THE MANCHURIAN CRISIS 1/17/2019

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. 1/17/2019

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. 1/17/2019

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. 1/17/2019

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”. 1/17/2019

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. 1/17/2019

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. 1/17/2019

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. 1/17/2019

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 hopes…of the smaller nations.” 1/17/2019