Lytton Commission and the Manchuria Incident: Case Study

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A. Plan of the Investigation
This investigation evaluates the extent to which the Lytton Commission was a success or failure of the League of Nations during the Manchurian Crisis. In order to assess the success or failure, the investigation focuses on the events leading to the creation of the Lytton Commission, particularly focusing on and considering the varied viewpoints of China and Japan during the Manchurian Crisis. The purpose of the Commission is also examined, and, ultimately, the details associated with the consequences of the final report by the Lytton Commission are used to assess the success or failure of the League of Nations.
The two sources used for evaluation, The Verdict of the League: China and Japan in Manchuria by Manley Hudson and Life along the South Manchurian Railway: The Memoirs of Ito Takeo translated by Joshua Fogel are evaluated for their origins, purposes, limitations, and values.
B. Summary of Evidence
The Lytton Commission was created in 1931, and it was essentially an investigative team appointed by the League of Nations. Led by V.A.G.R. Bulwer-Lytton, the team was to “study on the spot and to report to the Council on any circumstance which, affecting international relations, threatens to disturb peace between China and Japan" (Hsü 120).
Beginning on September 18, 1931 near the Japanese-guarded Mukden in the South Manchuria Railway zone, the Manchurian Crisis sparked China’s appeal to the League of Nations (Scott). At the site, the Japanese command sent troops outside the railway zone because they thought that military precautions were necessary. Neighboring Chinese towns of the railway lines were intruded, and an attempt to terminate them ensued. Of these towns, a few included Mukden, Changchun,...

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...apan’s little sincerity and respect for the League, indicating its failure.
E. Conclusion
The report of the Lytton Commission was undoubtedly a unique achievement. Although a neutral commission investigated the underlying factors of the affair with much care, the tediousness of the task required a large span of time, and it seemed that Japan did not take the prolonged actions of the League of Nations into serious consideration. In fact, despite the investigation of the Lytton Commission, the situation in Manchuria continued to worsen. The lesson of the League’s failure to deal effectively with the Manchurian incident was epitomized by Japan’s withdrawal from the League of Nations. At this point, the sincerity of Japan’s approval of the final report was revealed, and they prepared for new and greater conquests in China, ultimately worsening Sino-Japanese relations.

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