The last century or so of our studies have been, well, a whirlwind. Industrial and
imperial competition between nations; a world war that left millions dead;
a peace that satisfied no one; a Lost Generation; the Great Depression.
If studying these events makes you feel like you need a break to catch your breath,
imagine how living through them must have felt. For many, the last thing they wanted or needed
was another crisis. There was a prevailing feeling that they just needed to get through to the other
side of all these issues. Remember when America entered World War I and Woodrow Wilson declared
that he wanted to help "make the world safe for democracy"? And how after the war he proposed A
League of Nations to maintain the "territorial integrity and political independence" of member
states and "take any action to maintain the peace"? Well, the 1930s are going to show
what happens when these lofty goals clash with a world that is terrified of another global war.
In recent lessons, we've talked about rulers like Adolf Hitler and Benito
Mussolini and how they promised a return to national glory for their countries.
Today, we're going to examine how they, along with Japanese leaders,
turned this desire for national glory into a quest for territorial expansion. We'll also
examine what - if anything - other nations did to try to stop this aggressive expansion.
By the end of the day, you should be able to answer the following questions.
What drove Japan's aggressive territorial expansion during the 1930s?
Why did the League of Nations fail to stop Italy's invasion of Ethiopia?
Why was Hitler able to defy the terms of the Treaty of Versailles? We'll also preview our
big-picture question, how do our previous experiences influence the decisions we make?
In the first decades of the 20th century, Japan was a democracy, but its democratic institutions
were weak. Despite having parliamentary rule, the Japanese constitution severely restricted
the powers of the Prime Minister and cabinet. To make matters worse, elected officials had little
control over military leaders who were often able to act independently of the civilian government.
As the Great Depression sent shock waves across the globe, Japanese citizens began to blame the
government for the nation's financial problems. With discontent growing, the country's population
began to look to military leaders to take control. With popular opinion behind them, the Japanese
military took power away from the parliament, effectively becoming an authoritarian state.
These military leaders planned to solve Japan's economic problems with foreign
expansion throughout the Pacific, including China. Japanese expansion focused on acquiring access
to more raw materials, opening new trade markets, and providing room for Japan's growing population.
Japan had extensive investments in Manchuria, China's northeastern province.
Japanese military leadership ignored previous commitments to anti-expansion agreements,
including a 1922 treaty respecting China's border and the 1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact which
renounced war as an instrument of national policy. Defying parliament, the Japanese military invaded
Manchuria in 1931, installed a puppet government, and began building mines and factories to supply
the Japanese home islands. This invasion was the first serious challenge to the League of Nations.
Member states protested Japan's actions but, in response, Japan simply withdrew from the League.
1937 saw tensions escalate between the Japanese and Manchuria, and Chinese nationalist forces
led by Jiang Jieshi. The Japanese military was better trained and routed the Chinese forces,
seizing Beijing and the capital city of Nanking. After the defeat of the
Chinese army, Japanese soldiers killed tens of thousands of Chinese soldiers and civilians.
Time to test your knowledge. What drove Japan's aggressive territorial expansion during the 1930s?
As an increasingly militaristic Japan expanded throughout the Pacific,
it provided other anti-democratic leaders with a blueprint for defying international institutions
like the League of Nations. Benito Mussolini, the fascist leader of Italy, promised national
glory by expanding the nation's colonies in Africa and avenging one of Italy's most bitter defeats.
In 1890, Italy had attempted to invade Ethiopia,
one of the last remaining independent nations in Africa, but was defeated.
Inspired by Japan's defiance of the League of Nations, Italy invaded Ethiopia in 1935.
Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie appealed to the League of Nations to take action against Italy.
However, the League only issued statements condemning the invasion and ineffective sanctions.
As part of these sanctions, the League of Nations placed an embargo on arms sales to both Italy and
Ethiopia. This prevented Ethiopian forces from acquiring the materials necessary to mount a
defense against the larger and better-armed Italian army. Some League members refused to
even attempt to make the invasion more difficult for Italy. Passage through the Suez Canal would
make it easier for Italian troops and supplies to reach the Ethiopian front. Great Britain,
which controlled the canal, hoped to maintain the delicate European peace. Rather than risk war,
the British allowed Italian forces to utilize the canal. While the Ethiopian forces mounted
a tenacious defense of their nation, the size of the Italian force overwhelmed the African nation.
All right, let's check in for a moment.
How did the League of Nations fail to stop Italy's invasion of Ethiopia?
While the League of Nations used meaningless words and empty threats to try to prevent
Italy's invasion of Ethiopia, it was utterly powerless to stop Adolf Hitler's defiance of
the Treaty of Versailles. Throughout his rise to power, Hitler promised supporters that he
would eliminate the treaty, a document he considered a betrayal of Germany.
In 1935, Hitler announced that Germany would no longer abide by the limitations on the
German military set forth in the treaty. What was the League of Nations' reaction?
Member nations barely mustered a mild condemnation of Hitler's announcement. In the middle of a
worldwide depression, recovering from a world war, and seeing peace teetering on the edge,
these nations decided that inaction was preferable to a potential war with Germany.
This moment of weakness emboldened Hitler to pursue even more aggressive action.
In March 1936, German military forces entered the Rhineland,
the industrial heart of pre-World War I Germany. It had been set up as a
demilitarized buffer zone between France and Germany by the Treaty of Versailles.
Take a second, pause the video, and ask yourself,
what would Hitler gain by defying the Treaty of Versailles?
By acting in defiance of the Versailles treaty, Hitler was trying to determine Western nations'
willingness to enforce previous agreements that limited German territory and expansion.
Great Britain and France gave in and did nothing. They hoped that appeasement of
Hitler would satisfy his territorial ambitions and prevent the outbreak of war in Europe.
Appeasement means giving up something to an aggressor to prevent further conflict.
However, the occupation of the Rhineland was just the beginning. In fact, appeasement on
this issue would lead to a cycle of aggression and appeasement in places like Austria, Spain,
Czechoslovakia, and elsewhere. Fearing no pushback from other European nations,
Hitler's push for territorial expansion increased. Nations like France and Belgium
were suddenly just as vulnerable to German invasion as they were in 1914.
Time for our last learning check for today.
Why was Hitler able to defy the terms of the Treaty of Versailles?
Let's recap. In the Pacific, an increasingly militaristic Japan aggressively expanded its
territory which included invading and conquering large parts of China.
In Africa, Italy sought to restore national glory by defying the League of Nations and
invading Ethiopia. And Hitler, firmly in power in Germany, simply ignored the Treaty
of Versailles and dared other European nations to stand up to his aggression.
With the world still recovering from World War I and dealing with events of the Great Depression,
world leaders sought to preserve peace at all costs. Weak responses from the global community
to the territorial expansion of Japan, Italy, and Germany led to further acts of aggression.
The 1930s became a decade of fascist military leaders aggressively testing the resolve of
the global community in places like Poland, the Pacific, and Spain, because history is everywhere.