“In an ever-changing, incomprehensible world the masses had reached the point where they would, at the same time, believe everything and nothing, think that everything was possible and that nothing was true. ... Mass propaganda discovered that its audience was ready at all times to believe the worst, no matter how absurd, and did not particularly object to being deceived because it held every statement to be a lie anyhow. The totalitarian mass leaders based their propaganda on the correct psychological assumption that, under such conditions, one could make people believe the most fantastic statements one day, and trust that if the next day they were given irrefutable proof of their falsehood, they would take refuge in cynicism; instead of deserting the leaders who had lied to them, they would protest that they had known all along that the statement was a lie and would admire the leaders for their superior tactical cleverness.”
Hannah Arendt -- The Origins of Totalitarianism
Hannah Arendt -- The Origins of Totalitarianism
This prescribed subject focuses on military expansion from 1931 to 1941. Two case studies are prescribed, from different regions of the world, and both of these case studies must be studied. The first case study explores Japanese expansionism from 1931 to 1941, and the second case study explores German and Italian expansionism from 1933 to 1940. The focus of this prescribed subject is on the causes of expansion, key events, and international responses to that expansion. Discussion of domestic and ideological issues should therefore be considered in terms of the extent to which they contributed to this expansion, for example, economic issues, such as the long-term impact of the Great Depression, should be assessed in terms of their role in shaping more aggressive foreign policy.
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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
CASE STUDY #2
Italian and German Expansion 1933-1940 |
Causes of expansion
- Impact of fascism and Nazism on the foreign policies of Italy and Germany
- Impact of domestic economic issues on the foreign policies of Italy and Germany
- Changing diplomatic alignments in Europe; the end of collective security; appeasement
Events
- German challenges to the post-war settlements (1933–1938)
- Italian expansion: Abyssinia (1935–1936); Albania; entry into the Second World War
- German expansion (1938–1939); Pact of Steel, Nazi–Soviet Pact and the outbreak of war
Responses
- International response to German aggression (1933–1938)
- International response to Italian aggression (1935–1936)
- International response to German and Italian aggression (1940)