To What Extent Did the Anti-Comintern Pact Impact the Countries Involved and Lead to the Development of the

Axis Powers?

History Internal Assessment

Candidate Name: Dongzhe Ma Session Number: 000923 0024 School: Wilson High School Teacher: Francis Humphrey Date: 5 March 2014

Table of Contents

A. Plan of Investigation....3 B. Summary of Evidence .........3 C. Evaluation of Sources..5 D. Analysis.......6 E. Conclusion...9 F. List of Sources10

A. Plan of Investigation This investigation evaluates the degree to which the Anti-Comintern Pact affected each country involved and led to the later development of the Axis powers in World War II. In order to assess the extent to which this pact benefited each country, the investigation will focus on the involvement of Italy, Japan, and Germany in the pact and the reasoning behind each countrys involvement. Additionally, the motivations of each involved country will be considered as well in the analysis. However, the investigation will not touch on any relationships between the three involved countries outside of the Anti-Comintern Pact. The two sources selected for evaluation: Rethinking Japan by Adriana Boscaro, Franco Gatti, and Massimo Raveri, and A History of Modern Germany: 1840-1945 by Holborn Hajo will be evaluated for their origins, purposes, limitations, and values.

B. Summary of Evidence The possibility of a German-Japanese diplomatic relationship was brought up initially during the spring of 1935 through discussions between German foreign minister Joachim Ribbentrop and Japanese foreign minister Oshima Hiroshi in Berlin (Boscaro, Gatti, and Raveri 32). To Japan, the prospect of relations with Nazi Germany was important in respect to Japanese conflict with the Soviet Union (Boister and Cryer 435). Of the two, Oshima was the first to envision the prospect of an alliance, specifically against the Soviet Union. However, it was Ribbentrop who first proposed the idea of establishing the alliance in opposition to communism (Boscaro, Gatti, and Raveri 32). The idea of an anti-Communist pact did not initially gain much support in either country. In Germany, while the high ranking Nazi officials favored an antiSoviet pact, others in the German government opposed such an alliance (33). In Japan, the 3

Foreign Ministry approved of relations with Germany, but opposed the idea of a pact antagonizing the USSR (Nish 109). Ultimately, the political climate of both countries eventually shifted to accept the idea of a mutually beneficial anti-Comintern alliance (Boscaro, Gatti, and Raveri 33). On November 25, 1936, Japan and Germany signed the Anti-Comintern Pact (Holborn 771). The pact consisted of two parts, one that included the publicly released text and a secret agreement, which was kept secret until the Allied powers captured secret files containing information regarding the secret treaty. The published text of the treaty stated that the two parties, Japan and Germany, would agree to share information regarding Communist International actions, collaborate to defend against communist countries, and recruit third party members to either join the pact or act in accordance with the mandates of the pact (Holborn 771). Formally, the secret purpose of the agreement included the creation of an alliance between Japan and Germany. Of course, another prospective purpose of the agreement was to antagonize the Soviets, as Ribbentrop was even quoted saying, Of course, there was also a political weight against Soviet Russia that was more or less the background of the Pact (Boister and Cryer 437). Though it seemed obvious that the pact was directed against the Soviet Union, Japan tried to assure the Soviets that the pact was merely in opposition against Communist International and not strictly anti-Soviet (Nish 109). Regardless, the Japanese signing of the pact disgusted Soviet diplomats, effectively worsening Japanese-Soviet relations (Nish 110). As expected, soon after the signing of the Pact, Italy requested membership, but it wouldnt be until November 6, 1937 that Italy would sign the expanded treaty to include Italy (Nish 110). Italys entry into the Anti-Comintern Pact is largely believed to have been influenced by Mussolinis hope of a tripartite pact with Japan and Germany. In fact, as early as March 1936,

Italian and Japanese diplomats began discussion of a possible tripartite agreement in Rome, which would benefit Italy by placing greater pressure on Great Britain. By July 1937, discussions shifted towards the possibility of Italy joining the already existing Anti-Comintern Pact and a couple of months after, Italy signed a readjusted treaty. (Lowe and Marzari 307). On November 25, 1941, the Anti-Comintern Pact expired and though the text of the treaty was renewed, the underlying secret agreement was not renewed. In fact, renewal was no longer necessary, as the Tripartite alliance, which essentially branched from the Anti-Comintern Pact, covered the same commitments that were included in the Pact (Boister and Cryer 437).

C. Evaluation of Sources Rethinking Japan: Social Science, Ideology, and Thought was written by three authors, Adriana Boscaro, Franco Gatti, and Massimo Raveri and provides a comprehensive study of modern Japanese history, including in depth analyses of Japanese ideology in foreign and domestic politics. The primary author of the book, Adriana Boscaro, is extremely knowledgeable in Japanese history, having even lived there for a portion of her life. She held teaching positions at the University of Venice in Italy, acting as the Director of the Institute of Japanese Studies. In 1987, Boscaro organized an international conference entitled, Rethinking Japan and was even a founder of the European Association for Japanese Studies in 1972. Considering the fact that Boscaro was primarily introduced to Japanese studies by Japanese professor Tsuiji Shigeru, there is a possibility that Boscaro holds bias in favor of Japan. However, the likelihood that her bias would overextend to her writings is very small, considering that the book was edited by two additional authors. Additionally, the idea that the book was written with no input by Japanese authors suggests that there is no true Japanese voice and perspective in the book concerning

Japanese political issues. The value of the book lies in the in depth analyses it contains on the Anti-Comintern Pact, covering the very beginning of negotiations between Japan and Germany to the end of the Pact and resulting formation of the Tripartite alliance. While Rethinking Japan covers the Anti-Comintern Pact from a Japanese historical perspective, A History of Modern Germany: 1840-1945 covers the Anti-Comintern Pact from a German historical perspective. The book covers an in depth analysis of over a century of German history in foreign and domestic affairs. The author, Hajo Holborn, is a German born historian who specializes in German history. He was one of many Germans who fled Nazi Germany in the 1930s, emigrating to the U.S. In 1967, Holborn was appointed the president of the American Historical Association, the first non-U.S. born historian to achieve the position. Although Holborn is qualified to write about German foreign involvement in the 1930s, there is a possibility that Holborn holds a negative bias towards Nazi Germany, especially considering the fact that he fled from Nazi Germany with his family. The books value lies in the fact that it covers an extensive period of German history, and provides the reader with a better understanding of German perspective during foreign policy before World War II.

D. Analysis The decision of Nazi Germany to join forces with Japan in an Anti-Communist alliance did not bring much distaste to Western European countries, as most viewed the USSR with disgust. In the years leading up to the formation of the treaty, Germany was already witnessing conflict with Soviet Russia. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, Germany provided support to Franco, while the USSR aided the Republican government (Boscaro, Gatti, and Raveri 37). The looming threat of Soviet Russia in Western Europe persuaded Germany to enter an alliance

against such a threat. The arrangement provided Germany with guaranteed support in case of any attack by the Soviets. The goal of Germany in establishing the Pact was to encircle the Soviets from the west and the east (Boister and Cryer 436). However, at the time of the signing of the pact, there was no real evidence of aggressive intentions of the Soviet Union in Western Europe (Boister and Cryer 436). Therefore, it seems that the Anti-Comintern Pact was signed with no justification for the possibility of Soviet invasion. In reality, Germany created this alliance to secure itself as an international power. At the time, Germany had interest in China, and allying with Japan would guarantee a greater sphere of influence in China. While the Pact was published for protection against communism, Germany used it as preparation for future expansion in Western Europe. Forming an alliance with a powerful Asian country not only ensured Germany military support, but also allowed Germany to place pressure in the Pacific, thereby granting worldwide Nazi influence. Italian entry into the Anti-Comintern Pact followed soon after the creation of the pact. At the time, Italy had tense relations with the British, as both were fighting for influence in the Mediterranean. Furthermore, Italy was being reprimanded by the League of Nations for its invasion of modern Ethiopia. While the anti-communist qualities of the pact held great significance to Germany and Japan, Italy was not interested in antagonizing the Soviet Union, only considering Britain as their biggest threat. Italy believed that relations with Japan would place pressure on Britain and help solidify Italian control of the Mediterranean (Boscaro, Gatti, and Raveri 39). Italy was also already in good relations with Germany, and perhaps believed that by allying with Japan, the possibility of a tripartite could come to fruition. An alliance of three major powers would place Italy in a prime position. Subsequently, within a month of signing the Anti-Comintern pact, Italy withdrew from the League of Nations.

The biggest benefactor of the Anti-Comintern Pact was arguably Japan. Since the Manchurian crisis, Japan had remained in isolation from the West. Additionally, Japan was concerned with a decline in relations with Britain and the Soviet Union due to conflicting interests in the Far East. By allying with Germany, Japan not only hoped to launch itself out of international isolation, but also place pressure on the Soviets and establish greater control in Asia (Boscaro, Gatti, and Raveri 38). In addition, with the inclusion of Italy in 1937, Japan was able to ensure recognition of Manchukuo, the established Japanese government in China, by powerful Western European nations (Nish 111). Japanese expansion into China also began to grow at this time, following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in August 1937. Consequently, the League denounced Japanese actions in China, leaving Japan in need of allies to support its operations. Such a treaty with Germany and Italy not only placed Japan in a seat of power, but also guaranteed support of its interests in the East, solidifying Japan as a large influence in the area. With the formation of the Anti-Comintern Pact, all three participating nations were placed in a seat of worldwide power. Not only did the pact give each country a sense of collective security, it established stronger relations among the three countries. Japan and Germany shared a common interest in opposition against the USSR, Japan and Italy both shared an interest in antagonizing Britain, and Italy and Germany both shared an interest in domination of Western Europe. While the pact itself was created to antagonize the Communist International, the real purpose behind the pact was to establish an alliance between Germany, Italy, and Japan in order to solidify each countrys expansionist ideals. Though the pact was signed in effect for only five years, by the fourth year of the pact, the Tripartite agreement was signed by the three nations, thereby officially establishing a military alliance. While this new treaty was signed, the terms for the treaty mimicked the terms that outline the Anti-Comintern Pact.

E. Conclusion With the signing of the Anti-Comintern Pact by Germany and Japan, and later by Italy, these three countries placed themselves in a prime position for worldwide domination, as Germany and Italy sought to control Western Europe and Northern Africa, and Japan sought to solidify control over Eastern China and the Pacific. Additionally, the creation of the treaty antagonized Britain and the Soviet Union, convincing most of the world that Italy, Japan, and Germany had created a military alliance that sought to benefit their expansionist goals. Ultimately, the creation of the Anti-Comintern Pact would lead to the formation of the Tripartite alliance, eventually leading to a global conflict between the Tripartite expansionist ideals and the rest of the world.

F. List of Sources

Boister, Neil, and Robert Cryer. Documents on the Tokyo International Military Tribunal: Charter, Indictment and Judgments. Oxford: Oxford UP, 2008. Print. Boscaro, Adriana, Franco Gatti, and Massimo Raveri. Rethinking Japan. New York: St. Martin's, 1990. Print. Holborn, Hajo. A History of Modern Germany: 1840-1945. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1969. Print. Leitz, Christian. Nazi Foreign Policy: 1933-1941 ; the Road to Global War. London: Routledge, 2004. Print. Nish, Ian. Japanese Foreign Policy in the Interwar Period. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002. Print. Spang, Christian W. Japanese-German Relations: 1895-1945: War, Diplomacy and Public Opinion. London: Routledge, 2006. Print. Weinberg, Gerhard L. The Foreign Policy of Hitler's Germany. Chicago: University of Chicago, 1970. Print.

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