Background to the War of the Pacific

None of the wars that the world has lived was born out of nowhere, all of them being the consequence of a series of antecedents and causes that eventually make a more or less long warlike conflict inevitable that changes the societies faced to forever. To talk about one of the major wars within the Second World War In this lesson from a TEACHER we are going to talk about background to the War of the Pacific.

The Pacific Warit was a conflict that had place between 1937 and 1945, and who faced Japan and china, although over the years a series of Axis and Allied Powers were added to the contest, the intervention of the United States being especially relevant.

It could be said that there were several conflicts in one, since the war between both Asian powers was the Second Sino-Japanese War, which was part of the War of the Pacific in which other powers such as the United States appeared, and this being an important part of the Second World War.

The importance of this conflict was not only because it was the defeat of a great power such as Japan, but for many the end of this conflict

it was the true end of the Second World War. The end of the war is linked to the attack of nuclear bomb that changed the world forever, and whose consequences are still seen in today's world.

On the other hand, the war also had great importance for the states in conflict, causing the end of the Great Empire of Japan and started a Great Civil War in China that would change the Asian state forever. The end of the war also affected other powers, being a case of great relevance that of States United States, or that of other Asian territories in which they began to speak of a possible independence.

To continue with this lesson on background to the War of the PacificWe must talk about the many events prior to the conflict that generated a state of tension great enough to start the war.

Japan as a great power

Until the middle of the 19th century, Japan had been an agrarian region, and it could even be said that it had been a rather poor area compared to others in the area. The arrival of Emperor Meiji to the position of leader of the Japanese country changed this forever, as the Asian country began a economic expansion and modernization that caused the country to undergo a radical change in just sixty years.

Japan began the 20th century as the greater industrial power of the Eastern zone, being therefore a totally different country than the one that had begun the last century. This industry also affected the military part, beginning a great militarization that would end up turning Japan into a great war power.

First Sino-Japanese War

One of the most tense situations in the Asia area was the conflicts that had taken place in the area of Korea, since both Japan and China disputed the region. Japan's military improvements, and the situation of a kind of civil war in China caused Japan to make its first movement to take over the region, with a surprise attack without making any kind of declaration of war, starting the First Sino-Japanese War.

Japan's victory was swift, forcing China to sign the Shimonoseki Treaty, in which China gave Taiwan, Fishermen's Island and Liaodong to Japan. And is that even with the help of Russia, China was unable to defeat the forces that Japan had formed.

Russo-Japanese War and World War I

after a while Japan declared war on Russia, with an even more developed army and attacking again without a previous declaration of war. The war was due to the increasing Russian influence in Manchuria and Korea, and to the imperialist character of the new Japan. Within a year the Japanese won the war and forced the Russians to sign a treaty, in which Manchuria was returned to China, but Japan received other possessions and a series of Russian railways located at key posts in the Chinese dominions, which already at that time seemed essential for a subsequent war between the two countries Asians.

A little later Japan entered the First World War, defeating Germany and obtaining new possessions in the Asian North zone. At that time Japan seemed invincible to any nation that wanted to face them on the military level.

Second Sino-Japanese War

In 1931 a section of the train that Russia had given to Japan was destroyed by explosives, this being used as an excuse by Japan to attack and conquer the Manchurian region. This action was viewed with suspicion by all the great powers of the world, but Japan was not interested in this small region, but what it wanted was a larger-scale expansion. The international reaction was such that Japan left several international organizations.

Finally the tension exploded in 1937, starting a great conflict between China and Japan that would bear the name of Second Sino-Japanese War, to later enter the world conflict called War of the Pacific, and whose actions were vital to understand the Second World War.