THE MANCHURIAN CRISIS

1
THE MANCHURIAN CRISIS
2
WHERE WAS IT?

• Manchuria was a province of China.
• South of Manchuria is Korea, which has been under
  Japanese rule since 1894.
• Many important places could be reached through
  Manchuria Vladivostock, Mukden and Port Arthur.

3
HOW DID IT START?

• Japan / Russia war in 1904.
• Japan took over Russian lease of railway.
• This railway ran through Manchuria.
• Deteriorating relationship between China and
  Japan after WWI.
• Japanese trade practically destroyed after Great
  Depression.
• Japanese treated as a second-rate power and an
  inferior country.
• Nationalists wanted to expand to Manchuria.

4
KEY EVENTS

• An explosion one night in September 1931 damaged
  the Japanese South Manchurian Railway at Mukden.
• Although very difficult to say who was
  responsible, the Japanese blamed the Chinese.
• Evidence to suggest the Japanese sabotaged their
  own railway and blamed the Chinese as an excuse
  to invade the main cities in Manchuria.

5
THE INVASION

• Japanese soldiers took over all main Manchurian
  towns within three days.
• The invasions were planned and executed
  perfectly.
• By January 1932 the whole province was under
  Japanese control.
• In February the province had been renamed The
  Independent Republic of Manchukuo.

6
THE LYTTON REPORT

• The Chinese took their case to the League in
  February 1932.
• The case was chaired by Lord Lytton, the British
  representative.
• USA, France, Germany and Italy were also
  represented.
• It concluded that although Japan had been
  provoked, she had not acted in self-defence and
  not carried out a policing action.
• They also concluded that Manchukuo was not an
  independent state.

7
THE LYTTON REPORT CONT.

• Lytton decided that both the Chinese and Japanese
  should negotiate terms to make Manchuria an
  independent state.
• Both countries did not want to participate.
• Japan went unpunished due to the disastrous state
  of its economy and the fact that if another war
  was to break out the USA would not be willing to
  offer assistance.

8
CHURCHILL AND APPEASEMENT

• Churchill addressed the House of Commons on 17
  February 1933.
• He recommended Japanese appeasement to avoid
  further conflict nothing was done.
• The Lytton Report was formally adopted by the
  League in February 1933.
• A month later Japan withdrew from the League,
  furious that her efforts had been in vain.

9
IN THE END

• The League of Nations was now not seen as a
  particularly authoritative organisation.
• It had been very slow to act and did not impose
  any kind of punishment for wrongdoings it had
  been proved that a stronger country could get
  away with attacking a weaker one.
• However, despite this recent problem, the League
  was still considered to be potentially useful in
  Europe where it carried the hopesof the smaller
  nations.