Japan 1936-1940

Synopsis

The early liberalism of the Japanese labor movement of the 1920s fell victim to internal and external pressures. Internally, the infighting between socialist, communist, and fifth column quasifascist factions undermined the unity of the movement and left it open to the ravages of an increasingly militarist and nationalist imperial government. Prewar mobilization spurred the bureaucracy to insinuate control over business, labor, and production. This effort culminated in the 1940 dissolution of the All-Japan Federation of Labor, or Sodomei, an act that coincided with the advent of the Sanpo, or Industrial Patriotic Societ, state-controlled organizations that brought mainly labor but also management under their umbrella.

Timeline

• 1919: With the formation of the Third International (Comintern), the Bolshevik government of Russia establishes its control over communist movements worldwide.
• 1924: In the United States, secretary of the interior Albert B. Fall, along with oil company...