Case Study of Militarist Japan, 1920s-1930s
G2 Full History - syllabus K227, 2027
Why did Japan's military gain power in the 1930s? Hard times, expansion abroad and political violence, and what changed in factories, villages and schools.
- Why politicians could not control the military
Japan had elections, but elected politicians had no firm control over the army and navy.
- How hard times fed anger
Rising prices, lost jobs and falling farm incomes hurt people in different ways, and all made party politicians look weak.
- How victories boosted the military
Past wins and the 1931 seizure of Manchuria made the army look strong and showed the cabinet could not stop it.
- How violence changed who could govern
Murders and a failed coup made opposing the military dangerous, and a rule on ministers let the army block governments it disliked.
- Recovery tied to war
A cheaper yen, cheap loans and government spending helped Japan recover, while growing state controls steered industry towards war.
- Helping the villages
The 1932 rural campaign encouraged villages to plan, cooperate and save, but it could not fix low incomes and debt on its own.
- Schools and workplaces serve the nation
Schools taught obedience and readiness to fight, and workplace controls stopped workers from organising freely.
- Put it together: Why did military influence grow?
Falling incomes could make military promises appealing. But popularity alone does not explain why officers could ignore cabinet orders or stop a government from forming. Connect each cause to the change it helps explain.
What you will be able to do
I can describe the political problems new governments faced in Europe and Asia after World War I.
Syllabus K227, Rise of Authoritarian Regimes, Learning Outcomes. Demonstrate awareness of political developments after World War I.
I can explain how authoritarian regimes rose and how they changed politics, the economy and society.
Syllabus K227, Rise of Authoritarian Regimes, Learning Outcomes. Explain the rise of authoritarian regimes and their impact on the political, economic and social context of countries.
Taught in Why politicians could not control the military, How hard times fed anger, Recovery tied to war, Helping the villages, Schools and workplaces serve the nation
I can explain how leaders, the army and other groups helped set up authoritarian rule.
Syllabus K227, Rise of Authoritarian Regimes, Learning Outcomes. Explain the roles of key players in the establishment of authoritarian rule.
Taught in How victories boosted the military, How violence changed who could govern
Sources and context
Background reading for this chapter.
- National Diet Library, Stillbirth of the Ugaki Cabinet
Paraphrase of the National Diet Library's English archival description of Ugaki Kazushige's memorandum of 29 January 1937. The page reproduces the manuscript; this text follows its curatorial explanation.
- the Education Ministry's view of loyalty
Paraphrase of the loyalty and harmony sections of Kokutai no hongi, issued by Japan's Ministry of Education in 1937; English selection published by Columbia University, Asia for Educators.
- Masato Shizume, Bank of Japan Review 2009-E-2
Paraphrase of the summary to Masato Shizume's Bank of Japan Review study, May 2009, on the interwar Japanese economy.