Great Depression, Authoritarian States, Japan

Great Depression

worldwide economic crisis beginning in 1929 that caused mass unemployment

Causes of the Great Depression

falling demand

Stock Market Crash of 1929

panic selling and risky investing that caused stock prices to collapse and triggered the Great Depression

Overproduction

production of more goods than consumers could afford to buy

Economic Effects of the Great Depression

business closures

Political Effects of the Great Depression

loss of faith in democratic governments and rise of authoritarian leadership

Authoritarianism

political system where people must obey authority

Totalitarianism

extreme form of authoritarianism in which the government controls all aspects of life and allows no political opposition

Fascism

type of totalitarianism emphasizing a strong leader

Japan During World War I

period when Japan emerged as a major economic and imperial power in East Asia

Korea as a Japanese Colony

Japan’s annexation of Korea in 1910 as part of imperial expansion

Twenty-One Demands

1915 Japanese demands aimed at increasing political and economic control over China

Paris Peace Conference (1919)

meeting where Japan received former German territories in East Asia

Impact of the Great Depression on Japan

collapse of silk exports and foreign trade that weakened democracy and strengthened the military

Japanese Militarism

increased political power of the military over Japanese government and society during the 1930s

Economic Nationalism

policy of controlling domestic economies and resources instead of relying on global trade

Manchurian Invasion

Japan’s 1931 invasion of Manchuria to gain coal

Mukden Incident

staged bombing of a Japanese railway used to justify the invasion of Manchuria

Puppet State in Manchuria

Japanese-controlled government established after the invasion

Propaganda in Japan

use of schools and media to promote nationalism and loyalty to the military

League of Nations Response

condemnation of Japan’s invasion of Manchuria without taking military action

Naval Limitation Agreements

treaties limiting Japan’s navy that Japan later abandoned

Second Sino-Japanese War

full-scale war between Japan and China beginning in 1937

Tripartite Pact

1940 alliance between Japan

Franklin D. Roosevelt

U.S. president who responded to the Great Depression

New Deal

U.S. government programs that regulated banks

Social Security

government pension system created during the New Deal

Zaibatsu

powerful Japanese business conglomerates that influenced politics and weakened democracy

U.S. Immigration Exclusion Laws

American laws restricting Japanese immigrants that increased anti-Western resentment