League Of Nations Dbq

On June 28, 1919, The Treaty of Versaille was signed which created an international peace organization, also known as the League of Nations. The league was formed of First World War Allies along with 32 more neutral nations. However, nations such as Germany, Russia, and the USSR were excluded. In the meantime, Japan, one of the allied powers in World War One, was just being industrialized and had been in the process of creating a better, more powerful economy. Nevertheless, Japan had been barred of raw materials. Japan's method, to gain control of foreign lands to acquire access of raw materials. Japan, part of the League of Nations was to invade the Manchurian region in 1933 in the quest for materials. Japan acted against the League but their response came longly after. The inadequacy of response by the League of Nations shows the deficiency in which The League was facing,

plus the growing power and dominance.
On September 18, 1931, an explosion went off on the Japanese-Manchurian Railway, current day Shenyang. This was the beginning of Japan’s pursuit for raw materials and to invade Manchuria. Their plan was to plant this explosion to resemble China as the protagonist. This acted as an excuse to raid Manchuria. Within the next two days, Japan had entered Manchuria through the Korean border and began rage. How could Japan invade and start conflict with China, a part of The League of Nations? Japan completely disobeyed terms of the League.

The League arbitrated disputes between member countries in order to
peacefully preserve sovereignty and territorial rights.

The League

encouraged countries to reduce their amount of military weapons. Any

country that resorted to war would be subject to economic sanctions such

as a halt to trade. 1

Instead of limiting their military power,Japan strengthened it even more when invading Manchuria.When the League became aware of what Japan had done,“...the council dispatched an inquiry commission to China under the leadership of the British diplomat,the Earl of Lytton.”2However, when the League arrived half a year later, destruction had already been made and Japan had set up puppet state of Manchukuo. The league now told Japan to withdraw from this tension and advised China to create peace in the region by not fighting back. China accepted the Leagues commands while Japan ignored them then withdrew from the League. 3 The light force that the League put on Japan and the confidence Japan had to withdraw from the League depicts the weakness of The League of Nations and growing power of

Japan.
Before 1931, The League of Nations excluded powerful nations such as The United States, Germany, Italy, and The USSR. These absences of Great Powers caused The League to lack authority and potential. As stated, when the Lytton Commision did arrive in China during April, Japan had managed to invade and rule in Manchuria .4 It took the League of Nations a very long time to Manchuria to “stop” them and it reveals their inefficiency. In The Doormat cartoon, the League is shown surrendering to Japan by handing the Japanese flowers. This displays the League’s scarcity of power and shows how an organization of many nations could let one nation get away with causing so much aggression and tension.5 On February 24, 1933, one year after the Lytton Commision arrived, the League conducted a typical session where all members met.

As the roll was called down the alphabetical list of nations, delegate after
delegate voted for the resolution. When China was called, there was a slight
stir of expectancy and W. W. Yen, Chinese delegate, firmly answered:"Yes."
Japan was called a few moments later. Matsuoka's decisive "no" could be
clearly heard in all parts of the hall.6
This overrule of the Japanese abolished the League’s reputation even more and proved to the rest of Western powers that they weren't a weak power anymore.
The early 1900’s was a growing stage for Japan, both economically and militaristically. Specifically in the thirties, however, Japan proved their overall power and dominance. The political cartoon, Japanese Blast, depicts Japan's militaristic ways. The gun blasting through treaties interprets the Invasion of Manchuria and is showing the rising power of Japanese military. The papers written, “L of N Covenant” and “Japanese Gov’t Promises” are peace promises in which were betrayed and non-effective that were “broken through.” It also signals the rise of military that could possibly lead to another war.7Japan used its forces to intimidate both the League and China. “By the end of the year, Japanese forces controlled all of Manchuria. In 1932, the Japanese army declared Manchuria was now an independent country- independent of China…” 8 Looking at the bigger picture, Japan managed to take hold of an entire region and claim it as their own when against multiple nations.
The League of Nations’ poor response to the Invasion of Manchuria left them little hope for a positive reputation, but created a more authoritative Japan. The Manchurian incident concluded on February 27, 1932 and was used as a great achievement for Japan’s prominence. The League of Nations lacked power, which contributed to their poor reputation. Additionally, Japan’s growing military power caused a more grand defeat.