Japan's Relations with China and the United States between 1900 and 1931 - Essay Example

?History Exam II Fall, PART I   How would you characterize Japan's relations with China and the United s between 1900 and 1931?  The Japanese-Chinese relations between 1900 and 1931 can be characterized by Japanese imperialism and the ambition of Japan to expand its territory throughout the Asian continent (Murphy, Hunter). The first point of contention between the two countries began in the late nineteenth century, when Japan captured the Ryukyu Islands in 1870. In 1894 Taiwan was annexed, after the first Sino-Japanese war. The history of Japanese-Chinese relations in this period is marked by conflicts, mostly related to territorial disputes and military supremacy, which can e traced in the Battle of Tientsin, the Gasalee Expedition, as well as the battles of Beitang and Beicang (Hunter, Murphy). The Japanese aspirations for Chinese territories culminated in 1920, when Japan invaded Manchuria and finally in 1931, established the state of Manchukuo (Thomas). The establishment of Manchukuo was only a historical precedent, which marked the beginning of the Japanese invasion of China, culminating in 1937. The relations between Japan and the United States between 1900 and 1931 are much more controversial, than the ones with China. Up until WWI, the relations between the two countries were marked by political balance and mutual trade agreements. Until 1930 Japan and the US enjoyed a tradition of good and peaceful relations. During the Meiji dynasty and the modernization of Japan, the country imported knowledge and technology, as well its political ideas from the developed democracies in Europe, but also from the United States. The tradition of friendship and support however was broken after the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1930. This act was perceived by the United States as an act of territorial aggression, and it was controversial to the ideas of universal human rights and liberal institutionalism, which the country was fervently promoting. Japanese human rights violations in China were the main reasons for the rapid deterioration of the Japanese – US relations in the early twentieth century. The relations between Japan and China and Japan and the US between 1900 and 1931 are contrasting. The Japan-Chinese relations were historically marked by hostility not only because of the different paths of modernization that the two countries chose at the end of the nineteenth century, but because of the Japanese imperial ambitions and expansionist policies. The Japanese – American relations however were marked by traditional friendship until 1931. This changed dramatically with the Japanese invasion of Northern China (Manchuria). The invasion was considered by the US as a major violation of the general tendency towards a universal human rights agenda, which was gaining momentum after WWI. How did the Nationalist Party unify China during the 1920s? The unification of China in the 1920s was largely influenced by the ideological platform of the Nationalist Party (the Kuomintang - KMT) which was founded in 1912. This platform professed a unique blend of Chinese nationalism, ethnicity and national unification. Towards the end of the nineteenth century, China was shattered by a series of riots and civil wars between warlords. The popular demand for social and political reforms was growing. Although China did not fight many wars with “foreigners”, Chinese national identity is based on the ideal of national superiority and the spiritual uniqueness of the Chinese nation, compared to other nations (Hsu, Murphy). This historical perception of Chinese identity became the ideological base of the Chinese Nationalist Party. It was embraced and implemented as such by the first leader of the Chinese Nationalist Party - Dr. Sun Yat-sen. His vision of a greater Chinese society, bound by the idea of the state, became the political mechanism for the unification of the country in 1928. It was also transformed into a military strategy, resulting in the so-called Northern expedition, which unified China under the Kuomintang rule (Hsu, Murphy). Internal divisions and battles for dominance between the warlords were abolished. Although the 1928 unification did not immediately bring stability and peace in China, it resulted in the establishment of central government and effective state institutions.  Why was the Nationalist Party unable to destroy the communists between 1927 and 1937?  Historians propose different explanations why the Kouminkong was not able to gain victory over the communists. Some of the most popular explanations are related with the communist supremacy in terms of equipment and weapons, with which they were supplied from the Soviets (Grasso, Korrin & Kort). Also, it is a widespread view that in the end of the conflict, the communists defeated the nationalists because of their land reform policy, and the promises that they made to the rural population. Many of the Chinese peasants joined the Communist army lured by promises for land. During the so-called ten year civil war (1927-1937) however, the reasons for the inability of the Nationalist Party to deal with the Communists were different. The Communist leadership under Mao had already established the Chinese Soviet Republic and had managed to build a strong army and their military base. Despite its military might however, the positions of the Communists at the time could not be compared with the strength and size of Chaing’s nationalist army. It was the excellent Chinese intelligence, which warned the Communists about the blockade Chaing was preparing and which was almost certainly going to destroy the armies of the Communists (Grasso, Korrin & Kort). This resulted in the decision of the communist leaders to retreat, instead of facing a total destruction. Perhaps if skilful spies did not warn the Communists, the outcome of the war between the two parties would have been entirely different. The rift between the communists and the Nationalist Party began shortly before the Chinese re-unification in 1928. The reasons for the conflict between the two were a different vision of the Chinese revolution, and polarized positions on economics and social policy. The rift resulted in the Chinese civil war (1927 – 1949) (Hsu, Murphy). Apart from the split between communists and nationalists and the establishment of the Communist Party, the ideological schism led to the territorial divisions of the country, which are persistent even to this today. The Communist Party established itself as the authority in the People’s Republic of China, while the Nationalist Party occupied Taiwan, which the PRC still claims as part of China. PART II Explain the long-term and short-term origins of the Sino-Japanese War and the Second World War in Asia and the Pacific. Your essay should focus on the years between 1900 and 1941. The two major conflicts between China and Japan – the first and the second Sino-Japanese Wars were the most important signifiers about the irreconcilable political and historical differences that the two countries traditionally had. These differences became even more discernible after the obvious success of the Meiji Restoration in Japan and the unfavourable results of the Chinese Self-Strengthening Movement. As a result of this, at the turn of the last century Japan emerged as a military and economic power in Asia, overpowering China and giving way to its own territorial ambitions. If these were the long-term origins of the first Sino-Japanese war, its short term ones were related with the specific territorial ambition of China and Japan over the Chinese suzerainty of Korea. The first Sino-Japanese War was instigated by the Japanese attempts to overthrow Chinese leaders in Korea, and the assassination of the pro-Japanese Korean revolutionary Kim Ok-gyun in 1894 (Hunter, Murphy, Hsu). The second Sino-Japanese War was much more devastating in scope and damage compared to the first one, and was only the prelude for the Japanese participation in WWII. Many of the causes of the first Sino-Japanese war found their repeated manifestation in the second one, which broke in 1937 after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident. However, the events at the Marco Polo Bridge were only the trigger of the war, whose origins go back to the 1931 Japanese occupation of the northern Chinese region of Manchuria. It was not long before the Japanese established the state of Manchukuo, which the Chinese were forced to recognize as independent. This was the peak of the Japanese imperialist ambitions, which met severe resistance among the Chinese population and leadership. The tension between the two countries escalated and the 1937 Marco Polo Bridge incident was the last of a series of incidents which are considered historic triggers of the war (Murphy). At the day of the incident, the Japanese laid their siege of Wanpin city. It was not long before the second Sino-Japanese war spilled over into WWII. After the Japanese invasion of mainland China had already commenced, the Japanese forces organized two attacks against the Soviets in 1938 and 1939, on both occasions suffering crushing defeats. As a result, the Japanese armies decided to attack the presumably weaker US army. In response the US imposed oil embargo on Japan and withdrew from its mutual trade agreements with the country. The deterioration of the American-Japanese relations culminated with the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941 (Murphy, Hunter). The attack was the trigger of the immediate entry of the USA in the European and Asia-Pacific theatres of WWII. The long – term causes of the Sino-Japanese wars (1900 - 1941) and the Japanese entry into WWII were related to the Japanese aspirations for territorial supremacy not only over China, but in Asia. The invasions of Taiwan, Korea, Manchuria instigated by Japan made the Chinese leaders such as Mao Tse Dung and Chaing Kai-Shek raise their political concerns about threats to the Chinese national identity and the long-anticipated unification of China. The combination of a historic rivalry between the two countries, as well as the Japanese territorial ambitions transformed the long-term frictions between China and Japan into actual wars. Works Cited: Grasso, June, Corrin, Jay & Kort, Michael. Modernization and Revolution in China. Sydney: Allen and Unwin, 1991. Print (BOOK) Hsu, Immanuel.C.Y. The Rise of Modern China. 4th Ed. New York: Oxford University Press. 1990. Print. (BOOK). Hunter, Janet. The Emergence of Modern Japan. New York: Longman, 1995. Print (BOOK) Murphy, Rhoads. History of Asia. New York: Longman, 2003. Print (BOOK). Thomas, Stephen.  Foreign Intervention and China's Industrial Development 1870-1911. Boulder: Westview Press., 1984. Print (BOOK) Read More