Initially, Japan saw itself as the champion of Asia against Western Imperialism being the most advanced Asian nation at the time. Eventually that mutated into a rabid Yamato-race cult. It's argued that Chang Kai Shek never wanted to directly fight the Japanese. He wanted an Asian Co-prosperity Sphere where China could play second fiddle to a Greater Japan (including Manchuria) but remain independent.
Suppose political forces turned out differently, and Japan followed through on its theoretical position of being the champion of Asia things would have turned out very differently. The Asian Co-prosperity Sphere would likely have defeated the USA in the Pacific with its great manpower and resources and taken Hawaii (no American century). Even Russian Far East would have fallen. Western forces would have been kicked out of South East Asia. Invasion would be conceivable against Australia and eventually British Indian Empire.
At this point, British India could well face a rebellion. Russia would collapse from the two front war. Third Reich would win. UK would be "Finlandized" at best. Israel would never exist. In other words, you wouldn't have a post-WW2 decolonization. You would have a para-WW2 decolonization.
Then at the end, the most powerful states in the world would be:
Third Reich (including big chunks of Russia)
Greater Japan
USA
With all three roughly equal in power -- possibly a more stable equilibrium than USA / Soviet Union before or USA / China now. China and India would be much lesser powers.
********************************************************************
siegecrossbow
Yellow peril??? Seriously though this is about as likely as Poland taking over the Soviet Union during the 1930s.
Roger604
I don't think so. China's resources and manpower would have been an incredible combination with Japan's technology and leadership. If Japan was able to take SE Asia and threaten Hawaii / Australia while devoting most of their forces fighting China, imagine if China instead allied with Japan after a peace deal.
rhino123
Unless communism don't exist and that Mao Zedong was not in existence, there will be no way CHina would make peace with Japan at that time. China was actually being bullied by all greater powers toward at the end of the Qing dynasty up till the start of WWII, and Japan was one of the country that had bullied her. Chinese people do not like the Japanese. The invasion and creation of a puppet state in Manchuria had resulted in many students demonstration in all parts of China.
So it is not possible for China to actually allied with Japan, especially with Japan in parts of China. We have also to look at the character of the chinese people and the leaders of the chinese and not just Chiang Kai Shek.
solarz
If you had any sense of history, you would not make such a ridiculous supposition. Popular sentiment was vastly anti-Japanese from the moment they established the puppet state of Manchuria. "Allying" yourself with an invader is called "surrender", and the Chinese people would never have accepted it!
Mr T
That's not right. In many ways Japan modeled itself on the foreign powers that opened it up, and it wanted an empire of its own. That's why it plowed into Korea so quickly. It wasn't "defending" the state from anyone.
Theoretically it might have been possible for China and Japan to make peace, but after all the violence the last thing that would have happened was some sort of alliance. Had peace been reached, that would have required the overthrow of the imperialist faction of Japanese politics/reassertion of civilian control over the military. They wouldn't have exchanged one war for another one.
Why would China-Japan want to invade Australia? To engage in some sort of purging of Caucasians from the Pacific? To form some sort of Asian Empire?
Similarly why would India be attacked? Certainly not to liberate anyone. More conquering?
samba
America had 20+ aircraft carriers towards the end of the war, with supplie and aircraft to match
Only if china had carried out rapid industrialisation like stalin did could china have been a decisive ally to japan during the 1940s
Banned Idiot
I think US already broke the Japanese codes and German codes, Roosevelt knew about Pearl Harbor but may have let it happen to propel and compell the public to override Congress and for USA to enter WWII (which ultimately benefited the USA the most, and got it out of the great depression)
But I think had Hitler not have betrayed the USSR, maybe today it would be Germany/Russia's world.
rhino123
That is not right. US is already on the route to recovery from the Great Depression on 1938 which is around 3 years to the time Japan attacked Pearl Harbour. Although on recovery, US is still basically quite poor at that time and the last time people wanted was a war, so if the US had long detected Japan's intention to attack her on the Pearl Harbour, she would have do whatever it takes to prevent it and prevent an all out war.
Plus it would be better business when the US could sell weaponries and hardware to both allies and axis forces without being directly involved in the war.
In my opinion, when WWII started, Germany was bound to fail... my reasoning was Germany's policy in wiping out all non-white races (especially the Jews) in order to purify the world or something like that. It is German against the entire world or at least, German against the entire West. Germany's population was really not the huge that they can do this without thinning their forces. Attack fo USSR only serve to quicken the effect. Otherwise, German would still fall.
bobcou
You would also have to revert about 30 years of educational history from the people of Japan. It was militaristic to begin with strict anti-Chinese sentiment within their educational books. Why? By 1900s, the Qing was about to just collapse, China was so backward and ineffective after centuries of isolation. Us the great Japan, on this little island with minuscule resources for our great empire, and China this backward land full of space and resources, why should they have it?
hanqiang1011
The Chinese people will not bow to other races. So therefore, anyone who dares to step in the Chinese soils illegally will be opposed. Your event would never happen even back in the 1930s then. Remember Wang Jingwei the KMT traitor who made peace with the Jap and set up a Nanjing Government, died a terrible death as a traitor.
ww2buff
Offensive that anyone would have submitted to such a cruel and merciless enemy. I would rather die fighting then to accept that fate.
rhino123
Its not about whether the invader is kind and benevolent or cruel and merciless. It is about the sovereignity of a nation and the pride of a race.
solarz
Actually, the cruelty/benevolence of the invader is a pretty big factor too. The Qing were eventually accepted in part because they were relatively benevolent toward the population.
FarkTypeSoldier
Chinese would never accept peace with Japan in the 1930s, that time was Second Sino Japanese war. In fact before 1930s, the 1920s the Japanese had invaded the Northeast provinces of China, setting up a puppet government with Puyi as the Emperor of Manchuko. In actual fact, the heavy industries in the northeastern China were used to built war machines to enable the future invasion of whole of China.
Being said that, since the invasion already begun in 1920s, in the era of 1930s, ever will the Chinese make peace with Japan!
No comments:
Post a Comment