Link to The Move to Global War by Andy Dailey -

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aU0gTVIO2tAtVW6bLQ2ckBWCp6zW2n1c/view

1. What were the main results of the Manchurian Crisis?

- Japan was heavily invested in Manchuria in the 1920’s

- Manchuria had a low population but it also had a lot of resources that Japan lacked
like cotton, vast forests, and farm products, coal, iron, aluminum, magnesite, gold
and lead
- Manchuria was seen as a solution provider for Japan and it was a place to relocate
Japan’s extremely poor rural farmer
- Japan believed that taking over manchuria would prevent the spread of communism
in asia as manchuria shared a long border with USSR
- Japan was alarmed that their south manchurian railway which justified their military
presence was rapdily being undermined
- China began to construct railways that were going to operate in full capacity
- This would mean decreased revenues for japan and higher ones for china

2. According to Source A, what was the economic importance of Manchuria?

- Post the russian japanese war, company investments increased more than fifty times
between 1907 and 1930
- Before japans invasion, it accounted for 72% of of the regions foreingn investments
and russia 24 percent
- Manchuria was an industrial centre for many countries
- Iron, gold and trade

3. Why was Japan able to conquer Manchuria with relative ease?

- A bomb exploded on the South Manchurian Railway outside the leading city of
manchuria, mukden on sept 18 1931
- This explosion was minor and was later known as the mukden incident and it did not
even prevent trains from using the railway but had conveniently taken place near a
garrison of japanese soldiers protecitng the south manchurian railway, operated by
japan
- Historians believe that japanese troops specifically Kwantung Army officers, placed
the bomb, Japan blamed the explosion on chinese troops

4. According to Source B, what was the purpose of the explosion on 18 September

1931?

- The incident was perpetrated by chinese soliders but by japanese troops as part of a
wider plan to extend japanese power in manchuria

5. According to Source C, why did Chiang order his military not to resist Japan’s
invasion?
 - So that the japanese government would not be seen as weak or to not damage its
reputation
- Chinas forces were no match to the japanese
- Chiang stated in jan 1932 that “china lacks real military power” and that if china
declared war “within three days Japan would vanquish the coast areas”
- Chiang noted that “it won’t do to pretend that we are powerful”

● Japan was able to create an illusion that they only helped manchuria achieve
independence from chaotic china
○ Manchuria was shown to the world to be an independent state
○ Manchuria was led by the last emperor of china
○ Manchuria was AKA manchuko
○ An imperial army was created for the nation, postal system, baseball and
football teams
○ Manchuko applied for olympian membership and was a member of the league
of nations
■ Both of these applications were declined - and that showed that other
countries understood manchuria as a puppet state with fake
independece

Responses to the Manchurian Crisis

- Most countries responded to japan’s aggression negatively but little could be done to
change the actions of japan as the great depression prevented most countries from
taking military action
- As japan created a border against the communism of the soviet union, which most
governments feared because communism “advocated complete destruction of
existing economic, social and political systems”
- Many thought that japan saved manchuria from a corrupt and chaotic chinese
government

Response: League of Nations

- After japan occupied manchuria, china appealed to the LON (both china and japan
were LON members)
- The league responded with a lot of caution as it was the first major military conflict
between league states
- LON formed the Lytton Comission in dec 1931 - to investigate the Mukden incident
and japans occupation
- The comission operated in jan 1932 - it visted the japanese gov in tokyo and visited
manchuria in feb
- The commission made a report and submitted it to the league in oct 1932 - the report
showed that before japan had invaded, china had a corrupt gov in the province and
japan made major financial investments
- The report showed that it was not as japan insisted - a result of wanting to protect
manchurians from china’s gov
- 90% + people in manchuria were chinese not manchus
 - The report recommended that japan should pull its forces back to the south
manchurian railway
- The LON voted in feb 1933 to condemn japan as an aggressor nation
- 42 nations voted against japan while japan voted for itself
- Japan withdrew from the league in march 1933 and suffered no consequences

6. What images does Source E show that imply mutual aid and peace?

● Chinese children holding the flags of japan china and manchu to show peace, unity
and togetherness
● No military action or war between these nations

7. According to Source F, what is the international reaction to Japan’s actions in

Manchuria?

● It shows that internationally, no one supports the actions of japan when it comes to
manchuria
● It shows that japan is not seen respecting the law or following the idea of the LON

Response: China

- Chiank Kai Shek of china was forced to resign

- Chaings army had a lack of resistance which helped japan achieve victory with little
losses of soldiers or weapons
- Chaing wanted manchuria because of its resources and economic benefits but he did
not realize that chinas military was inferior to japan
- Japan conquered Jehol in march 1933 and the armies moved into northern china
- On 31 may 1933 - chinas gov signed the Tanggu Truce which recognized that Jehol
and Manchuria were now japans control and they promised to not remove japan from
these areas
- A neutral zone was created between japan and china but japan continued to enlarge
territory under its control
- Chiang saw communism (the CCP) a bigger threat than japan
- Chiang spent most of 1933 fighting a warload in northern china for control of the
region who advocated fighting japan - CCP fight

8. What message are conveyed by Source G?

● The japanese are conquering more areas in china than they promised to
● Going against the Tanggu truce

9. According to Source H, what was the main result of the Manchurian Crisis?

● The failure to put an end to japanese aggression had ramifications beyond the east
● Mussolini noted the faulrue of the LON to say no to japan - which resulted in italys
ability to invade abyssinia seamlessly
 10. According to Source I, what did the Manchurian Crisis acknowledge in international
diplomacy?

● Smaller countries conclueded that if the league was to protect them, it would have to
be when the great powers were united against a commo enemy , which happened to
be a victimising country

Japan’s Government After the Crisis

- Japans gov was unaware of the kwantung army;s plan to conquer manchuria

Key Question: What was the significance of the Manchurian Crisis for the LON?

- The failure of the LON to confront japan demonstrated a new reality

- The great powers in the LON would not oppose each others dealings to smaller
states
- Historians state that smaller, less powerful states realized that they were more
vulnerable and would be expected to accept the demands of the bigger nations
- Historians claim that the manchurian crisis stranghrened the LON as it forced them to
set up comitees and internal structures to deal with conflict between states
- A.J.P taylor - historians gave significance wrongly to the manchurian crisis

11. According to Source J, what was the main result of the Manchurian Crisis?

● Most japanese grievances were justified

● Japan was not condemned as an aggressor, though she was condemned for
resorting to force rather than peaceful means
● The manchurian crsisi was the first decisive betrayal of the lON
● The manchuria affair bought powers into existence
● This resulted in some league aciton over abyssinia in1935