Japan Prepares for Total War : : The Search for Economic Security, 1919–1941 / / Michael A. Barnhart.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Cornell University Press Backlist 2000-2013
• VerfasserIn: Barnhart, Michael A.,
• Place / Publishing House: Ithaca, NY : : Cornell University Press, , [2013]; ©2013
• Year of Publication: 2013
• Language: English
• Series: Cornell Studies in Security Affairs
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (292 p.) :; 2 maps, 9 tables

The roots of Japan's aggressive, expansionist foreign policy have often been traced to its concern over acute economic vulnerability. Historian Michael Barnhart tests this assumption by examining the events leading up to World War II in the context of Japan's quest for economic security. Drawing on a wide array of Japanese and American sources, this is the first English-language book on the war's origins to be based on research in archives on both sides of the Pacific. Barnhart focuses on the critical years from 1938 to 1941 as he investigates the development of Japan's drive for national economic self-sufficiency and independence and the way in which this drive shaped its internal and external policies. He also explores American economic pressure on Tokyo and assesses its impact on Japan's foreign policy and domestic economy. He concludes that Japan's internal political dynamics, especially the bitter rivalry between its army and navy, played a far greater role in propelling the nation into war with the United States than did its economic condition or even pressure from Washington.Japan Prepares for Total War sheds new light on prewar Japan and confirms the opinions of those in Washington who advocated economic pressure against Japan. At a time of growing interest in U.S.-Japanese economic relations, this book will be stimulating and provocative reading for scholars and students of international relations and American and Asian history.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Preface -- Abbreviations -- Introduction -- 1. The Rise of Autarky in Japanese Strategic Planning -- 2. International Law and Stove-Pipe Hats -- 3. Merging the Drives for Autarky and Reform -- 4. The Road to Ruin: Japan Begins the China Incident -- 5. Bitter Mortgage: The Economic Consequences of the China Incident -- 6. To Defend the Open Door -- 7. Swastika and Red Star: The Imperial Army's Economic and Strategic Dilemmas of 1939 -- 8. Caretakers and the Quest for Autarky: Marking Time -- 9. The Navy's Price: Japan Commences the Southward Advance -- 10. To Arm and Appease -- 11. Unsettled Details: The Debate over the Southward Advance -- 12. Soft Words and Big Sticks -- 13. A Final Wager: Japan Consummates the Southward Advance -- 14. The Pacific War -- Bibliography -- Index