The Three Power/Tripartite Pact the outbreak of war, Pearl Harbor (1941)

1936 – Rome-Berlin Axis
1938 – Germany recognises Manchukuo (CKS is too weak, GM wants to expand in Europe)
- Hitler’s annexation of Austria/Czechoslovakia between 1938-1939 violated sovereignty
- LON failed to respond
1939 – Pact of Steel, GM and Italy become military allies
1939 – Nazi-Soviet Pact ⇒ divided Poland/gave Stalin a free hand in Baltic States
- Shook the foundation of Japan’s earlier Anti-Soviet agreement
- Nazi-Soviet pact convinced Japan that it should not wage war against USSR, go south
1940 – Pact of Steel, Japan is allied in September = Tripartite Pact

Dec 1939 – worsened relations between USSR and China
- China didn’t use veto, USSR ends up getting removed from LON (4 invading Finland)
- Because he didn’t want to alienate
  - And suspected Stalin was less committed to helping China defeat JP than to stop JP attacking USSR
- Therefore worsened relations, USSR abandons China and ❤ Japan
Battle of Khalkhin Gol/Nomonhan – 20k troops died from hunger/disease/battle) ⇒ skirmishes between USSR and Japan
April 1941 – USSR and JP had more urgent threats
- USSR + JP signed neutrality pact – Soviet aid to China stopped
- Japan could move to Indochina because its border with USSR was secured

Invasion of Poland in Sept 1939 – led to phoney war
Fall of France in June 1940, and isolation of UK strengthens JP
Japan could expand in East – Indochina in July 1941, since UK was weak
- Japan had Dutch East Indies (Malaysia) with oil, rubber, tin
Japanese politics
- Tojo was War minister, Mastuoka Yosuke was foreign minister ⇒ made decisions
  - Strengthen ties with GM and Italy
  - Create New Order in Asia
  - Non-aggression pact is Soviet
  - British/French/Dutch in East Asia = Japanese influence
  - CKS + bring China into New Order

IB Wisdom