3. Why did Japan lose the war?

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we think about why Japan lost the war against China, focusing in particular on: (i) the fact that the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-45) soon became part of a much larger war – the Second World War (1939-45), and that Japanese defeat in this war (at the hands of the United States) effectively meant defeat in the Second Sino-Japanese War too; (ii) the progress of events after the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in 1937, and the unexpected resilience of the Nationalist government in China; (iii) Japan’s dependence on imported oil, and the diplomatic and military steps she takes to secure this supply, culminating in the attack on Pearl Harbour and the occupation of southeast Asia; (iv) US defeat of the Japanese at the Battle of Midway (1942), the liberation of occupied territories, and the final defeat of Japan in 1945 following the firebombing of Tokyo and the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

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.