jul 7, 1937 - Marco Polo Bridge incident and
the Second Sino-Japanese War
Description:
- Fighting broke out between Kwantung army and Chinese forces (not staged by the Kwantung) in the Marco Polo Bridge Incident
- Was not expected by the Japanese, and they were instead preparing for war with the USSR
- Full scale war ensued
- The Japanese prime minister called the army to "annihilate" the nationalist regime in China
- In the hope that China would surrender and a new Asian order would come about
- Was unsuccessful due to the extent of Chinese nationalism and outrage from events such as the Rape of Nanjing
- Japan attempted to end the war a number of ways, none of which worked:
- E.g. peace terms, military victory, and setting up a Chinese regime that would cooperate with them
International response:
- League condemned Japan For violating the Nine-Power Treaty but did nothing
- Chinese put up strong resistance (formed the Second United Front)
Added to timeline:
IB History Revision
Date:
