Manchurian Crisis

Manchurian Crisis (19311933)
Wednesday, 11. January 2023 21:23
By 1931, Japan was trying to be a key Asian player in international relations.

● After the Russo-Japanese War (190405) and World War I, Japan gained many colonies and
mandates in the Pacific.
○ This included the South Manchurian Railway, which Japan was allowed to protect milita
using the Kwantung (Guangdong?) Army.
○ This boosted Japan’s power such that Russia nor China could dominate Japan.
● Japan was unhappy with its gains from their participation in the war.
● Japan’s relations with the West also improved after the signing of treaties such as the
Washington Naval Treaties (1921), the Kellogg-Briand Pact (1928) and the London Naval Trea
(1930).
However, the Great Depression saw a collapse of the Japanese economy, which had been ov
reliant on exporting textiles for the last century.
● The military resented the government’s decision to cut military spending in favour of
disarmament.
● Right-wing sectors of the military applied a policy of self-sufficiency to guarantee raw
materials and space for their population based on an expansionist policy.
Manchuria was extremely attractive to Japan.

○ Manchuria produced half of the world’s supply of soya beans and had large supplies of co
and iron.
○ Invading Manchuria also meant an expansion of the Japanese market which would help t
solve their economic problems.
○ Cheap labour was also available in China.
● Previous conflicts with the Chinese made it an even more appealing decision.
○ During the Chinese Civil War (1927-49), many acts of hostility against foreigners and the
interests occurred in China.
○ This included strikes and boycotts against Japanese companies and attacks on Japanese
citizens in China, as a result of Chinese nationalism, which was a source of concern for the
Japanese.
Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1931)

➔ On 18 September 1931, the Kwantung Army claimed that a bomb explosion near Mukden
was evidence of disorder and invaded the area.
➔ There was evidence and reason to believe that the Japanese planted the bomb to cause
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Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1931)
➔ On 18 September 1931, the Kwantung Army claimed that a bomb explosion near Mukden
was evidence of disorder and invaded the area.
➔ There was evidence and reason to believe that the Japanese planted the bomb to cause
friction with the Chinese.
➔ As a response to the incident, Japanese forces advanced into areas of Manchuria beyond
South Manchurian Railway.
➔ China, as a League of Nations member, appealed to the League for help.
➔ The League was cautious about developments in Manchuria and held meetings to try and
find a solution that would be fair to both the Chinese and the Japanese.
➔ The US, though not a member of the League, was invited to send representatives to atten
the talks on the situation in Manchuria.
➔ The League told the Japanese government to withdraw from Manchuria, to which they
agreed; however, the army refused and it thus became clear the the Japanese government w
no longer in control of its own army.
➔ This prompted the League to assemble a Commission of Inquiry led by Lord Lytton from
Britain (the Lytton Commission), and included representatives from the US, France, Germany
and Italy.
➔ The commission took 13 months to investigate the incident, interview witnesses and pres
its findings; meanwhile, the Japanese army continued to move across Manchuria and conque
territory, such that by March 1932, Manchuria had become a Japanese puppet state called
Manchukuo, with Pu Yi, the last Chinese emperor, as ruler only by name.
◆ The Lytton Commission produced its report in October 1932. The report concluded that C
was responsible for the deterioration of relations with Japan as its internal instability affecte
Japanese economic interests.
◆ It also condemned Japan’s action of aggression and recommended her withdrawal from
Manchuria.
◆ Refused to recognise Manchukuo as an independent state and recommended that Manch
adopt self-governance while remaining under Chinese sovereignty.
All members of the League had approved the Lytton report by February 1933, with the
exception of Japan. Japan believed that it had sovereign right over Manchuria as it was Japan
that enabled prosperity in the region. Japan then left the League in March 1933, saying that
Britain had traditionally seized force in a similar way, ignoring the new direction in internatio
politics.
Impact of the Manchurian Crisis (1931-1933)

1. The Manchurian Crisis and its results was a failure for the League.
● The League failed to protect China as Japan continued its fighting on Chinese soil througho
the 1930s.
● Japanese expansion improved its economic and strategic position, as Japan gained access
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Impact of the Manchurian Crisis (1931-1933)
1. The Manchurian Crisis and its results was a failure for the League.
● The League failed to protect China as Japan continued its fighting on Chinese soil througho
the 1930s.
● Japanese expansion improved its economic and strategic position, as Japan gained access
valuable natural resources. Military successes encouraged militarism.
● The failure to address Japan’s invasion of Manchuria may have encouraged Mussolini’s
invasion of Abyssinia (1935).
● It removed Asian representation from the international body.
● It showed the ineffectiveness of international diplomacy efforts as Japan did not respect it
agreements under the Nine Power Washington Naval Treaty (1921) and the KelloggBriand Pa
(1928).
Why did the League fail?

● The Lytton Commission took too long to prepare their report, such that by the time they w
done, Japan had already invaded and firmly taken over power in Manchuria.
● Japan’s trading links lay with the US which was not a League member, making sanctions
pointless either way; the US also refused to impose economic sanctions on Japan in the first
place.
● The recent Great Depression made members too focused on issues at home and unwilling
impose economic sanctions.
● Britain did not want to risk a naval conflict in the region where they might be outnumbere
after Washington Naval Conference.
● The fear of communism, prompted by civil war in China, led many Western powers to reje
going to war with Japan, whom they saw as a valuable ally against the spread of communism
Asia.
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Manchurian Crisis

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Manchurian Crisis (19311933)

Wednesday, 11. January 2023 21:23

By 1931, Japan was trying to be a key Asian player in international relations.

Manchuria was extremely attractive to Japan.

Japanese invasion of Manchuria (1931)

Impact of the Manchurian Crisis (1931-1933)

Why did the League fail?

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