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Mr. White’s World History
After we finish this section, we should be able to:Explain how nationalist and communist
forces struggled in ChinaDescribe how Japanese political, economic,
and social pressures resulted in Japanese militarism and expansionism
Chinese nationalists and communists struggled to take power in China; an invasion by the Japanese forced
them to work together.
Sun Yat-Sen was the leader of the Kuomintang, or the Chinese Nationalist Party
In 1912, Sun took power in China and tried to establish a democratic republic Held power for a few
months, then was overthrown by Yuan Shigai
Sun organized resistance to Yuan, but failed to overthrow him and fled to Japan
Yuan died in 1916, and China descended into civil war
Sun returned from Japan, and with the help of the Soviet Union and an officer named Chiang Kai-Shek, the Kuomintang took power in China
Even though Sun wanted a republic, the Kuomintang government was undemocratic
It improved infrastructure in the nation, but did not improve the lives of the peasants
In 1927, communists who had helped Sun and the Kuomintang tried to take over the party, but failed
Chiang Kai-Shek, fearing the communists, decided to purge them from the Kuomintang
The communists fled to the southern part of China and formed the Chinese Red ArmyWorked for the support of the peasantsOverthrew local landholders and
redistributed land to peasants
A civil war between the nationalist Kuomintang and the communist Red Army began
By 1934, the Red Army was almost defeated
The Red Army escaped through a year-long forced march, pursued by the Kuomintang army – known as the Long March
Japan’s invasion of Manchuria would force the Kuomintang and Red Army to work together
Japan’s military gradually took power from the democratic government of Japan.
Japanese relations with the western nations after World War I were mixed
On the positive side: Japan gained Germany’s Pacific colonies north of
the equator Japan was allowed, by an agreement, to build
the nation’s third-largest navy (U.S. and Great Britain)
On the negative side: The League of Nations had refused to accept a
Japanese proposal for a statement of racial equality in the League charter – insult
The United States had banned Japanese immigration
The western nations opposed Japanese influence over China, which Japan had basically made into a protectorate
Japan had experienced a population explosion between the 1870s and the 1920s – from around 35 million to 60 million people
Social, political, industrial, and military factors, plus this population explosion, encouraged Japan to expand or for its people to move by one of three ways: Immigration Imperial expansionCapitalism and world markets
Japan had rapidly industrialized during the late 19th and early 20th centuries
Because the U.S. would allow no immigration, the Japanese focused on manufacturing and trade to provide employment for people
Heavy industry expanded in the hands of rich industrialists known as zaibatsu, and the government
Increased manufacturing spurred a desire for cheap raw materials - colonies
Social changes placed more pressures on Japan that could be relieved by expansion
Overpopulated rural areas and land scarcity drove many Japanese into the cities to work in industrial jobs
In those cities, western customs and culture were adopted – clash of cultures with traditional
More and more Japanese had the right to vote, so there was growing democratic representation
Even though more and more were voting, political power in Japan was concentrated in the hands of nobles, zaibatsu, and the military
Emperor Hirohito and the people, in theory, were supposed to have power, but didn’t
When the Great Depression caused prices to drop in Japanese manufacturing, many unemployed and desperate Japanese began to call for strong leadership
Militarism began to influence many aspects of Japanese life
The military opposed western lifestyles and promoted Japanese culture
The military leaders thus were wary of the western customs that many people were adopting
September, 1931 – without government approval, the Japanese military invaded Manchuria in China – government had lost control
The military gradually took more power in the government, and by 1937 basically was the government
The emperor, fearing a strong stance would result in his overthrow, didn’t take a stand against the militarists
As Japan invaded other nations, western criticism of Japan led to many Japanese backing the military
With this, the support for militarism in the nation grew