Why did Italy and japan seized territory in the 1930s?

Answer 1

Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931-1933 because Japan was increasingly becoming overcrowded due to its soaring population growth. It was believed by the Japanese that China could accommodate the over-spill of Japanese civilians. The Depression had also triggered a desire for Japan to gain self-sufficiency, Manchuria was an area of many Natural Resources such as oil and wood, which would have aided Japan greatly in their reaching of autarky. The Depression had also triggered military expansionism, and there was a great desire for a larger and stronger armed forces, as crime in the country increased. By invading Abyssinia, they would then be able to create a larger armed forces. The Manchurian Crisis could said to have been triggered by the Mukden Incident, where there was an explosion on the South Manchurian railway line, giving the Japanese a reason to invade. However it can be argued that it was the Japanese themselves who set-up this explosion, giving themselves a reason to invade. This also indicates that the Japanese were present in China prior to the Manchurian invasion!

Italy invaded Abyssinia in 1935 because Mussolini was encouraged by the League's failure to deal with the Japanese Manchurian crisis successfully. There had also been much historical tension between Italy and Abyssinia, after the Battle of Adowa in 1896, where the Abyssinian army had destroyed Italian troops who were trying to conquer the country. Mussolini himself had a great desire for self-glory and Imperialism, but also to try distract the attention away from the effects the Depression was having in the country, besides Abyssinia was an area of much mineral wealth, which would have greatly helped the country to overcome the Depression. Mussolini was also disturbed by Hitler's quest to conquer central Europe, and was angered at how Britain and France instead of preventing these aggressive actions from Hitler, were actually appeasing him, such as the Ango-German Naval Agreement in 1935, which was a clear breach of the terms settled in the Treaty of Versailles. Mussolini lost respect for the League, and no longer took it seriously, so did not feel compelled to remain within its policy of collective security. The Abyssinian crisis was triggered by the Wal-Wal dispute, where there was a shooting incident at a desert oasis, giving the Italians a reason to invade!

Answer 2

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