IB History: Paper 1 - The Move To Global War (Japanese, Italian and German Expansion)

I got ragebaited by the other flashcards for IB history so I made my own. Each definition starts with the date of the event, followed by a colon to separate the date from the actual description (apart from the international response and the motivation for war cards). I also included custom hints so be sure to use those! Happy studying.

Meiji Restoration

1863-1912: Japan went through intense modernization, industrialization and westernization. It marked the end of the Tokugawa shogunate and the restoration of imperial rule under emperor Meiji. During this era, Japan implemented Western tech and military strategies to increase the size and strength of the Japanese empire.

First Sino-Japanese War

August 1, 1894: Conflict between Meiji Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty over influence of Korea. Japanese scored quick and overwhelming victories on both land and sea, controlling Shandong province and Manchuria as well as sea approaches near Beijing, forcing the Chinese to sue for peace.

Washington Naval Treaty

February 6, 1922: Limited Japan’s naval tonnage to 5:5:3 ratio relative to the United States and Britain, specifically capping capital ships to prevent an arms race. Japan gave notice in 1934 that it would not renew the treaty in 1936, reigniting the arms race between East and West.

Mukden Incident

September 18, 1931: Japanese trains are attacked on a Chinese railroad in Manchuria. The Japanese use this incident as pretext to justify the invasion of Manchuria. The attack was likely staged by the Japanese themselves, evidenced by the Lytton Report (1932) by the League of Nations which found that the actions of the Japanese Army could not be classified as self defense, effectively rejecting Japan’s claim that China was the aggressor. 

Marco Polo Bridge Incident

July 7-9 1937: Clash between Japanese and Chinese soldiers southwest of Beijing (Luguoqiao). Following a Japanese soldier's brief disappearance and subsequent return, Japan demanded entry into Wanping town, resulting in gunfire. This incident triggered full-scale Japanese invasion (Second Sino-Japanese War).

Second Sino-Japanese War

July 7, 1937-September 2, 1945: Full scale invasion by Meiji Dynasty of Japan into the Republic of China (lead by Kuomintang) as a result of the Marco Polo Bridge incident. It lead to widespread atrocities in China and marked an uptick in the kidnapping of ‘‘comfort women’’ by the Japanese Army. The battle merged with the Second World War and ended with Japan’s WWII surrender.

Tripartite Pact

September 27, 1940: A 10 year military agreement between Japan, Germany and Italy, creating the Axis Powers. It aimed to create a new world order in Europe and east Asia. Article 3 mandated that the signatories assist one another with all political, economic, and military means if any one of them was attacked by a power not currently involved in the European War or the Sino-Japanese Conflict, this clause was added in specifically to deter the U.S from entering the war.

United States oil embargo on Japan

August 1, 1941: The United States imposed a complete oil embargo on Japan, cutting off 80% of Japan’s oil supply. This was done in response to Japanese occupation of airfields in French Indochina. Combined with the freezing off Japanese assets and the support of the economic blockade by the Netherlands and Britain, Japan was forced to take control of oil fields in Southeast Asia or abandon its expansion into the rest of Asia.

International response to Japanese expansion

The response of the League of Nations to Japanese expansion highlighted their inability to handle international conflict. Firstly, the League had no armed forces of it’s own, meaning it relied on member states to act on its rulings. Britain and France chose not to save China to avoid the onslaught of all out global war and preserve their own economic interests. Secondly, Japan’s conquest of China began in 1931, however, the Leagues slow investigation and response to the Mukden and Marco Polo Bridge incidents gave Japan time to secure the puppet state of Manchukuo. When the League voted to adopt the findings of the Lytton report in February 1933, Japan simply left the League, showcasing the organization’s inability to govern member states. Lastly, the Lytton report did nothing outside outline Japan as the aggressor. No sanctions or military response was organized. The United States, operating under the Stimson Doctrine, refused to acknowledge any territorial advancements made through military conquests. This gesture lacked enforcement and did not deter the Japanese. The later oil embargo only fueled Japan’s desire for a self sufficient economic zone and the ensuring attacks on Pearl Harbour.

Japanese motivations and the move to global war

Japan viewed expansion as the only way to avoid foreign threats such as Soviet communism or Chinese nationalism. Japan required more natural resources and viewed expansion as the best way to acquire them. Japan also feared western colonial influence and saw colonization of China as a means to avoid being colonized themselves.

Consequences of international inaction on Japanese expansion

The inaction of the League of Nations regarding German occupation of the Rhineland and Italian occupation of Abyssinia only emboldened Japan’s advancement into China. Failure to stop the Japanese at Manchuria increased aspirations for complete control of Asia, leading to the outbreak of WWII and Japanese expansion into the Philippines and Korea.

German withdrawal from the League of Nations

October 14, 1933- Hitler, as the German Chancellor, used the pretext of other member states refusing to demilitarize at the Geneva Convention to remove Germany from the organization.

Saar Plebiscite

January 13, 1935: A referendum on the territorial status of the Saar Basin (under French control) was held. 90% voted for reunification with Germany, 9% voted to be a territory of the League of Nations and less than 0.5% voting for unification with France. Germany used this plebiscite as validation for his expansionist ideology.

Conscription and the Luftwaffe

March 16, 1935: Hitler reopens mandatory conscription into the German army, increasing it to 500,000 men. The international community has no reaction, further emboldening him to violate the treaty of Versailles.

Remilitarization of the Rhineland

March 7, 1936: Hitler enters the Rhineland, violating the treaty of Versailles and the Locarno treaties. This move is again unopposed by Britain and France.

German intervention in the Spanish Civil War

July 19, 1936 - May 26, 1939: Hitler sends aid to Franco in August 1936, including aircraft carriers, soldiers and armor, through Portugal. At the same time Hitler, signs the Non-Intervention agreement. By October 1936, the Comodor Legion, an autonomous air force, is established and operates until the end of the war in 1939. Hitler’s involvement greatly contributed to Franco’s victory in Spain. It also allowed Hitler to test equipment and tactics for use in WWII.

The Anschluss with Austria

March 12, 1938: Hitler annexes the federal state of Austria into Nazi Germany, fulfilling the ‘‘Greater Germany’’ ideology.

Munich Agreement

September 30, 1938: Agreement is reached between Germany, Britain, France and Italy where Germany would take control of the Sudetenland region of Czechoslovakia, where a large number of ethnic Germans lived. The agreement detailed that Germany was not to invade the rest of Czechoslovakia.

German invasion of Czechoslovakia

March 15, 1939: Germany Violates the Munich agreement. Puppet state of Slovakia is created along side the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. The aggressiveness of the attack cause Britain and France to end appeasement policies.

The Nazi-Soviet Pact and the Invasion of Poland

August 23, 1939: Germany and the Soviet Union sign a 10 year non-aggression pact, in which they also secretly divide Eastern Europe between themselves, into two spheres of influence. This pact allowed Germany to invade Poland without fear of Soviet retaliation, while giving the Soviets time to build up their army without alerting the allies. The subsequent invasion of Poland marked the beginning of WWII, with both France and Britain declaring war on Germany.

International response to German expansion

France and Britain: Both countries followed Neville Chamberlain’s policy of appeasement, believing that giving into Germany’s demands would help to avoid a major global conflict in the long-run.

U.S: In a period of Isolation throughout the 1930s, the U.S passed several Neutrality Acts (1935, 1936, 1937) to avoid being brought into another European conflict.

Italy: Originally aversed to German advancement into Austria (1934), causing a temporary stop to German advancement, however this ended in 1936 when the Italian German Axis was formed.

League of Nations: Provided completely ineffective protests to German rearmament like the Stressa conference of 1935, which was an ultimately useless diplomatic meeting between Italy, France and Britain meant to discuss how to stop German expansion.

German motivations for war

Germany felt unfairly burdened by the “War Guilt Clause” in the treaty of Versailles as it forced the government not only to take blame for the start of the war, but also pay significant reparations to France and Britain, which eventually caused the German economy to crash during the great depression. German expansion was also required for Lebensraum and to establish Aryan racial supremacy.

Corfu Incident

August 31, 1923: Following the killing of Italian general Enrico Tellini (August 27, 1923),whilst on Greek soil, the Italian army bombarded the island of Corfu. The occupation of the island continued into September, until the Greek government agreed to pay Italy 50 million Lire after intervention of the League of Nations.

Abyssinian Crisis

December 5, 1934- May 5, 1936: Igniting due to the Walwal incident, where Ethiopian soldiers clashed with Italian soldiers at a fort built within agreed Ethiopian borders, the Abyssinian Crisis was a full scale invasion of Ethiopia by Italian forces (October 3, 1935).

Italian intervention in the Spanish Civil War

July 1936- March 1939: Motivated by the desire for a fascist ally in Spain, Mussolini sent around 80,000 troops to support Franco’s nationalist regime. The legion was called the ‘‘Corpo Troupe Volontarie’’ (CTV). Italian troops helped secure divisive nationalist victories, allowing Franco to emerge victorious as Europe’s newest fascist dictator.

Italian invasion of Albania

April 7-12, 1939: Mussolini’s invasion resulted in annexation of the Balkan territory. Italy invaded to assert themselves in the region and keep up with Hitler’s aggressive advancements into Eastern Europe.

International response to Italian expansion

Britain and France: Adopted a policy of general neutrality to avoid a major European conflict, however, they were eventually forced to react when Italy deployed submarines into the Mediterranean sea to torpedo merchant ships. During the Nyon conference (1937) naval patrols were established to shoot down suspicious submarines.

United States: Neutrality Acts prevented U.S involvement in European conflicts during the 1930s, however, the U.s continued to trade with both the allied and axis powers.

League of Nations: Continued the trend of largely ineffective actions, including, condemning foreign intervention and urging mediation. Eventually left the issue to the Non-intervention committee.

Italian motivations for war

Mare Nostrum: Mussolini wanted complete Italian control over the Mediterranean, believing Italy could only be free if the sea was outside the control of Britain and France.

Spazio Vitale: Similar to Hitler’s concept of Lebensraum, Mussolini believed the Italian people deserved territorial advancement to secure the country’s economic future.

The New Roman Empire: Fascist propaganda relied highly on Roman imagery to justify Italian claims to North Africa and the Balkans. Mussolini strove to return Italy to the power and glory of Roman times.