IB History: Move to Global War-Japanese Expansion in Asia, Part 1

The video delves into Japanese expansion in Asia between 1931 and 1939, focusing on the political instability in both China and Japan. It starts with the Northern Expedition led by Chiang Kai-shek in China, resulting in a divide between the Guomindang and the Chinese Communist Party. Simultaneously, tensions rise in Japan between political leaders, the emperor, and the military, exacerbated by the Great Depression. Japan’s need for resources drives them to seize Manchuria, against the emperor’s opposition, culminating in the Mukden Incident and the Treaty of Tanggu in 1933, establishing Manchukuo as a Japanese puppet state.

Methodology

• Discusses the political instability in China and Japan
• Explains the split between the Guomindang and the Chinese Communist Party
• Highlights Japan’s economic struggles during the Great Depression
• Describes Japan’s motives for seizing Manchuria
• Details the events leading to the Treaty of Tanggu in 1933

Speakers

• Unnamed speaker