The Second Sino-Japanese war happened from 1937 to 1945. The war was very significant to the Chinese revolution and aimed to eradicate Japanese Aggression. Japan was oppressing the Chinese people as it controlled much of South Manchuria yet the Chinese population was the majority and the legal title for the area was China. The Sino-Japanese war had tremendous effects on the two parties in the Chinese political realm which consisted of the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist Guomindang. Japan and China were in contrast in their economical statuses since japan had acquired economic development after the Meiji Restoration in the 19 th century. Japan was at a better advantage during this war as it had a well-trained army that had modern weapons. The Sino- Japanese war not only led to negative and positive effects in Chinese and Japanese parties, it marked the beginning of a journey to economic success of China.
Background Information about the Sino Japanese War
The parties involved in the Sino-Japanese war included the Chinese and Japanese. The war began in 1937 at the Marco Polo Bridge on the seventh of July. The war rose to a point where the Japanese by 1941 had occupied more lands across coastal and northern China. The Nationalist army in China was willing to resist the July invasion by the Japanese army. However, their inability to supply war equipment made them incapable to resist the Japanese. The Japanese on the other end were well equipped with tanks, ammunition, and engineering services (He et al., 2018, p. 2). The Japanese brutal treatment of the Chinese people and their prisoners was alarming. China was in a politically unstable state during the Sino-Japanese war. The lack of unity highly contributed to the defeat they faced from the Japanese. It was until the two parties began negotiations that there was hope for unity in china. The communist and nationalist parties’ unity was important to fight against the Japanese. The war led to many losses both of property and lives. China greatly suffered economically and the people were highly affected by the events of the war. There was an upsurge of refugees as people’s homes were destroyed during this time. In the end, the allies of the United Nations-led to the Japanese surrender.
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Effects of the war
According to He et al (2018) in the journal “Prenatal war exposure and schizophrenia in adulthood” the Sino-Japanese second war led to immediate and long-lasting effects on the people affected. The research focuses on the actual study of populations intending to understand the effect of the war on psychological health, mental problems, and the overall effect of the war on the success of people in terms of education, marriage, and their overall live quality. This research explains that most people who were exposed to the Sino- Japanese second war during their prenatal age are most likely to suffer from Schizophrenia in their adult life. This study also shows that women were highly affected during the war. There was a rise in premarital births and congenital malformation associated with the physical violence that existed during this period (He et al., 2018, p. 3). Malnutrition as a result of destruction and displacement also contributed greatly to the development of schizophrenia as a long term effect of the war. All these effects of the war actively participated in the mental health of the Chinese people. This influenced research and the need for better health care services in China.
The Nanjing Massacre was a ruthless murder of prisoners and civilians in a span of six to eight weeks. This experience depicted the inhumanity of the Japanese army (Xiaokui, 2017, p. 1). Such experiences during the san- Japanese second war is of great significance to the Chinese people. This triggered zeal to succeed and end the minority it was subjected to. The Sino- Japanese War 2 provided the Chinese people with hurtful experiences and losses. However, these experiences influenced the survivors to fight for their motherland and not to lose hope. It is no wonder that China struggled hard to attain economic and political freedom.
Every war causes great havoc in the land it is experienced. China incurred heavy losses in its economy. According to statistics, the Chinese economy lost over $383 billion as per the currency of July 1937. The number of people who died during this time tally over twenty million soldiers and civilians and fifteen million people who were hurt. The Isolated Island of Shanghai became a home for the refugees. The Shanghai relief team created over 140 camps for the displaced people. More relief camps were established to feed the hungry people and help people acquire their daily needs (Fei, 2014, p. 6). Education was greatly disrupted and the refugees had to develop ways to teach big crowds of children. Even though the Chinese government was struggling to conquer the Japanese, It is evident that china put in all measures it could to give the people the will to live especially in the refugee areas.
The war also brought many challenges to the health care sector in China. Brazelton explores that the war hindered the technological project of immunization during the Sino- Japanese war. During this time there was a great need for the manufacture and distribution of medicine and vaccines for diseases like cholera and small pox ( Brazelton, 2019, p. 410). However, the war led to the development and establishment of aid programs that were sued to implement large–scale immunization. Therefore the effort by the Nationalist government to facilitate the vaccination process through technological process showed the significance of technology to the Chinese people. Moreover, the war led to the exploration of unity across different regions, for example, the British aided the Chinese in terms of funding to help them handle the refugees. British missionaries worked in favor of the Chinese, (Perry, 2011, p. 3). This war therefore helped China Identify reliable territories to work together in the aim of its success.
After the Sino-Japanese War 2, China was left to struggle and gain economic and political independence. It successfully ended the war between the communist and nationalist parties and formed the Republic of China. The Chinese government had a task to rebuild china. In the following decade, it focused on rebuilding communities and social constructions. Rules like banning of multiple wives were imposed in order to create some economical balance. The Sino-Japanese war was important as it built the Chinese countries into overcoming the hardships they experienced. China took full control of its development which at some point led to a great famine. The events that followed the Sino- Japanese second war led to a turbulent time in Chinese History. The Cultural Revolution for example aimed to destroy the Chinese practices and traditions that were not beneficial. The fight against corruption and low wages were also vital in ensuring that china grew into a prosperous country.
Craft (1999) explores the Sino – Japanese second war by explaining that it had immediate and long term effect (575). The war led to an immense drive of revolutionization had a positive impact on china. Even though the revolution's success was barely celebrated; China was able to change its perceptions in different things. For example, the conflict that was present during the war had a major influence on how people interacted in the long run. The success of China as an independent country and succeeding through trying times led to improved relations and a sense of unity. For example, people were willing to help each other since during the war they shared their identity and experiences.
The Sino-Japanese war led to a high dedication and motivation in China. At the end of the revolution, the CCP was prepared to make major changes and reform the land ("current state of play," 2013, p. 1) . This motivation led to great developments after China was able to overcome the turbulent times that followed the end of the Sino-Japanese war. The Chinese Communist Party had strived to win the battle of leadership in China. After the revolution, it aimed entirely at the reformation and wealth distribution across China. Even though China face a hard time in recovering from the Sino- Japanese war losses, China took the necessary strides to achieve economic and political success.
The Sino- Japanese war was very significant and a vital stage that led to the success of the Chinese Communist Party. The success of the Communist Party to take power was highly beneficial to the less economically privileged individuals. The Communist Party proved its potential to help the poor, landless laborers, and those who worked in industries. It is due to this reason that it was the party able to succeed after the surrender of the Japanese. The Japanese invasion during this time played an integral in redefining the social reforms and the political governing that would later follow. The Chinese people had a taste of colonization and were now willing to live a free life of liberty. The Sino- Japanese war also led to strengthening china as a whole. For example, after the war, both China and the United States got to a level of international conflict. China struggled its way to rise for around twenty years with no contact with the United States. China had suffered a great deal of Japanese aggression and was required to be independent and ensure it had full control of its developments. Later the United States began to acknowledge and recognize the Republic of China. China thus acquired its rightful place where it was identified as a successful country.
The Peacemakers in China
The American missionaries played a vital role during the Sino – Japanese War 2. According to Craft and Stephen, the missionaries were asked to escape the Chinese predicament during the war. However, over half of the five thousand missionaries who dwelled in china did not leave. They aimed at helping the Chinese people by starting refugee camps, relief programs and addressing the mental and physical health of individuals. There was concern that the missionaries' support to the Chinese would have caused strains between Japanese and the American Army (Craft, 1999, p 575) . Over time the role of the missionaries changed into a peace-making peace-making overwhelmed they address the issues of inhumanity depicted by the Japanese people. They rebuked the murders, rape and harassment of the Chinese people. Eventually, America came to the aid of the Chinese People. The missionaries still had a task to defend America for being the source of knowledge and equipment used by the Japanese. In an attempt to make peace, missionaries addressed that the Japanese oppressors were in a quest to access raw materials but they also acknowledge they crossed boundaries after creating a war against the Chinese. The missionaries' universal justice was maintained throughout the period of the war as the missionaries’ perfumed a great task in the Sino- Japanese period.
Conclusion
The Sino- Japanese war showed the importance of the Chinese territory in the aspect of resources. The Japanese main aim was to utilize the resources in China to benefit them. This is the main reason why the Japanese had come into China. Therefore, the fact that China had the potential to attract a powerful country like japan was of significance to China. Over the years the political system in China has developed and aimed at making china a powerful country. So far it is among the leading countries in trade and manufacturing across the world. It also has a high population and is economically stable. The second Sin- Japanese war helped define China as a country with great potential to achieve great heights of economic and political power. The Sino- Japanese war 2 in China carries some of the memories and experiences of the words of Chinese. However, the fact that the two countries were rivals during the war did not end their ability to interact and build some of the best economies in the world. China was not defined by the defeat as its people decided to rise and conquer the world. The Sino-Japanese War to the Chinese can be explored as a tough time that prepared the Chinese people to greatness, wealth, economic and political stability.
References
Brazelton, M. A. (2019). Engineering health: Technologies of immunization in China's wartime hinterland, 1937–45. Technology and Culture , 60 (2), 409-437. https://doi.org/10.1353/tech.2019.0030
Craft, S. G. (1999). Peacemakers in China: American missionaries and the Sino-Japanese war, 1937-1941. Journal of Church and State , 41 (3), 575-591. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcs/41.3.575
Fei, Y. (2014). A study of daily life in Shanghai during the isolated island period. Chinese Studies in History , 47 (3), 29-52. https://doi.org/10.2753/csh0009-4633470302
He, P., Luo, Y., Guo, C., Chen, G., Song, X., & Zheng, X. (2018). Prenatal war exposure and schizophrenia in adulthood: Evidence from the Sino-Japanese war of 1937–1945. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology , 54 (3), 313-320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-018-1584-0
Perry, J. K. (2011). Powerless and frustrated: Britain's relationship with China during the opening years of the second Sino–Japanese war, 1937–1939. Diplomacy & Statecraft , 22 (3), 408-430. https://doi.org/10.1080/09592296.2011.599641
The current state of play. (2013). https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264200852-5-en
Xiaokui, W. (2017). Historical shifts in remembering China’s “Nanjing massacre”. Chinese Studies in History , 50 (4), 324-334. https://doi.org/10.1080/00094633.2017.1407613
