Case study 1: Japanese expansion in East Asia (1931–1941)
Causes of expansion - The impact of Japanese nationalism and militarism on foreign policy - Japanese domestic issues: political and economic issues, and their impact on foreign relations - Political instability in China Events - Japanese invasion of Manchuria and northern China (1931) - Sino-Japanese War (1937–1941) - The Three Power/Tripartite Pact; the outbreak of war; Pearl Harbor (1941) Responses - League of Nations and the Lytton report - Political developments within China—the Second United Front - International response, including US initiatives and increasing tensions between the US and Japan