Manchuria Crisis
Rachel, Lyndsay, and Jessie

  • The depression had hit Japan very badly, and the country was struggling to feed its growing population. The Japanese military believed that solving their problems could be reached by creating an empire that would provide Japan with the resources it needed to help its population, that empire would be taking Manchuria
  • Japan had very little iron ore and coal which was rich in Manchuria
  • Taking over the land would provide Japan with enough space to farm for their population
  • The Manchuria Crisis was the first serious challenge to the League and its first great setback.
  • The Japanese Kwantung Army led an invasion of Manchuria, China on September 18, 1931.
  • Manchuria Crisis was Japan’s attempt to gain control over the whole province in preparation to eventually take over all of East Asia.
  • Japan wanted to compete with the “World Powers” such as the United States, the Soviet Union, and many other European countries; all of which desired to keep their colonies in Asia.
  • This was a geopolitical struggle for domination.
  • Invasion of Manchuria and the war mobilization efforts were an attempt to create a stronger empire to increase chances of domination.
  • Chinese nationalist forces were threatening Japanese interests on the continent of Asia.
  • Full-scale invasion was launched in an effort to halt China’s advance.
  • Japan also wanted to use Manchuria for it’s natural resources and raw materials.
  • This would help further Japan’s economic goals.
  • Depression hit Japan due to the break-up of the world into trade blocks.
  • Japan was frozen out of many markets.
  • The Japanese were well trained and disciplined, and the Chinese were untrained. This led to a quick take over for the Japanese.
  • Japan’s plan of sabotaging China by bombing their train tracks near Garrison led to their gain of full power over Manchuria. The plan was accomplished on September 18, 1931.
  • Post-invasion ended in Japanese walking out on the League of Nations in 1933.
  • League failed to restrain Japan when the Chinese needed its help, it let Japan get away with its attack on a weaker neighbor
  • League did not apply economic or military help.
  • The League gained a reputation of powerlessness when it refused to step in and do its part in the crisis
  • Lytton Commission left Japan isolated in the world by upholding China’s appeal against Japanese aggression.
  • Undeclared war erupted between Japan and China in 1937.
  • Caused by a small engagement between Chinese and Japanese troops at the Marco-PoloBridge
  • The Japanese had drove the Chinese government out of the province and then renamed it as Manchukuo as well as they replaced their government with their own controlling one
  • Japanese military thinking was dominated in 1938 by the “China Incident” and the creation of a “New Order” in East Asia. It lasted until the summer of 1940.
  • The Greater East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere anticipated the expansion of Japan's empire into south-east Asia.
  • The incident marked a significant change in Japan’s foreign policy. Especially to its colony, Korea.
  • Japan’s intent to take over all of East Asia proved to be one of the causes of WWII.