The 1930s and World War II

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The 1930s and World War II
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Ideology

• A systematic set of ideas about human life and
  culture practical elements as prominent as the
  theoretical ones.
• System of ideas that aspires both to explain the
  world and to change it.

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20th Century Ideologies

• Fascism
• Right Wing
• Nationalist
• Race

• Communism
• Left Wing
• Internationalist
• Class

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Fascism

• A political philosophy or regime that exalts
  nation and often race above the individual and
  that stands for economic centralized autocratic
  government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe
  economic and social regimentation, and forcible
  suppression of opposition.

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Common Characteristics of Fascist Ideologies

• Opposition to Marxism
• Opposition to Democracy
• Opposition to Liberalism
• Totalitarian ambitions
• Imperialist
• Violence
• Extreme Nationalism
• Scapegoating

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Totalitarianism

• Political system where all aspects of human
  society are controlled by the state
• Hannah Arendt and Friedrich Hayek
• Both fascism and communism reflect totalitarian
  forms of government and differences are more
  superficial than actual

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Fascism vs. Communism

• Nationalist
• Totalitarian
• Antidemocratic
• One Party Rule
• Ethnic Pogroms
• Brutal, oppressive, murderous
• State control of economy

• International in theory nationalist in practice
• Totalitarian
• Antidemocratic
• One Party Rule
• Class and ethnic
• Brutal, oppressive, and murderous
• Socialist

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Manchurian Incident

• Japanese Fascism
• Military leadership dissatisfied with government
  policies
• Patriotic groups and Kokutai
• Increasing independence of Military
• Assassination of Zhang Zuolin (1928)
• Mukden Incident (1931)
• Creation of puppet state Manchukuo
• Puyi Installed as Emperor
• League of Nations condemns Japan Japanese
  delegation walks out

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Road to War

• Truce with China leaves Japanese Troops in
  control of area North of Great Wall
• Marco Polo Bridge Incident (July 1937)
• Escalates into full scale War
• Origins of WWII in East Asia
• Japanese confidence
• Attack in Pincer movement from North and landing
  at Shanghai
• Chinese mount heavy defense

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Rape of Nanjing Japanese Atrocities

• Rampage 7 weeks of terror, murder, rape
• Estimates
• 200,000 300,000 murder in brutal manner
• 20,000 80,000 women raped
• Institution of Comfort Women System
• Occupation of Philipines

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Expansion of the War

• Military confrontation with USSR
• Tripartite Pact (September 1940)
• Greater East Asian co-Prosperity Sphere
• Japanese expansion provokes economic sanctions
  from United States

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General Tojo Hideki (1884-1948)

• Prime Minister (Dictator) from October 1941 to
  July 1944
• Ordered surprise attack on Pearl Harbor December
  7, 1941
• US declares war on Japan Hitler declares war on
  US

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The Course of the War

• By 1942, Japan controlled the Philippines,
  Malaya, Burma, and the East Indies
• First major defeat by US at battle of Midway
• Island hopping strategy

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China at War

• Japan cuts off land route to China supplies
  flown in over the Hump
• General Joseph Stilwell commander of American
  forces in China-Burma-India
• Misery and corruption in Nationalist China
• Japans seizure of Chinas eastern seaboard
• Chiang conserves strength to fight CCP

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Accomplishments of CCP

• Headquartered in Yanan after long march
• Party members expands widespread peasant support
• Without sparking class warfare, peasants were
  mobilized
• Japanese kill all, burn all, destroy all policy
  hurts and helps CCP
• Power grows out of the barrel of a gun the part
  must control the gun

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Japan at War (Japanese Fascism)

• Dictatorial Leader
• National General Mobilization Law strengthens
  Prime Minister at expense of Diet
• Economic and Social Regimentation
• Rationing, economic controls, resource allocation
• Purge of western influences
• Heterodox religious sects suppressed all
  religions subordinated to imperial cult
• Mobilization of public down to ward level
• Suppression of Opposition
• All political parties merged into Imperial Rule
  Assistance Association
• All labor unions merged into single patriotic
  organization
• Pressure exerted on education and communications
• Racism Imperialism
• Japanese uniqueness and exceptionalism (Kokutai)
• Asia for Asians

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Colonial East Asia during War

• Asia for Asians
• Covered up harsh imperial system exploitation of
  resources and attempted elimination of indigenous
  cultures
• Ho Chi Minh returns to Vietnam to lead resistance
  against Japanese and French

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End of War

• Bombardment of Japanese home islands
• 100,000s die in conventional bombs
• Allies seek Unconditional surrender
• Japanese refuse to surrender estimates of
  million deaths in case of invasion of home
  islands
• Kamikaze pilots
• Atomic Bombs dropped USSR declares war on Japan