[Author’s Name]
[Institution’s Name]
Essay on World War II
Economic problems caused the Locarno spirit to evaporate the new rule seemed to be each country to it self. Affairs were dominated by three arch-aggressors – Japan, Italy and Germany – whose extreme nationalism led them to commit so many acts of violence and breaches of international agreement that in the end the world was plunged into the ordeal of total war.
Japan had emerged from the First World War in the strong position but after 1929 she was severely affected by world economic crisis, which led the army to occupy the Chinese province of Manchuria. The League of Nations failed to control the Japanese who withdrew from the League in 1933. It was clear that international relations were moving into a new phase dominated by major acts of aggression and violence (Storry, 1960).
It was essential to take control of the province as a valuable trade outlet; China seemed to be growing stronger under the rule of Chiang Kai-shek and Japan feared it might result in their being excluded from Manchuria. In fact it is possible to present good defense of Japanese action, as indeed Sir John Simon, the British Foreign Minister, did at the League of the Nations, Japan had been involved in the province since 1890s and was given Port Arthur and a privileged position in Manchuria as a result of Russo-Japanese war. Since then Japanese had invested millions of pounds in Manchuria for the development of the industry and railways.
By 1931 they controlled the south Manchurian Railways and the banking system, and could not stand by and see them selves squeezed out of such a valuable province with the population of 30 million, especially when they are suffering economic hardship because of great depression. Although nobody was fooled when Japanese announced that they have turned Manchuria in the independent state of Manchukuo......
