Depression Crisis to Total War

Situation of late 1920s Japan culturally: exuberant yet anxious modernity Japan politically and socially: fragile imperial democracy –Uneasy but clear move to wider participation –Keeping imperial sovereignty and empire as beyond question Japan economically troubled from 1927

Crisis of Imperial Democracy A multi-sided crisis sparked by global and domestic shocks brings change Consequences: -A different sort of modern mass society (not a retreat from the modern) -repudiation of “imperial democracy” -search for a New Order, on road to war

Depression Crisis: at home Stagnant 1920s--> banking crisis--> world depression

Depression Crisis: at home Crisis in rural Japan Landlord - tenant disputes

Depression Crisis: at home Crisis in rural Japan famine

Depression Crisis: at home Crisis in rural Japan: more daughters to brothels

Depression Crisis: at home Crisis in the cities UnemploymentUnemployment

Depression Crisis: at home Crisis in the cities 2. Small business failures skyrocket 1. Labor disputes surge

Depression Crisis: at home Gender anarchy? The modern girl

Depression Crisis Abroad Crisis abroad, two dimensions. (1) Tensions with West (2) Tensions with China

Crisis of Imperial democracy Perceptions of Japan at a dead end Threats all around: abroad, at home, rural and urban, all connected diary of General Ugaki Kazushige: Fuehrer wannabe A shared element in this critique, of left and right– common “radical” view of status quo

Breaking the Impasse Politics of assassination, repudiating party rule

Breaking the Impasse takeover of Manchuria

Breaking the Impasse takeover of Manchuria Continuing politics of assassination, repudiating party rule Prime Minister Hamaguchi Osachi, 1930 Finance Minister Inoue Junnosuke, 1932 Mitsui Chairman, Dan Takuma, 1932 Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi, 1932 Finance Minister Takahashi Korekiyo and several other cabinet ministers, 2/26/1936

Breaking the Impasse:2-26 (1936) incident

Mobilizing for Total War Suspicion of competition, control of industry –Promotion of cartels: Important Industries Control Law, 1931 –Increased central planning, : Cabinet Planning Board National General Mobilization Law: 1938 –Allows measures to “control material and human resources” WITHOUT legislative approval –The peak measure of state power

Programs of the New Order: Political New Order –Prince Konoe advisors’ concept of mass party –Outcome: Imperial Rule Assistance Association: 1940 Economic New Order –Builds on “rationalizing” steps since late ’20s –Culminates in “Control Associations” of 1940 Labor New Order –Modeled on Nazi Labor Front –Industrial Patriotic Service Association, 1940

Japan Germany Italy Monarchy Holo- caust Mass party, Charismatic leader Church Fascism: One strategy for comparative analysis At the intersection: the “fascist minimum” Sense of social crisis Latecomer international aspirations denied Glorified national body and race Anti-democratic Anti-capitalist rhetoric, but not full state control Autarchic empire Aggressive foreign policy  war Pope, Emperor