History all in-one notes

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



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



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



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.



LON – Effectiveness of the League of Nations



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.



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



other countries so that funds are raised to purchase machines, leaving over 10 million

peasants to die of hunger.

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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.



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.



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. ++



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.



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.



War in Europe – Effectiveness of Appeasement policy



War in Europe – Reasons for rearmament



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.



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



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.



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.