Quick questions on Militarism and expansion in Japan explained: O-Level History

By the early twentieth century Japan had modernised rapidly and become a strong industrial and military power, the first in Asia to defeat a European great power when it beat Russia in 1905. In the 1920s Japan had a parliamentary government and seemed to be moving toward democracy. But there were deep tensions. The armed forces held great prestige and saw themselves as loyal servants of the Emperor, who was regarded as almost divine.

Like Germany, Japan was hit hard by the Great Depression after 1929. Because Japan depended on exporting goods such as silk and textiles, the collapse of world trade was devastating. Markets closed, factories cut back, and unemployment and rural poverty spread. Many Japanese, especially in the countryside and the army (which drew many soldiers from rural families), suffered badly and lost faith in the civilian politicians and the democratic system, which seemed unable to protect them.

Japan's leaders, especially in the military, came to believe that the solution to the country's problems was expansion. Japan was short of vital raw materials such as coal, oil and iron, and had a growing population on limited land. By conquering territory in Asia, Japan could gain these resources, secure markets for its goods, and provide land for its people. The army argued that, rather than depending on a hostile world economy that had just collapsed, Japan should build an empire that made it self-sufficient and powerful.

A key reason militarism could grow was that Japan's civilian governments were unable to control the armed forces. The army and navy had great independence and direct access to the Emperor, and many officers held nationalist and anti-democratic views. Army leaders increasingly took matters into their own hands, acting without the government's approval. Politicians who tried to restrain the military or favoured cooperation with other powers were threatened, and some were assassinated.

The clearest sign of militarism in action was the invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Manchuria was a large, resource-rich region of northern China where Japan already had economic interests. Officers of the Japanese army there staged an incident as an excuse and seized the whole region, largely on their own initiative, presenting the civilian government in Tokyo with a fait accompli (a done deed it could not reverse). Japan set up a puppet state in Manchuria.

Which region did Japan invade in 1931? [3 marks]

Explain why expansion was attractive to Japan in the 1930s. [5 marks]

"Militarism rose in Japan mainly because of the Great Depression." How far do you agree? [8 marks]