The Manchurian Crisis 1931
Priyanka Panwar, Amanda Lipsett, and Jocelyn Webster
What is Collective Security?
The main idea by which the League of Nations is comprised around:
-All the major powers of this time coming together as a whole to maintain peace and stop the spreading of war and conflicts throughout the world
-Obtain collective security through peaceful means (ie. Imposing economic sanctions)
The crisis initiator: JAPAN
- Japan modernized greatly between 1868 and WWI thus became a modern industrial economy with great industries
- Beginning to become a great world power
- Wanting to compete with the USA and other great European countries in colonization – wants to create an empire “The East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere”
- Holds lands in Korea, parts of Manchuria (the South Manchurian Railway), and German islands (gained this territory after WWI)
Japan’s inclining economy took a downwards turn during the hit of the Great Depression in 1929. The government attempted to revive their economy by attempting to create their own empire…
The 1931 Invasion
- Japanese invasion of Manchuria by the Kwantung Army of the Empire of Japan began on September 19th, 1931
Why…?
-Japan’s first attempt in creating its empire
-Already owns a small portion of Manchuria, now wants to expand its territory
-Takes their citizens from their other colonies (ie. Korea) and moves them to Manchuria to work in the war effort – increase economy
China asks the League of Nations for help as Japan is attempting to take over their land…
The League of Nation’s Response
- The creation of “The Lytton Commission”
-A fact finding mission to report on the occurring crisis in Manchuria
-members were appointed in January, the actual mission didn’t occur until April
- Mission reported back in October:
-The Japanese had caused a lot of aggression in Manchuria, drove out the Manchurian government
-Japan had installed its own puppet government called Manchukuo
The League could not successfully come together and agree on a punishment for Japan. They instead ordered Japan to leave Manchuria in February of 1933, Japanignored this and decided to leave the League of Nations instead.
The failure of Collective Security
The idea of collective security is for the major powers of the world to come together as one and deal with international conflicts. As we see here, the League gave little to no attention to one of its own member nations.
The following was the outcome of the League’s neglect of Manchuria…
-Japan withdrew its membership from the League of Nations
-The League demonstrated and gained a reputation of not being strong or willing enough (as it imposed no actions) to help fellow nations in need
The League failed not because the actions it imposed against Japan failed, but because they did not impose any actions to begin with. They just sat idly by and watched their world union crumble.