2. What were the causes of the outbreak of war in 1937?

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we think about why war broke out between the Chinese and Japanese in 1937, focusing in particular on: (i) why the Japanese continued to expand into Chinese territory even after the occupation of Manchuria in 1931; (ii) the main threats to Nationalist rule in the 1930s, including the Communists; (iii) the importance of the Xian Incident in forcing Chiang to shift his attention from the Communist threat to the Japanese threat, in particular the role played by the Young Marshal, Zhang Xueliang; and (iv) the importance of the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937.

Course

In this course, Dr Tehyun Ma (University of Sheffield) explores the causes, course and consequences of the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-45). In the first module, we think about why the Japanese occupied Manchuria in 1931. After that, in the second module, we consider why the Japanese launched a full invasion in China in 1937, before turning in the third module to think about why the Japanese lost the war. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth modules, we think about the impact of the Second Sino-Japanese War on Chinese society, the Chinese economy, and Chinese politics, respectively.

Lecturer

Dr Tehyun Ma is Lecturer in International History at the University of Sheffield. Her main research interest is in the history of state- and nation-building in twentieth-century China and Taiwan, particularly under the Chinese Nationalist (Guomindang) government.