Manchurian Crisis. On September 18, 1931, an explosion destroyed a section of railway track near the city of Mukden. The Japanese, who owned the railway, blamed Chinese nationalists for the incident and used the opportunity to retaliate and invade Manchuria.

1. CONTENT
LEAGUE OF NATIONS
MANCHURIAN CRISIS
1931
6

2. MANCHURIA
• Manchuria was a province of
north-east China with part of
its southern frontier bordering
Korea.
• It was a sparsely populated
province, rich in mineral
wealth, agricultural land,
and forestry.

3. BACKGROUND
• Since 1905 the Japanese had been in control of Korea with
additional trading rights extending northwards into the
Manchurian interior.
• In connection with these rights Japanese guards were permitted
along the route of the South Manchurian Railway.
• The purpose of these guards was to maintain order in a lawless,
chaotic area, also to protect Japanese business interests.

4. USA AND JAPAN
• The USA saw Japan as a threat. Japan was a militaristic
country. Japan was at war with Russia in 1904. Japanese
industries had grown while Europe was busy fighting WW1.
• USA was worried about Japanese competition, and they limit
their power and influence (Pacific).
• They were also worried about the sizer of their navy.
• When the Depression wrecked Japanese industry, the leaders
called for military expansion for gaining control and resources.

5. WHY MANCHURIA?
• As an island trading nation
Japan was very badly affected
by the Depression.
• Japan was not self-sufficient
in food and depended upon
imports to feed its rapidly
rising population. These
imports had to be paid for with
exports but Japan’s main
export commodity was silk, a
luxury item.

6. WHY MANCHURIA? cont.
• Manchuria seemed to offer the answer to Japan’s problems.
• It could provide a source of food and raw materials, a market
for Japanese export, as well as land for the surplus Japanese
population.

7. THE FIRST INVASION
• In 1931 an incident in
Manchuria gave them an
ideal opportunity. The
Japanese army controlled the
South Manchurian Railway.
• When Chinese troops attacked
the railway, the Japanese
armed forces used this as an
excuse to invade and set up
a government in Manchukuo
(Manchuria), which they
controlled.

9. RESULTS
• Japan’s civilian
government protested but
the military were now in
charge.
• The Japanese pretended to
give Manchuria
independence.
• They put a weak leader
(puppet leader) called Puyi.
He was the last emperor of
China.

10. CHINA APPEALS
• China appealed to the League.
The Japanese argued that China
was in such a state of anarchy
that they had to invade in self-
defense to keep peace in the area.
• For the League of Nations this was
a serious test. Japan was a
leading member of the League.
• It needed careful handling.
• What should the League do?

11. LON INVESTIGATES
• There was now a long and
frustrating delay.
• The League’s officials sailed
round the world to assess
the situation in Manchuria
for themselves.
• This was well before the days
of instant communication by
satellite. There was not even
reliable air travel.
• It was September 1932 – a full year
after the invasion – before they
presented their report.
• It was detailed and balanced, but
the judgement was very clear.
• Japan had acted unlawfully.
• Manchuria should be returned to
the Chinese.

12. THE LYTTON COMMISSION
• The League did not feel it could do absolutely nothing and
appointed Lord Lytton to lead a commission of enquiry to
Manchuria, together with a four-man team, including a
representative from the United States.
• Lytton spent six weeks in the province and came to the
conclusion that although the Japanese were provoked in various
ways by the Chinese, the invasion was not justified.
• The Lytton Report was considered by the Assembly AFTER ONE
YEAR!!!, in February 1933.

13. THE SECOND INVASION
• In February 1933, instead of
withdrawing from Manchuria
the Japanese announced that
they intended to invade more
of China.
• They still argued that this was
necessary in self-defense. On
24 February 1933, the report
from the League’s officials was
approved by 42 votes to 1 in
the Assembly.
• Only Japan voted against.
• Smarting at the insult, Japan
resigned from the League on
27 March 1933.
• The next week it invaded Jehol.

14. THE RESPONSE OF THE LON
At this stage, the League could have called for sanctions but it failed to do
so. There were few reasons for this.
1. None of the European powers wanted to reduce their trade with the
Far East, especially since American firms could have taken over the lost
business.
2. The alternative of military sanctions was even less appealing. This
would have involved European states sending a naval task force to the other
side of the world with very uncertain prospects of success.
3. Both Britain and France possessed colonies in the Far East. They
feared sanctions might provoke a Japanese attack.

15. IN A NUTSHELL
The League was powerless. It discussed economic sanctions, but
without the USA, Japan’s main trading partner, they would be
meaningless. Britain seemed more interested in keeping up a good
relationship with Japan than in agreeing to sanctions. The League
also discussed banning arms sales to Japan, but the member
countries could not even agree about that. They were worried that
Japan would retaliate, and the war would escalate. There was no
prospect at all of Britain and France risking their navies or armies
in a war with Japan. Only the USA and the USSR would have had
the resources to remove the Japanese from Manchuria by force and
they were not even members of the League.

16. THE LEAGUE WAS WEAKENED
• Japan refused to accept Lord Lytton’s report and withdrew from
the League in 1933. It was the date when Hitler was appointed
Chancellor and Japan started to become friendly with Germany.
• In 1933 the Japanese invaded China’s Jehol province, which
bordered Manchurian.
• Hitler and Mussolini saw the obvious weakness of the League.
• Japan signed a treaty with Germany in 1936, and in 1937
started to invade China. The League did nothing to stop it.

17. JAPAN WALKS OUT OF LON VIDEO
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hStmrz3N46U

18. CONSEQUENCES
All sorts of excuses were offered for the failure of the League:
- Japan was so far away;
- Japan was a special case;
- Japan did have a point when it said that China was itself in the grip of
anarchy.
The significance of the MANCHURIAN CRISIS was obvious. As many of its
critics had predicted, the League was powerless if a strong nation decided
to pursue an aggressive policy and invade its neighbours.
Japan had committed blatant aggression and got away with it. Back in
Europe, both Hitler and Mussolini looked on with interest. Within three
years they would both follow Japan’s example.

19. Analyse both following sources
Source 4: I was sad to find everyone [at the League] so dejected.
The Assembly was a dead thing. The Council was without
confidence in itself. Beneš [the Czechoslovak leader], who is not
given to hysterics, said [about the people at the League] ‘They are
too frightened. I tell them we are not going to have war now; we have
five years before us, perhaps six. We must make the most of them.’
The British elder statesman Sir Austen Chamberlain visited the League of Nations late in 1932
in the middle of the Manchurian crisis. This is an adapted extract from his letters.

20. Analyse both following sources
Source 5:
The Doormat
cartoon, by
David Low,
published
in a British
newspaper
in 1933.

21. Source Analysis
Source 5 is a comment on this Manchurian crisis. On your own
copy of this cartoon add annotations to explain:
a) the key features
b) the message
c) what the cartoonist thinks of the League.
Read Source 4. Does Beneš share the same view of the League as
the cartoonist in Source 5?

22. Writing Paragraphs (2+ per question)
1. Why did it take so long for the League to decide over Manchuria?
2. Did the League fail in this incident because of the way it worked
or because of the attitude of its members?