Transcript US Japan Relations Before Pearl Harbor

US Japan Relations Before
Pearl Harbor
Roots of War Take Hold
Perry Treaty 1853
First Breakthrough of Ethnocentric Culture
Before 1853 Japan’s economy was bases on farming
and fishing.
After 1853 they became industrialized.
The impact of Perry's success was to be world-wide.
Japan in the following century, by adopting modern
techniques, was to become one of the earth's great
industrial, mercantile and military powers, only to lose that
position in the holocaust of World War II.
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/perry_exp.htm
The Influence of Sea Power Upon History,
1660-1783
by Alfred. T. Mahan
Copyright, 1890
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/13529/13529-h/13529-h.htm
• In his book he writes that to be a great world power
a country needs to have a great Navy.
• This book becomes the blue print for all imperialistic
nations in the world, Japan and US included.
• Mahan also predicts that in the future there will be a
great war between the East and The West (WWII ?)
First Sino-Japanese War
(August 1,1894– April 17, 1895)
• Came to symbolize the degeneration and
enfeeblement of the Qing Dynasty and demonstrate
how successful modernization had been in Japan
since the Meiji Restoration after Perry’s visit.
• The principal results were a shift in regional
dominance in Asia from China to Japan and a fatal
blow to the Dynasty and the Chinese classical
tradition. http://compsoc.net/~gemini/simons/historyweb/sino-war.html
The Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05
• Had its roots in the simultaneous determination of both
Japan and Russia to develop 'spheres of influence' in the Far
East, mainly at the expense of China.
• Japan’s victory forced Russia to abandon its expansionist
policy in the Far East.
• Japan becomes the first Asian power in modern times to
defeat a European power.
http://www.russojapanesewar.com/index.html
The Open Door Policy 1899
• China was in political and economic disarray as the end of the
19th century approached. The giant was not recognized as a
sovereign nation by the major powers, who were busy elbowing
one another for trading privileges and plotting how the country
could be partitioned.
• In the fall of 1898, President McKinley stated his desire for the
creation of an "open door" that would allow all trading nations
access to the Chinese market.
• President McKinley was simply trying to protect the prospects of
American businessmen and investors.
• US will be China’s protector, other nations may trade, but may
not take over China. China is too weak to have any say. http://www.us-history.com/pages/h908.html
Gentleman's Agreement with Japan 1907
• U.S.-Japanese understanding, in which Japan agreed to
limit passports to the United States.
• President Theodore Roosevelt agreed, in return, to urge
the city of San Francisco to stop school segregation.
• Japan did not want America to pass a law similar to the
Chinese Exclusion Act. President Theodore Roosevelt, who
had a positive opinion of Japan, accepted the Agreement as
proposed by Japan. http://homepage3.nifty.com/ubiquitous/JapaneseAmericans_E/Page04.htm
Root-Takahira Agreement November 1908
• US and Japan agree to share Asia and the Pacific
and they will live in peace.
• The Root-Takahira Agreement appeared to be a great
success. However, the Japanese were espousing a type of
Monroe Doctrine(http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/jd/16321.htm ) for the Far
East, but one that assigned Japan a far more powerful
economic role than the United States had in Latin America.
http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h886.html
Washington Navel Conference
12 November 1921 to 6 February 1922
• This disarmament effort was occasioned by the hugely
expensive naval construction rivalry that existed among Britain,
Japan and the United States.
• For the American delegation, led by Secretary of State Charles
Evans Hughes, the primary objective of the conference was to
inhibit Japanese naval expansion in the waters of the west Pacific.
• Led to an effective end to building new battleship fleets and
those ships that were built were limited in size and armament.
Some ships were scrapped. Some ships were turned into aircraft
carriers. Referred to as a holiday.
Japan invades Manchuria 1931
• This was an attempt by the Japanese Empire to gain control
over the whole province in order to encompass all of East Asia.
• Japan Violates the Open Door policy.
• Manchuria has vast natural resources and raw materials, which
helped the economic goals of Japan. http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/China/JapanManchuria.html
US Response to Manchurian Incident
Stimson Doctrine
• Stimson stated the United States would not recognize
any changes made in China and that the "open door" must be
maintained. Japan gambled that the US would take no
military action because of the Depression.
• Most Americans were probably far more sympathetic to
China, but did not want to provoke Japan. Memories of
American losses in foreign war were still fresh. http://www.us-history.com/pages/h1500.html
Three Causes of War
Nationalism- Patriotism and and pride
of ones country.
Imperialism- Military conquest.
Militarism- Arms build-up.
Fascism
As a political philosophy, it describes an authoritarian regime
that exalts the state above the individual, readily resorts to
military action to solve international disputes and seeks to
control every aspect of the nation's existence — political,
social, religious and economic.