World Events Set Stage for Isolationism

Answer the following questions and post them on your blog. Title: World Events Set Stage for Isolationism Labels: Isolationism, FDR, Germany, Japan, Hitler, Great_Depression, Open_Door_Policy

1. What was the Japanese reaction to the Treaty of Versailles? (pgs. 4 - 5)
Many people in Japan did not believe they would ever be treated fairly by Britain, France or the U.S.. At the conference the Japanese experienced racism against them. These countries also had policies the were anti-Japanese. Japan hoped to use the conference as a way to address this discrimination. They provided an amendment to the treaty that would address these racial problems however it was rejected. The Japanese were outraged and warned that in the future they would be less inclined towards international cooperation.

2. Read the pull-out box on page 4 entitled, "Japan Becomes a Great Power." Cite specific evidence Japan was becoming a strong power that rivaled European & American interests. And, why specifically was Japan threatened by U.S. actions?

Japan's rise to power was very rapid. IN the late 1860's Japan began a new program that modeled its navy on Britain's, its banking on the U.S.'s and its army and constitution on Prussia's. Between 1885 and 1920 the goods and services produced by Japan tripled, manufacturing and mining increased sixfold. Some Japanese wanted Japan to move in a democratic direction however many wanted Japan to build up military power to gain control. IN 1905 Japan defeated Russia (Russo-Japenese War) and gained access to parts of Manchuria. Japan then annexed Korea in 1910. In 1914 Japan declared war against Germany over asia. Japan wanted to expand into China however the US, Britain saw this as an issue. Japan felt threatened by the U.S.'s expansion into pacific islands like Hawaii, Guam the and the Philipines.


3. Why was the Washington Naval Conference convened and what was accomplished? (pg. 6) (Note: Japan signs the agreement.)
The Washington Naval conference convened because the U.S. was concerned about Japan's growth as a naval power and how it threatened U.S. interests. Parties agreed to place limits on the size of naval ships, placed moratorium on building new battle ships, outlawed the use of poison gases and limited the role of submarines in future wars.

4. The Senate's willingness to ratify the Kellogg-Briand Pact relected two strong and widely held sentiments. What were they? (pgs. 6 - 7)
The two strongly and widely held sentiments were that Americans remembered the carnage of WWI nod did not want to be involved in another European war, secondly policy makers avoided obligations and permanent alliances because they wanted to be able to act when they wanted to.

5. Why did Hitler enjoy popular support in Germany for most of the 1930s? Give three reasons. (pgs. 9 - 10)
Right after the election there was a fire in the German parliamentary building and Hitler took the is opportunity to blame German communists for it, claiming they were trying to overthrow the government and he used to fire as an excuse to suspend freedoms guaranteed in the German constitution. After another election in 1933 Hitler used his power to enact laws that gave him free reign. Hitler also targeted ethnic minorities because he believed that they were tainting the German race. Hitler's popularity came from the improvement of Germany's economic system and reducing unemployment as well as boosting nationals pride.

6. Japan voiced its intentions to invade China for what two reasons? (pg. 10)

Japan wanted to invade China to gain raw materials and to increase Japan's power.

7. Compare the Reichstag fire and the explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria. What did they accomplish?

Like the fire in Reichstag, many historians believe that caused the incident themselves so they could blame it on the Chinese. With the Reichstag fire Hitler was able to blame communists and gain power and the Japenese were able to use the explosion on the Japanese railway in Manchuria as an excuse to invade China.

8. Why was the united States unable to oppose Japan in the early 1930s with a significant military force? (pgs. 11 - 12)

The U.S. had been unprepared for Japan's aggression and had drastically reduced its military since WWI. Japan was also violating treaties it had signed and had dropped out of the Washington Naval Treaties and built up it's Navy.

9. Describe the major similarities and differences among liberal democracy, fascism, and socialism. (pg. 8)

Liberal democracies have a constitution, with elected representatives and emphasis on freedom of individuals.
Fascism is an authoritarian form of government that puts the economy and government under control and emphasizes strong control over the individual.
Socialism was meant to create a classless society to end the exploitation of workers . Socialism rejects capitalist economic systems by taking means of production away from owners and under the power of the state.