going bankrupt and close down.
Unemployment rose by 100%. The Germans lost faith in Weimar‟s ability to pull them
out of the poor economic conditions.
EX: This also meant the loss of confidence in democracy by the Germans, causing more
competitive democratic parties to lose opportunities to get voted. As a result of this GD,
many Germans thus found extremist politicians like Hitler more appealing as they were
enticed by the Nazi slogan “Work and Bread” and Nazi policies that offered hope, jobs
and pride which was very attractive to the suffering Germans. Thus, GD popularised the
Nazi party and degraded the democratic parties in the Germans‟ eyes.
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 10 27/11/2013
Hitler – Impact of the Hitler’s rule
Economic policies: (+)
EL: Economically, Hitler‟s rule had benefited many. Economic policies were aimed at
tackling unemployment in Germany by building up weapon industries to create jobs, and
ensuring that Germany would not have to depend on imports of other nations for survival.
For example, the construction of highways or autobahns, hospitals, factories and schools
created employment for many Germans. Unemployment fell from 4.8 million to 0.5
million in just 5 years. Wages rose. People‟s standards of living rose. Inflation slowed
down. People could feel secure about saving again.
EX: Due to these achievements, Hitler solved the people‟s desperate needs for a source of
livelihood to gain income to buy basic necessities. These in turn improved the morale of
the country and loyalty of the people especially since the defeat of Germany in WWI and
hence, made Germany become strong and united again so that Germans regain their pride
as a strong power in Europe.
Social: (-)
EL: Improvements made by Hitler‟s regime in social areas were often played up and were
limited to short terms, not lasting improvements. For instance, Nazis had statistics to
show that wages increased, which failed to consider the increased working hours of the
workers. Reduce in unemployment rates were also achieved through the calculation of
statistics that left out certain factors such as women encouraged to leave the workforce
and Jews and the others who were unemployed.
EX: This was serious as it meant that the improvements mentioned by the Nazi Party to
the citizens were full of lies and actual improvements made were minimal. They were
equivalent to the successor of the Weimar government, who could not do much to resolve
the problems in Germany, except that Hitler made empty promises and used propaganda
and education to deceive the Germans and abuse their trust, which only resulted in more
sufferings, confusion and social unrests due to Hitler‟s harsh and strict ruling over the
German people since their poor living experiences and claims by the Nazi Party largely
differ. In this way, the Germans would be unhappy as they felt cheated.
Political: (-)
EL: Hitler made use of his SS and Gestapo to arrest political opponents and put them in
concentration camps without trial. They were given the rights to arrest anyone whom the
thought was against Hitler. When Hitler felt threatened by the SA leaders, he had them
removed and executed in the Night of Long Knives. As a result, nobody dared to stand up
against Hitler, especially in politics as they would end up being assassinated and have a
terrible death. Due to the lack of opponents in the Reichstag, Hitler had total power and
his decisions were never questioned. No Nazi politicians dared to outshine Hitler for they
fear of having the same fate as the SA leaders, leading to full dictation of Germany by
Hitler.
EX: These also meant that nobody had the ability to remove Hitler from his position as
the Fuhrer; hence Hitler could easily and effectively lead Germany to become a strong
power again as he established total control of Germans, allowing the process of
developing various sectors of Germany to become easier as everyone follows closely to
instructions of Hitler. ++
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 11 27/11/2013
Hitler – Ways to establish control of Germany Political control:
EL: Political control was used to eliminate Hitler‟s potential rivals. For example, a week before
the elections, the Reichstag caught fire. Hitler pushed the blame onto the communists and
declared a state of emergency. Hitler was then given greater power which was used to arrest 4000
Communist leaders and banned communist party from the Reichstag, thus enabling Nazi party to
secure more seats in the Parliament which resulted in the Enabling Act being passed, granting
Hitler full dictational power for four years, which was used to strengthen his control over
Germany. He also removed and executed a hundred of his SA leaders whom he deemed as a
threat to his powers, in the Night of Long Knives.
EX: As a result of his use of violence and intimidation, Hitler met with little resistance from the
oppositions as they feared him, hence enabling Hitler to establish total control over politics in
Germany.
Social control:
a) Propaganda:
EL: Hitler also made effective use of Propaganda to tell the people about Nazi‟s principles and
achievements. Under Joseph Gobbels, the Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda,
every feature of National life – press, films, theatres, radio and sports came under the control of
the government. Nazi values were widely spread and preached in Nazi controlled churches.
Propaganda was also used to victimise certain groups in the country – Communists and the Jews,
by labelling them as evil, the cause of all Germans‟ problems.
EX: As a result, the Germans were distracted from Hitler‟s evil plans as they now had another
target to channel their unhappiness. Hence, Hitler was able to establish total control of the
German people.
b) Education:
EL: To ensure complete loyalty and obedience of the young people, the Nazis controlled all
schools‟ curriculum. Schools were turned into instruments of indoctrinations for Nazi beliefs.
Leisure time of the young was also planned by the Nazis through youth organisations such as the
Hitler Youth and German Girls‟ League. Youths spent much time on outdoor activities such as
hikes, road marching and camping expedition. Men were trained to military skills so as to create a
society fit enough for bigger plans.
EX: As a result of the effective use of education, the whole society became blind followers of the
Nazis. Hence, no one dared, or even wanted to remove Hitler from his seat of power.
Economic:
EL: Economically, Hitler‟s rule had benefitted many. He fulfilled his promises to the people –
Jobs. Nazi‟s controlled industries created many jobs for hundreds and thousands of those who
were unemployed. People who were employed work in land reclamation areas and build public
works like buildings, roads and railways. The construction of highways or autobahns also created
many employment for 70000 people. He also gave the Germans their very own branded car to be
proud of – the people‟s car- the Volkswagon. Germany‟s economy recovered quickly under the
Nazis, which was one of their biggest achievements. Unemployment reduced from 4.8 million to
0.5 million in just 5 years. Wages rose; the Germans‟ standard of living rose; inflation slowed
down; people could feel secure about saving again.
EX: As a result, Hitler received popular support. They could do what the Weimar couldn‟t. He
was seen as a great leader to be respected. Hence, Hitler was able to garner support from the
people in Germany and allow him to establish total control over them.
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 12 27/11/2013
War in Europe – Reasons for the start of WWII Nazi Soviet pact:
EL: Germany wanted to avoid a two-front war with Britain, France (Allied powers) and
on the other side, USSR. USSR was waiting for the Allied powers to initiate an alliance
to fight Germany, the aggressor in Europe. However, as this day never came and since
the Allied powers rather sign the Appeasement policy with Germany than to ally with
USSR, the USSR feared that they were unable to handle German invasion. USSR plotted
the signing of Nazi-Soviet Pact, in which USSR will not interfere with Germany‟s fight
against the Allied powers, and USSR will immediately launch an invasion on Germany
after the war when Germany becomes terribly weakened.
EX: This allowed Germany to become confident in securing a victory over the Allied
powers easily since Germans have a stronger military and the two-front war with Allied
powers and USSR was successfully avoided with the signing of Nazi-Soviet pact.
Appeasement:
EL: Thinking that they could negotiate with Hitler to keep peace in Europe, the British
and French PMs did nothing when Hitler strategically violated clause after clause of the
TOV, namely reintroduction of conscription, remilitarisation of Rhineland and union with
Austria. When Sudetenland was negotiated and „given‟ to Hitler without him even firing
a shot, Hitler was emboldened to test the Allied powers once more by invading
Czechoslovakia. Again, the Allied powers turned a blind eye to it.
EX: These actions of Hitler transmitted the message to the Allies that if Appeasement
kept happening, Germany would eventually take over all the European states without
even the need to fight a war. Hence, the Allies know that the time has come and went all
out to secure Poland, the next conquest of Hitler‟s Germany, by using all the troops they
have trained and prepared to deal with Hitler‟s Germany, making war between the two
parties inevitable.
Hitler‟s AFP:
EL: Hitler wants to abolish the TOV and its terms of demilitarisation, limitation to a tiny
armed force, banning of conscription, and forbiddance of a union with Austria and the
cruel separation of Germans, which was a constant reminder to Germans of their
humiliation. Hitler also aimed to create a „Greater Germany‟ by reuniting all the lands
that were once German soil before the WWI, under his rule. As such, more lands are
required for the growing German population and German territory must expand through
conquering lands in Europe. His desire to defeat Communism, the direct opposite of their
ideology of Facism and Nazism, as well as fear of Communist takeover of Germany
made Hitler determined to destroy Communism, which meant a war with Russia.
EX: To make Germany the main power in Europe and take revenge on the Allies for
suffering of the Germans, it was only impactful to humiliate the Allies through the
takeover of their overseas states as well as their main states, which would be even better
if they did not have to fight a war. However, this was impossible as the Allies would too
have their limit of compromise. Thus, Hitler‟s ambitions and AFP made war more likely
to break out.
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 13 27/11/2013
War in Europe – Effectiveness of Appeasement policy
E.History all-in-one notes
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War in Europe – Reasons for rearmament
E.History all-in-one notes
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War in Asia-Pacific – Aims of Japan’s Aggressive Foreign Policy
Creating empire in SEA (Empire, Asia for Asians, GEACPS):
EL: Japan wanted to build its very own empire as it felt that it was the leading country of
the Asia-Pacific region. Japan felt that Asia should be for Asians, thus adopted the
aggressive foreign policy which aimed to free Asia from Western control and lead Asia,
called the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. This will also allow Japan to prove to
the West that they are also capable of having their own empire, furthermore by taking
over their (the western) territories.
EX: However, Japan‟s real intentions were to become the new colonial master to the
Asian countries and control resource rich countries under its empire to help her become
self-sufficient as well as to serve as markets for Japanese goods.
Economic reasons (GD/Protectionism, Land and resource due to overpopulation):
EL: Japan had to deal with the land and resource lacking in order to satisfy the needs of
its already high and growing population. Furthermore, as a result of the GD,
Protectionism was practiced by many countries causing Japan to plunge into the state of
economic crisis.
EX: An aggressive foreign policy and subsequent annexation of Asian countries would
enable Japan to have access to the rich resources and food. Increase in space would allow
more living space and is also another way to open new markets to increase job
opportunities. Military successes in the case of the Russo-Japanese war and World War I
also gave Japan the belief that land gains could be possible through military conquests.
Aggression towards China and Manchuria:
EL: Japanese military believed that an aggressive foreign policy towards resource-rich
countries was the only solution to pull Japan out of its economic problems. From
Manchuria, the Japanese army was in a strategic position to invade territories in Northern
China. The Japanese had a foothold in Manchuria where it invested heavily in
infrastructure. Moreover, China would be able to solve Japan‟s economic problems by
being a good source of natural resources and its large population could be a market for
Japanese goods.
EX: As the Chinese had not really protected their Northern provinces, the Japanese
military was sure that the huge resistance put up by the Chinese at the Marco Polo Bridge
would fall within a week. As a result, Japan was sure that if they launch a full-scale
invasion on China, it would finish China quickly before its economy and army becomes
stronger and they would take over all the lands and resources of the Chinese to satisfy
their population.
E.History all-in-one notes
©Wong Yuan Neng Page 16 27/11/2013
War in Asia-Pacific – Reasons for Japan’s aggression in Manchuria and China
Great Depression:
EL: Due to the Great Depression, Protectionism was practiced by many countries by
increasing prices of foreign goods to popularise local goods. Japan was one of the victims
of such policy, in which its main exports, Japanese silk, fell drastically. Exports dropped,
thus income was reduced. This meant that Japan now needed more natural resources but
have less means to obtain them. The country plunged into the state of economic crisis.
Factories closed, people went jobless, leading to severe sufferings by the people and
difficulty of the government to resolve these problems.
EX: Thus, the Japanese military laid their eyes on Manchuria, which had raw materials,
cheap manpower and could act as an overseas market for Japanese goods. Manchuria
could solve most of Japan‟s economic problems and also save the Japanese economy
from the Great Depression. Desperate to resolve Japan‟s economic problems, the military
hence became aggressive and invade Manchuria.
Weakness of LON:
EL: The League of Nations (LON) was formed to provide international security. The
LON portrayed its weaknesses during Japan‟s invasion of Manchuria. The League,
represented by the Lytton commission, could only condemn Japan of their actions but do
not have the ability to stop Japan, to deter the aggressors. Furthermore, it took one whole
year just for the Lytton commission to report Japan guilty of invading Manchuria. This
showed that the League was indeed quite useless and inefficient.
EX: The league could not do anything but to let Japan build up a mindset that the western
powers were too weak to stop Japan‟s expansion into China. Only if the League had sent
troops to chase Japan out of China, then Japan would realise and recognise the League‟s
capability in deterring aggressors thus would think and take caution of the League before
making any decisions. However, the slow and weak response by the League only
emboldened Japan to further invade China‟s territory.
Internal Divisions:
Mukden incident
EL: Japanese military invaded Manchuria and seized its capital, Mukden, on the pretext
that the Chinese had attacked Japan by causing a train explosion at the South Manchurian
Railway, which was a plan by the Japanese army. From Manchuria, the Japanese army
was in a strategic position to invade territories in Northern China. The Japanese also had
a foothold in Manchuria where it invested heavily in infrastructure.
EX: The Japanese government had no choice but to go ahead with the attack and invasion
of Manchuria as to pull back the Kwangtung Army would have been a serious loss of
face as it would show the weakness of the Japanese government‟s hold over its military.
In addition, Manchuria could also satisfy the lack of land and resources by the Japanese.
This made Manchuria an ideal location near to Japan, which could serve Japan‟s short-
term and long-term needs.
Marco Polo Bridge incident
EL: The Marco Polo Bridge incident, whereby the Japanese army demanded to search the
Chinese section for a missing soldier and subsequently demanded the Chinese to totally
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©Wong Yuan Neng Page 17 27/11/2013
withdraw from the bridge and the surrounding areas, escalated quickly from gunfires to a
full-scale Japanese invasion on China, when the Chinese refused to comply.
EX: Japanese military believed that an aggressive foreign policy towards resource-rich
countries was the only solution to pull Japan out of its economic problems. Moreover,
China would be able to solve Japan‟s economic problems by being a good source of
natural resources and its large population could be a market for Japanese goods. As the
Chinese had not really protected their Northern provinces, the Japanese military was sure
that the huge resistance put up by the Chinese at the Marco Polo Bridge would fall within
a week. As a result, Japan was sure that if they launch a full-scale invasion on China, it
would finish China quickly before its economy and army becomes stronger. Thus, this
emboldened the Japanese to become aggressive to China.
Japanese Aggressive Foreign Policy:
EL: Japan wanted to build its very own empire as it felt that it was the leading country of
the Asia-Pacific region. Japan felt that Asia should be for Asians, thus adopted the
aggressive foreign policy which aimed to free Asia from Western control and lead Asia,
called the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere. Japan also aimed to become
aggressive towards Manchuria and China, as it had to deal with the land and resource
lacking in order to satisfy the needs of its already high and growing population.
EX: Increase in space would allow more living space and is also another way to open
new markets to increase job opportunities. However, the only way to get land was to
forcefully fight for one and so invading other territories would give them the benefits and
expand their sphere of influence in the world. This meant that war with Western countries
in the Asia-Pacific was inevitable. Such actions, undertaken by Japan to expand their
sphere of influence in the Asia-Pacific, clearly threatened peace and terrorized the Asia-
Pacific region as Japan necessitated the use of military expansion.
In conclusion, the Great Depression is the main cause of War in Asia-Pacific. The global
economic depression had adversely affected economic condition in Japan. Hence, desire
for expanding its territories by adopting the aggressive foreign policy was the only
solution as new territories would provide them with raw materials and could at the same
time act as captive markets. Rivalry between Japan and China was merely an excuse.
Even if the LON had been strong, Japan would still proceed on with its expansionist
policies as the Japanese could not afford to see their country land into the state of
bankruptcy.
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War in Asia-Pacific – Reasons for Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour Desire to destroy U.S. power in the Pacific:
EL: the U.S. had many naval bases to support a large navy, which contributes to a large part of
America‟s strong control over the Pacific. Also, when Japan invaded Indochina, the U.S.
expanded its navy and moved it pacific fleet nearer to Japan in Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. Troop
reinforcements were also sent to Philippines and other Pacific islands. With America‟s presence,
it would be impossible for Japan to expand its territories into SEA to support its long-drawn war
with China.
EX: As a result, the Japanese military felt a need for Japan to attack the U.S. Pacific fleet in order
to cripple USA‟s ability to fight a war in the Pacific. In this way, Japan would be in a better
position to fight off any American attacks as they would have gained sufficient time to build up
its troops to protect the positions it had conquered in SEA. Hence, the Japanese military felt that
an attack on the Pearl Harbour was necessary.
Deteriorating relations with the U.S./the West:
There are numerous occasions in which Japan felt discriminated by actions of the west (which
included the U.S.). For example, the refusal of the west to accept the equality of races as a part of
LON covenants was viewed negatively by the Japanese. The Washington Naval Conference,
which granted Japan only 3 units of navy for every 5 units of navy of USA and Britain, was also
thought as a conspiracy by the U.S. and the West to prevent Japan from becoming strong. U.S.
immigration laws were also seen as a discrimination against the Japanese. All these made the
Japanese felt that the U.S. considered Japanese as inferior which was intolerable to Japan. In
addition the U.S. had placed trade embargoes on Japan when it attacked Indochina, causing
difficulties of Japan to obtain oil supplies for its industries.
EX: Thus, the only way for Japan to prove themselves and overcome the trade embargoes was to
challenge the U.S. military as a successful attack on Pearl Harbour would be t necessary towards
proving Japan's strength, followed by an invasion of SEA to remove U.S. influence in the Asia-
Pacific.
Lack of natural resources/ economic security:
EL: As a country limited in natural resources, Japan heavily depended on the import of resources
to sustain itself. Due to the war with China, Japan required a lot of resources, especially for its
military. The U.S., on their part, imposed a trade embargo of oil on Japan and prevented other
countries from selling oil to Japan. All these were aimed at forcing Japan to give up its aggression
in China, which only resulted in Japan deciding to take over Indochina to ensure its supply of oil.
EX: To do this without obstructions, all the countries in SEA must be controlled by the Japanese,
including the U.S. controlled Philippines. This meant that the U.S. Pacific fleet based in Pearl
Harbour had to be destroyed, so that reinforcements could be sent to protect the Philippines. The
destruction of the Pacific fleet would give Japan sufficient time to launch a takeover on SEA.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, based on origin, it was more economic security that resulted in Japanese attack of
Pearl Harbour. If there wasn't a lack of natural resources, Japan would not have to pursue an
aggressive foreign policy to build their own empire and become aggressive towards China,
causing a long-drawn out war that drained their natural resources and hence the need to takeover
SEA resulting in their deteriorated relations with the U.S. and the desire to destroy U.S. power in
the Asia-Pacific.
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