The nineteenth century is marked as a time of universal imperialism and a rise in Asian power. The outbreak and causes of the Second World War are quite numerous and are all different based on the many opinions of historians and their own understanding of the war in general. There are many leading factors to the war such as the rise of Italian Fascism, Japanese invasion and aggression towards China in the 1930s, and, primarily, the political takeover of Germany by Hitler with the establishment of the Nazi Party. Though beyond these, imperialism still remains an underlying factor that caused involvement in the Second World War, especially in regards to Japan. In order to become a competing member in this world stage, compared to other westernized
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The transition of Japan into a leading Asian imperial power was the result of its victory with the Allied powers in World War I along with its gain of territory through later wars with Russia and China between 1894 and 1905. The first move to imperialism started with the First Sino Japanese War in 1894. During this time, Japan looked onto its neighboring nation, Korea, in hopes of blocking out any other powers who may want to dominate it in order to gain more control in the Pacific. Japan feared that if any dominating nation were to occupy Korea then the next move would be to occupy Japan, and thus Asians would lose control of the Pacific. Furthermore, Japan essentially wanted to “lift the thumb” of China on Korea so that they could later take it (Wilson, 01/27/17). War was struck and led to the victory “celebration of naval forces [for Japan] since China had no navy” (Wilson, 01/27/17). Due to this victory, in 1895, China offered the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which gave Japan Taiwan, officially marking Japan as a recognized Asian imperial power in the world, yet other nations: Germany, France, and Russia, opposed this occupation (Wilson, 01/27/17). Due to the promise of Taiwan to Russia based on a signed twenty five year lease agreement, war between Russia and Japan broke out, which later …show more content…
What led to the Japanese occupation of Manchuria was that the “Japanese rationalized that they had a rightful claim to the region because they had driven out the Russians in 1905” (Zeiler, 39). What led to the occupation of this region was the Machurian or Mukden incident in 1931. This incident was an explosion set onto the Japanese control railways in Manchuria that would later act as a reason for them to invade Manchuria as a whole. To further their reason, general of the Imperial Japanese, Ishihara Kanji, in 1931, tried to create a philosophical explanation for taking over Manchuria and other forms of expansions by identifying this word “panasianism as a way to keep out westerners and their influences” (Wilson, 02/06/17). Finally, on March 1, 1932, Japan had taken Manchuria and established thie new puppet regime in the area, Manchuko, creating tension and promises for war between China and Japan at the start of Second-Sino Japanese War right before the beginning of the Second World War in the
The transition of Japan into a leading Asian imperial power was the result of its victory with the Allied powers in World War I along with its gain of territory through later wars with Russia and China between 1894 and 1905. The first move to imperialism started with the First Sino Japanese War in 1894. During this time, Japan looked onto its neighboring nation, Korea, in hopes of blocking out any other powers who may want to dominate it in order to gain more control in the Pacific. Japan feared that if any dominating nation were to occupy Korea then the next move would be to occupy Japan, and thus Asians would lose control of the Pacific. Furthermore, Japan essentially wanted to “lift the thumb” of China on Korea so that they could later take it (Wilson, 01/27/17). War was struck and led to the victory “celebration of naval forces [for Japan] since China had no navy” (Wilson, 01/27/17). Due to this victory, in 1895, China offered the Treaty of Shimonoseki, which gave Japan Taiwan, officially marking Japan as a recognized Asian imperial power in the world, yet other nations: Germany, France, and Russia, opposed this occupation (Wilson, 01/27/17). Due to the promise of Taiwan to Russia based on a signed twenty five year lease agreement, war between Russia and Japan broke out, which later …show more content…
What led to the Japanese occupation of Manchuria was that the “Japanese rationalized that they had a rightful claim to the region because they had driven out the Russians in 1905” (Zeiler, 39). What led to the occupation of this region was the Machurian or Mukden incident in 1931. This incident was an explosion set onto the Japanese control railways in Manchuria that would later act as a reason for them to invade Manchuria as a whole. To further their reason, general of the Imperial Japanese, Ishihara Kanji, in 1931, tried to create a philosophical explanation for taking over Manchuria and other forms of expansions by identifying this word “panasianism as a way to keep out westerners and their influences” (Wilson, 02/06/17). Finally, on March 1, 1932, Japan had taken Manchuria and established thie new puppet regime in the area, Manchuko, creating tension and promises for war between China and Japan at the start of Second-Sino Japanese War right before the beginning of the Second World War in the