Post-WW1 Recovery, Japan, and Manchuria

Treaty of Versailles

peace treaty signed in June 1919; major states involved were Britain, USA, France, Germany was allowed as a viewer state

article 231

war guilt clause, germany must accept full blame for the war

disarmament clause

army is reduced to 100,000 men, no conscription, limit on military technology + navy, Rhineland fully demilitarized

territory clauses

German territories taken over in the war were given back, loss of oversees colonies (given to LoN as mandates), Poland gained Polish corridor → access to sea, Denmark gained territory, Belgium gained territory, Saarland placed under mandate of LoN

anschluss

not allowed an alliance with austria

war reparations

6.6 billion marks in reparations → 1921 Germany couldn’t make reparations payment, eventually declared bankruptcy → led to massive inflation

League of nations

germany was not allowed to join until proven to be peaceful

peace treaties → reactions of the big five

britain → believed french stubborness prevented negotiations of peace

france → believed the agreements for Rhineland, disarmament and eastern Europe were not complete, blamed Britain and USA

USA → wished to return to isolationalism and made amendments to certain clauses

manchurian crisis

japanese takeover of Manchuria, a region in China in the late 1920s until 1931

the great depression

1921, affected Japanese trading so the economy weakened and most people within Japan were struggling

political sphere

very varied political landscape, military had a huge impact politically, only constant was the emperor on top

political alternatives

communism was a popular alternative, but in 1925 peace protection laws were created

peace protection laws (1925)

government of japan could arrest anyone opposing the current gov, in 1928 extended to executions

showa restoration

movement with the goal of reinstating the emperor with full power as they believed it would get rid of corruption and economic/political problems, very powerful conservative force (ultranationalistic)

Tosceiha faction

military faction supported by the emperor, took control of the gov → removed outside political parties, in charge of economy → expanded military spendingfor war

railway

japanese owned railway in Manchuria led to much development and foreign investment in the area, large amount of natural resources, Japan wanted control of the region

background info on manchurian crisis

Japan had previously colonized Korea, owned a railway in Manchuria, wanted to expand military and economy but avoid conflict with the USSR

1920s Manchuria

major investment opportunities for Japan, low population but high natural resources, helped Japan gain access to Chinese markets and consumers

Japanese motives for Manchuria - public

claimed Chinese were sabatoging the railway and that China was on the verge of a civil war anyway, and they were taking control of Manchuria in the interests of China (keeping them safe from the USSR) as well as protecting foreign Japanese relations

Japanese motives for Manchuria - private

japan had severe economic issues due to the great depression, saw Manchuria as the ultimate solution → more land, more resources, more people

1931 invasion of Manchuria

took control through a false flag event, exploded a bomb at their railway and blamed Chinese nationals → said they needed to take control in order to protect Japanese safety (?)

false flag event

“act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party” (ie: the Japanese blowing up their railway in Manchuria and using it as an excuse to invade China)

February 1932

set up puppet government in Manchuria (old Chinese emperor), also bombed Shanghai as a show of control

League of Nations

China asks LoN for help → they dont respone due to Japan’s central role in the LoN, send for a report (took ~1 year) and then voted for moral condemnation → Japan leaves LoN (March 1933)

other peace treaties

including for austria, hungary, bulgaria, and turkey → supposed to also pay reparations and disarm

Treaty of Saint Germain (Austria)

signed on 10 Sept 1919

separated Austria from Hungary, limited the army, no “Anschluss“ (alliance) to Germany, lost territory to other countries, agreed to reparations but never paid (due to declaring bankruptcy)

Treaty of Trianon (Hungary)

signed on 4 June 1920

separated Hungary from Austria, limited army, lost large amount of territory to other countries, had reparations but never paid (payments were dismantled)

Treaty of Neuilly (Bulgaria)

signed on 27 Nov 1919

limited army, lost territory to other countries (lost access to the Mediterranean), had to pay £100 million as reparations (never fully paid)

Treaty of Sèvres (Turkey)

signed on 10 Aug 1920

limited army, lost large amounts of territory (Armenia+Kurdistan were given independence, lost oversees territories in the middle east), no reparations

Czechoslovakia

had an industry + stable government, but combined many different nationalities → created sociatal problems due to discrimination against Slovaks by Czechs, had control of Sudetenland (had large German minority, who later looked for protection from Germany → led to Hitler annexing Sudetenland)

Poland

formed by Allies as a buffer to communist Russia and as a watchdog for Germany, gained lots of territory from Germany (Polish Corridor) and gained access to the sea, had no geographical frontiers (defence), very vulnerable to actions

Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan

recognised as independant states, rapidly lost independence due to Russia and Turkey

Yugoslavia

contained many different ethnic groups, many clashes between Serbs and Croats, minorities still had loyalty to their homeland, major discrimination

Eastern European successor states

lots of ethnic problems → discrimination against ethnic minorities (who were still loyal to their homeland), lots of economic and political chaos in Eastern Europe due to inflation