He Japanese militarism It was an ideological current that predominated in Japan during the first half of the last century. The principles of militarism are based on the fact that the armed forces are the ones that maintain peace, and peace is the priority in a nation.
Under this premise it is accepted that the military have control over the State, thus establishing a totalitarian state.
This militarism had a dictatorial nationalist tone and the emperor became a symbolic figure.
This is why this concept is usually linked to anti-democratic situations and violent confrontations.
Several Latin American countries were under military orders for most of the last century, but these were overthrown or disgraced.
There are no nations in which militarism has been established and its effectiveness can be demonstrated. Therefore, it is an openly criticized ideology.
Background
The post-World War I Japan was very weak due to various circumstances.
The economic situation was close to being unsustainable and the authorities did not provide concrete solutions.
In addition, at this time Japan had a great ambition for territorial expansion. This pushed to believe that only military strategies could succeed in such a mission.
The military forces were infiltrating the power. By the 1930s, the central nucleus of command was military.
The guiding goal of the Japanese state became the recovery of the nation through conquest.
His hypothesis dictated that extending their territories would have more wealth, with which they would solve the country's problems. But these problems kept growing. Due to this they initiated and propitiated many territorial battles.
Japanese militarism came to an end with World War II. After such a defeat and years of abuse, militarism could not be sustained.
Japan after the First World War
The situation of interwar Japan was delicate. The country had invested and lost a lot of money in the First World War.
From the booty of the battle they were given some lands to the west of Germany. But it was not enough to compensate for the investment.
In addition, the population increase that had been occurring since the last decades of the nineteenth century had reached its peak. In such precarious conditions of life the famine had been unleashed.
Another aspect of destabilization was China's anti-Japanese campaign, which had damaged the import and export business.
Submerged in this decadence and being so vulnerable, the installation of militarism was allowed.
Main characteristics
Japanese militarism had features that responded to Japanese culture, such as veneration for the struggle and honorable death, and respect for those who defend the nation. These are traits deeply rooted in the Japanese idiosyncrasy for millennia.
The Japanese military state was particularly violent. They believed that force was the only means to achieve the objectives.
Through nationalist campaigns, they managed to convince the population that they were the way, while at the same time sowing the patriotic sense to the extreme.
It was considered that the State was above the welfare of the individual, and that they had the mission to proclaim the superiority of their race through occupation.
End of militarism
Japanese militarism saw its end with World War II. The two nuclear bombs that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki confirmed the inferiority of the Japanese army. After the war, the United States occupied the Japanese territory.
References
- The rise of the militarism (2017) britannica.com
- Japanese militarism (2017) american-historama.org
- The rise of japanese militarism. (2015) counterpunch.org
- Mlitarism in Japan (2017) questia.com
- Nationalist militarism in Japan. artehistoria.com