Week 13: War in East Asia and Week 14: New World Order

Kuomintang → National People’s Party (KMT)

• 11th attempt at overthrowing imperial govt succeeds → forms Republic

• Briefly provisional government of Republic of China

Three People’s Principles of Kuomintang

1. Nationalism

   1. Calls for overthrow of Manchus → minority ethnic group

   2. Against western imperialism

2. Democracy

3. Livelihood

   1. Industrial reform

What ideas appeal to young Chinese intellectuals?

• Appeals to young, Chinese intellectuals

• Old Confucian ideas of loyalty to ruler, wives to husbands, etc challenged

• Upper class women refuse to follow traditional customs  → foot-binding

Increasing political assertiveness of young Chinese intellectuals

1919 May 4th Movement

• Chinese students in Beijing protest against outcomes of Paris Conference

  • Convince Republican govt not to sign Treaty of Versailles

• Shandong handed over to Japan

  • Both sides allying w UK and France (allies) BUT advancing their own cause

Racial Equality Clause

• Proposed by Japan → stated that the equality of nations was a basic principle of the League of Nations, and that all alien nationals of member states would receive equal and just treatment

• Opposed by the Americans, British and French

How did the Great Depression impact Japan?

• Japan esp hurt by Great Depression → export economy due to industrialization

• Quasi-military dictatorship forms → strengthens authoritarianism

• Army and navy rivalries → fragmented influence

• Japanese imperialism grows

  • Lacks materials to feed itself and industrialize (coal and iron)

1931 What are the key components of Japan invading Manchuria?

• Industrial heart of China, and food producing region

• Part of Japanese army goes rogue and invades on its own → Mukden Incidente

• Japanese government forced to follow along

• Beginning of WW2 in Asia

• Puppet regime set up → Manchukuo

League of Nations doesn’t respond as Japan continues to invade coastal cities

1926-27 Great Northern Expedition

• Chiang Kai Shek tames most warlords 

• Unifies China → BUT some warlords still hold power, only promise to support KMT

1927 - 1949 Civil War

 Kuomintang (nationalists) vs Chinese Communist Party

• Nationalists attack, Communist flee

• Decimated BUT recovers in Chinese interior 

• Mao Ze Dong adapts revolutionary message for peasantry

  • Like Lenin, modifies revolution to focus on peasantry

  • Promises land reform

  • Criticizes foreign intervention in China → Opium Wars

CCP grows away from coastal cities

• Forms state within state

1937 How does China put up against Japan?

• Mao and Chiang put on united front against Japanese threat

• Supported by Soviets

  • Supports nationalists more, bc they seem stronger

Lend and Lease equipment

• US provided aided China providing them equipment to fight against Japan

What are the key components of the 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbour?

• Pre-emptive attack on US —> risk

• Failed to destroy air fleets as planned

• America is fully involved

Rape of Nanking

• One reason for separation between War in China and greater Pacific

  • War in China much more brutal

• Racial crusade by Japanese power

  • Racist against Westerners too

Unit 731

• Manchuria

• Horrific human experiments performed by Japanese on Chinese

• Similar to death camps under Nazi Germany

Franklin D. Roosevelt

• Widely supported due to New Deal

  • Ran for office for the third time, allowed in constitution at time

• Shifts American role as imperialist

• Convinced America can be a force for peace and stability

1941 Atlantic Charter

• Promises freedom to people of the world

• Like Wilson’s 14 points

• Issued before the US enter the war

• Alliance between world’s largest colonial power (UK) and country that decried colonialism in theory (US)

What demonstrated the US’ huge military industrial power?

• Produced 42% of world’s weapons

• American workers and manufacturing eager to mobilize post Great Depression

• Liberty ships developed fast

  • Low tech method but large-scale and produced in large quantities

1930s 2 Oceans Navy Plan

• Understand need for strong navy to protect commerce, shipping lines, and national security

Battle of Leyte Gulf

•  In the Philippines → US wins against Japan

  • Signifies military might and determination to win

Operation Overload

 largest assault in history by allies

• Massive oil pipeline built underwater from England to France

• Germans had built Atlantic wall in preparation

• Takes place over several weeks

• Turning point

What are the key components of the 1945 Yalta Conference?

• Decided to carve up Germany

• Stalin part of Alliance by default → awk

• Stalin wants Churchill and Roosevelt to open second front war in Europe

  • Later Churchill and Roosevelt comply, greater cooperation

• Americans blame English and French for ending WW1 catastrophically

• Americans push for unconditional surrender of Germany

• Formation of international organization like League of Nations

  • Roosevelt wants Security Council

May 8 → Victory in Europe Day

The end of war → Germany signs unconditional surrender the day before

What are the key components of the Potsdam Conference?

Truman (Roosevelt’s VP turned POTUS), Churchill, Stalin

• Final Big 3 meeting

• Stalin not yet declared war on Japan

• Truman unprepared

• Draft ultimatum to Japan

• Imagine liberal global economic post-war order

  • Bretton Woods Systems

United Nations

• Improve League of Nations

• Initial members limited to non-colonized states

  • Africa and Southeast Asia excluded

• UN as collective security apparatus → tame nuclear powers of world

  • UNSC members acquire nuclear weapons

What is the state of Nazi Germany towards the end of the war?

• Hitler views war as a great crusade, and survival of German people

• German people begin to question Nazi regime

• Hitler asks for more sacrifices from the ppl

  • Final few days, Hitler wants to burn everything down, lashing out on German ppl for failing to prove their superiority

• Advance of Soviet army terrifies German ppl

  • Soviet soldiers punish civilians in occupied territories for atrocities by Nazi military