Aggressive Fascist Ideology in Japan 1930's
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| fasces |
Fascism:
- It is an ideology wherein a dictator will take full control over the country.
- Fascism came from the word fasces, a bundle of rods tied around an axe, which is also the ancient Roman symbol of authority.
- Fascist movements include respect of the state and devotion to the leader, and an emphasis on ultranationalism and militarism.
- Fascists believe that war is a positive force for improvement.
1920s and 1930s:
- Japan were visited by members of European fascist parties, and some Japanese ideologists made an ideology borrowing the concepts of social justice mixed with militarism in proposing a single party dictatorship. The purpose of this ideology is to satisfy public needs and maintain control of the nation.
- These ideologies led to the Asian Monroe Doctrine, stating that Japan has responsibility over Asia.
- Because of fascism, Germany had a clear aim of rebuilding its army, which defies the Treaty of Versailles.
Expansion of Japan
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| Blue-Western Allies; Red-Soviet & Allies; Black-Axis |
1939
September 1: Germany invades Poland, starting WWII.
Japan joins the Axis Powers, while China joins the Allies.
November 24: Japan captures Nanning in Southern China
1940
March 30: Japan established a puppet regime at Nanking, China, under Wang Jingwei
September 22: The Japanese occupy French Indochina.
September 27: The Tripartite Pact is signed in Berlin by Germany, Italy, and Japan, promising mutual aid.
1941
August 1: The Japanese occupy Saigon, Vietnam.
December 7: Japan, led by Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, bombs Pearl Harbor, the naval base of the Americans, and declares war on the United States.
December 8: Japan bombs Clark Field in the Philippines, and many American aircraft are destroyed. United States officially declares war on Japan
December 11: Japan invades Burma.
December 12: The airfields at Laoang and Tuguegarao fall to the Japanese invaders.
December 16: Japan invades Borneo.
December 23: A landing attempt of the Japanese military on Wake Island is successful, and the Americans surrender after hours of fighting. General Douglas MacArthur declares Manila as an "Open City".
December 25: Hong Kong surrenders to Japan.
December 27: Manila falls to Japan.
1942
January 11: Japan captures Kuala Lumpur, Malaya.
January 20: Japan bombs Singapore.
January 25: Japan invades Solomon Islands.
February 15: Singapore surrenders to Japanese forces; this is arguably the most devastating loss in British military history.
March 14: U.S. troops retreat to Corregidor.
April 3: The Japanese attacked U.S. and Philippine troops in Bataan.
April 9: Bataan falls to Japan. The "Bataan Death March" begins.
May 5: Japan attacks Corregidor.
May 6: Corregidor falls to Japan.
June 3: Japan launches attack raids on Alaska in the Battle of Dutch Harbor.
June 4: The United States wins in the Battle of Midway against Japan.
August 31: the Japanese have completed their takeovers of the Caroline Islands, the Gilbert Islands, the Marshall Islands, the Marianas Islands and a portion of the Solomon Islands. This is the farthest that the Japanese Empire would reach in the Pacific.
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| 1942 Japanese Empire |
Events that led to the Defeat of Japan
After years of battling, Japan had suffered a great number of defeats, so Japan's Navy and Air Force were all destroyed.
July 26, 1945: The American and British governments issued the Potsdam Declaration announcing the terms for the surrender of Japan, but Japan rejected it the next day. |
| Potsdam Declaration |
August 6, 1945: The United States drops the first atomic bomb "Little Boy" on Hiroshima.
August 9, 1945: The United States drops the second atomic bomb "Fat Man" on Nagasaki.
August 15, 1945: Emperor Hirohito announces Japan's unconditional surrender.
September 2, 1945: The Japanese Instrument of Surrender is signed on the deck of the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay. This day is also called "V-J Day".
*That was the end of World War II*
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| Summary of WWII |
After War
- Japan lost all its colonies, and it was devastated. Almost all the industries and transportation networks were severely damaged. More than a million people died in Japan because of the war.
- August 1945~April 1952--The occupation of Japan by the Allied Powers started, with General MacArthur as its first Supreme Commander in charge of the reconstruction of Japan.
- Japan was allowed to keep its emperor, but the emperor had to renounce his divinity and follow Japan's new constitution.
- May 3, 1947--Japan's new constitution became official.
- 1956--Japan's relations to the Soviet Union were normalized.
- 1960--The United States and Japan signed the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security.
- 1972--Japan's relations to China were normalized.
Accounts of the Witnesses of WWII
- Commander Fuchida (Japanese): In the Battle of Midway: "I was horrified at the destruction that had been wrought in a matter of seconds...Reluctant tears streamed down my cheeks as I watched the fires spread, and I was terrified at the prospect of induced explosions which would surely doom the ship."
- Dr. Michihiko Hashiya (Japanese): Bombing of Hiroshima: "Could I go on? I tried. It was all a nightmare - my wounds, the darkness, the road ahead. My movements were ever so slow; only my mind was running at top speed."
- Dr. Lewis Haynes (American): The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis: "...we were in very bad shape...I knew we didn't have very long to go. The men were semicomatose. We were all on the verge of dying..."
- Bill Mauldin (American): "No normal man who has smelled and associated with death ever wants to see any more of it..."
- Marine Corporal E.C. Nightingale (American): Bombing of Pearl Harbor: "I started swimming for the pipe line which was about one hundred and fifty feet away. I was about half way when my strength gave out entirely. My clothes and shocked condition sapped my strength..."
- Nicasio Aranas (Filipino): "...You would see people were all scared...I was terribly very happy when the war ended. I hate war. It's no good."
Sources:
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascism
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statism_in_Sh%C5%8Dwa_Japan
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causes_of_World_War_II#Fascism
- http://history1900s.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/World-War-2-Timeline.htm
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1939)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1940)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1941)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1942)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1943)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1944)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_World_War_II_(1945)
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrender_of_Japan
- http://www.secondworldwarhistory.com/japan-ww2-events-timeline.asp
- http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2011/08/07/why_did_japan_surrender/
- http://www.historyonthenet.com/Chronology/timelinewwii.htm
- http://www.phoenixbonsai.com/bigpicture/PostWarJapan.html
- http://usforeignpolicy.about.com/od/asia/a/The-United-States-And-Japan-After-World-War-Ii.htm
- http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2124.html
- http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/63994/15-year-old-student-interviews-war-veteran
- http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/pearl.htm
- http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/indianapolis.htm
- http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/mauldin.htm
- http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/midway.htm
- http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/hiroshima.htm
- http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/treaty_of_versailles.htm
