Imperial Japan: The Fall of Democracy

In this, the first video of a series on Imperial Japan, the collapse of Japanese democracy is shown in detail and several myths about the social makeup of Japan before the second world war are questioned.
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[@jonahlozhuern]

Hello, could you please list sources for both research and footage? Thanks!

[@Kraut_the_Parrot]

www.amazon.de/Ishiwara-Kanji-Japans-Confrontation-West/dp/0691030995 Other source were conversations with: twitter.com/TizzyisTizzy

[@axcelblack2808]

Just use library genesis for books

[@lifeisgood12341]

@@thewarper3393 how to cite personal conversation in a scientific paper (J. Smith, personal communication, October 20, 2018). So long as the person knows what they are talking about it can be very helpful as a source.

[@lifeisgood12341]

@@thewarper3393 are you on a discord or some other voice chat service im not sure what you mean by all light. And i think you are talking a too hash a stance on the value and application of personal interviews.

[@1685Violin]

@@thewarper3393 Kraut did also cite a book to be fair so one out of two seems good enough for a video though this would lead to an automatic fail on a college paper.

[@zxvadcsfbh]

"the first video of a series on Imperial Japan" 3 years later...still waiting.

[@Jareers-ef8hp]

I swear like what the hell is he waiting for?

[@od4361]

@@Jareers-ef8hp I mean he was busy making a series on Turkey and is currently making one on Mexico.

[@owend4894]

I hope he makes another one. Early 20th century Japan is scarily reflective of the modern West.

[@nathanieleck1023]

@@owend4894 not nearly so much as 1930s Italy. The parallels are terrifying.

[@comradeofthebalance3147]

@@owend4894 It is also a lesson on many things.

[@Valleybucker]

"Putting the emporer in a position, where he as a Deity was unable to save those who worshipped him as a god, from themselves." Damn.

[@leduytran4515]

that's surely damn , especially the militarists

[@amanofnoreputation2164]

@@leduytran4515 The militarists weren't some entity other than Japan that controlled it from without. They are as much "Japan" as any other segment of the population. Whatever the will of the people may have been, it was ultimately subjugated to fascist nationalist ideology that has had a pernicious effect on Japan to this day. There is nothing original about the few seizing power over the many. There's no telling what role the emperor had amidst the political free for all. Some accounts paint him as sympathetic as possible, others say he had a great deal of input in the war effort.

[@cseijifja]

@@amanofnoreputation2164 "The militarists weren't some entity other than Japan that controlled it from without. They are as much "Japan" as any other segment of the population" yeah, no, that's bullshit , i dont think you understand how military juntas work, populations are very easily molded from a position of power, and you either play along, or get killed, check out literally every other junta in any other country in the world, they usually die of because another militarist wants power, the people can almost never do jackshit.

[@user-is3yn7xr4c]

You're an absolute idiot if you think Emperor Hirohito was a God. A demi-god is NOT equivalent to a God.

[@SpectrumDT]

Sounds like Dune.

[@HSMiyamoto]

The frightening aspect of this part of history is that it shows that free people in a democracy can be inspired into giving up their freedom and democracy.

[@18754KRS]

that democracy was forced upon us、not fought for in revolution。

[@HSMiyamoto]

@@18754KRS You are ignoring the fact that Japan had an imperfect democracy up to and through the tenth year of Showa. The Allies could never have forced the Japanese people to adopt democracy just eight months after the Occupation began. Fortunately, some good liberal democrats like Shigeru Yoshida were sitting in Japanese jails, just waiting to be released.

[@Alex-jm3lu]

@@18754KRS Is it not the same for the Authoritarian govt. that came out of it? Almost every govt. is forced upon some and accepted by others. There will never be an entire consensus by one’s on free will in such matters.

[@18754KRS]

@@Alex-jm3lu the difference is our country has been that way forever、we never had democracy。regardless if you like democracy or not、to say "it strange how when people are given freedom they give it away for stronger government" yeah i agree with that statement when it come to、 say america but when the country is my country japan、all "giving away freedom" is、is just restoring what we originally had。as for consensus、sure today alot people no want empire or to lose "freedoms" but you need take consideration that our country IS one of most united in world if not most、we never had civil war in comparison to other countries、we had clans at war but that different、an restoration war with samurai was forced upon us、the samurai we kill we later recognize as heroes、essentially saying "we didnt want to kill them but had to for survival of nation"

[@18754KRS]

@@HSMiyamoto when i say forced democracy i no referring to occupation i referring to when america show up at our port an tell us to change our country or next time they show up to invade us。

[@campusballistics1138]

Fun fact: These historic events were somewhat thoroughly taught in Taiwanese school and media, as there's three times we have to learn WW2 history about Japan with different perspective : Taiwanese view, as a Japanese colony which was dragged to war and frantic patriotism. Chinese view, as Chinese nationalist started the eight years of resistance against Japanese invasion. And lastly a global view, mentioning the formation of the Axis and Japanese connection with yahtzee Germany. And newer textbook might even include a separate chapter focusing on Japanese history.

[@campusballistics1138]

What i wanna say is: Excluding the U.S.,I think we're the most sufficient people at pumping out hellish WW2 memes, if our students are paying attention to history class and knows English well of course....

[@user-sf2if2df4n]

@@campusballistics1138 Useful information indeed. I guess a convoluted historical situation makes you educate history from a wider perspective. I wish we Koreans had a more based historical education on imperial Japan. Our textbooks only teach Japanese administration and atrocities, so it was kind of hard to understand why they went to such a crazy scale of war after the seemingly peaceful 1920s.

[@cseijifja]

@@user-sf2if2df4n that's propaganda mate, the politics need to be able to point figners and say "lookat those japanese not apologizing" not get points every time they fuck up in korea.

[@lavellelee5734]

Hmm, sounds like a possible improvement on current history classes

[@Real_Mambo]

@@cseijifja im pretty sure every country Germany invaded would react the same and demand an apology which they got

[@iamseamonkey6688]

that ludendorf book reminds me of a popular saying in the 1800's "while most states have an army, the prussian army has a state"

[@michaelrizka]

Napoleon even said; Prussia is a state hatched from a cannonball

[@CosmicValkyrie]

Sounds like Pakistan.

[@Jedsa009]

No wonder why Germany lost the first world war, having the war-crazed, fanatical general as a leader. Military is a means to the end, not the end in itself.

[@emmisysquire9684]

Voltaire said that if you were wondering

[@pubcle]

Well, to be fair, Germany in the First World War was not nearly so terrible. Oh there were problems, it is by no means blameless, but it is excessively blamed even now for what happened. Second World War it deserves everything that is described, though understanding how it came to be so is also important and the Treaty of Versailles certainly did not help.

[@JollyJuiice]

Imperial Japan: _Sought to remove all Western influence_ Also Imperial Japan: _Had a military structure heavily influenced by the west_

[@hannofrerichs8133]

Some of that is unavoidable. it's basically human common sense, nearly all people who earn less then 3$ a day use an open flame of wood or coal, a tripod and a kettle to cook. while armies are more complicated the basic command structure is nearly always the same if ground troops long range communication towed artillery and front line warfare with air support are the main stays you always command from the back. If you have tanks to add you can also command from the front like the germans sometimes did. or at least give the tank commanders more independence.

[@imperator692]

Its not very hypocritical. One can be against the west in terms of cultural influence and political hegemony while also recognizing that the west has superior technology and taking advantage of that.

[@khan-cricket]

They learned, that how human evolve

[@MalcrowAlogoran]

@@imperator692 the Emperor rose to power promising to NOT westernize, and he defeated the shogunate...by heavily westernizing, and westernizing the rest of Japan anyways. The Satsuma were supporters of the Emperor at first, since they were Samurai, but when The Emperor turned into a super westernizer, they rebelled (Satsuma Rebellion).

[@campkira]

imperial japan.. from waring state to a more unify country... still need weapon to keep control today.. trust me the police still forcing stop on people for no good reason all the time..

[@ErikHare]

I believe that Ludendorff's status as one of History's Greatest villains is vastly underappreciated.

[@MisterSpinalzo]

He really was. He was basically Germanys shadow governor during WW1, tutored Hitler throughout large parts of his career and apparently also left his fingerprints on the history of imperial Japan

[@shako4907]

@@MisterSpinalzo and other places.

[@shako4907]

@Fabian Kirchgessner says the German

[@shako4907]

@Fabian Kirchgessner the Ludendorff dictatorship

[@matthewct8167]

Fabian Kirchgessner he can be considered a villain by inspiring hyper militaristic ideologies around the world, which led to millions of deaths. Even though the actual perpetrators of these atrocities are more to blame, the person who spreads the idea of total war and the nation should serve the military isn’t exactly innocent.

[@inkarnator7717]

The official government being replaced by armed forces as the actual government is a common theme in Japanese history. It is what turned the Emperor into what he was and still is today.

[@user-is3yn7xr4c]

The Japanese Monarchy was partly corrupted by western imperialists.

[@Schinshikss]

@@user-is3yn7xr4c The Japanese Monarchy was originally a mere high priest of the indigenous animism. They never really had the political power except when it was about a thousand years ago in the Heian era. The only reason they survived to the present day is that they are useful figureheads being powerless supreme priests that don't really own anything or command anybody. Emperor Taisho, being a supporter of 1910-20s democracy in Japan, was badly smeared as a sickly neurotic by his own office; Emperor Komei, the father of Emperor Meiji, was even rumored to be assassinated by the anti-Shogunate faction because he ardently supported the political status quo of Shogunate's rule.

[@nebunezz_r]

​@@SchinshikssHeian? Seriously? Nobody in Heian period agreed that the emperor has power, it's the court, and it was ruled by Fujiwara and Taira.

[@valer119]

So the emperor was like a heriditary pope?

[@inkarnator7717]

@@valer119 The pope was actually extremely powerful by virtue of controlling vast portions of infrastructure throughout Christendom, not to mention his moral agency over all Christian leaders. From what I know, the Japanese emperor was mostly a ceremonial position. Maybe there were some individual emperors who were able to leverage their symbolic position into politcal power, but that wouldn't be usual I reckon. But take all of this with grain of salt, I'm just some guy who has picked up some tidbits of info here and there and is trying to haphazardly contruct a bigger picture.

[@AnimeArchaeologist]

Fun fact: Anime was made during the early Taisho era.

[@cosmodeus1720]

Alive and well during WW2 too. kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJXdo5qAdsScjaM

[@muzikolo4938]

Very good video!

[@essexclass8168]

guess they expected India to heip out

[@BoFSolidTitan]

I know this from a standardized test I had to take in highschool which went in depth in analyzing this art like 2 fuckin years ago, no clue why

[@itsblitz4437]

Thanks to Disney.

[@erichdiebenow4727]

This channels content is top notch. I’m on a binge since finding you “trumps biggest failure” video. Thank you for continuing to make this fantastic content.

[@user-je5hn4rm5l]

Same

[@CockatooDude]

That video really puts the world into perspective doesn't it.

[@erichdiebenow4727]

CockatooDude yeah the most important thing that I never understood was their world view and strategy.

[@1perspective286]

Ditto, I said this in a previous video, but it was surreal seeing so many dislikes on a video that was using actual science to debunk the alt-right. I'm glad he was not cowed by them.

[@seendoo8393]

Ditto!

[@priapus6145]

It’s oddly similar to Germany’s story. From a free democracy in the 20s to a military regime in the late 30s and early 40s

[@michaelrizka]

Difference is the Germans voted NSDAP to power, although only into a minority government, it was Hitler (therefore, politician) that dismantle the Weimar's democracy. While in the Japanese case the military are actively trying to dismantle democracy itself so its pretty much not the same story

[@topkek1194]

Yeah, a financial crisis can do that

[@potflower4136]

@@topkek1194 isn't that the exact same oversimplification this video is adressing tho?

[@vyacheslavfokin5535]

Difference is - German politics and richest people allowed nsdap to grow and proceed in seizure of power - while in Japan it was more of reactionary army slowly preparing a nation to the coup. Mostly neglecting existing structures of power

[@topkek1194]

@@potflower4136 It was catalyst that helped Hitler rise to power by creating economic hardship which pushed people to extreme ideologies

[@steeldeel1453]

Me: trying to study for exams Kraut: I'm about to end this man's whole career in math and make him study history

[@MrJimheeren]

Good for you. History is way more fun anyway

[@juicemeister1984]

@Planet Earth ah shit i feel my heart crack

[@devansh3700]

@Planet Earth nope , as much as I see people repeating same mistakes done by others on the past , it seems that history is more important than ever

[@fsdds1488]

Me: Pulls put a pro gamer move by doing QM while listening to Kraut.

[@TheBramaj]

You say that the Japanese government was being tailored to mirror that of the British Parliamentary System. However, if you were to read the Meiji Constitution, it almost exactly mirrors that of the German Empire before World War I. I understand the need to present Taisho democracy as some sort of high point in Japan. However, this "Taisho Democracy" as it was called was largely the result of the emperor for which the era was named was ineffective and mentally unstable. Some might even say it was because of the emperor's inability to reign in the ever-growing boldness of the military, and the poorly defined limits of the Meiji constitution, that ultimately led to things like the events of 1926 and beyond.

[@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901]

Well Germany tried to model itself based on the British parliamentary system and people like bismark did oppose it. So in all likelihood bother Japan and Germany took from the British system and made some similar tweaks

[@megabrout]

@JOE BLOGGS equating ancestry with forms of government, how could you compare post magna charta brittain to the development of germany's forms of state?

[@Leij-Aodge]

Carlos David Sorry, this is far from the truth.

[@claudiabrown3026]

According to wikipedia it says it was based on Prussian and British constitution. Is it possible it was based on both and you and Kraut are right?

[@lewisbilly12353]

@@jayasuryangoral-maanyan3901 Japan explicitly took from the German system because they felt it as a better fit for Japan than the French system of government. They also took German military doctrine, even though it had recently become outdated by the time of the Boxer rebellion. They kept key distinct differences that Germany had with the British parliamentary system. For example, the military and monarch would simply use the previous budget if no new budget was accepted. The Emperor could often bypass parliament. More importantly, the Military controlled most of the information the either disabled emperor Taisho or young emperor Hirohito, were privy to. Japan also was not unique. There is another country in which military power, along with democratic infiltration, brought down democracy. I will let you guess what that was

[@gamerx112]

fascism is like an engine with a stuck throttle. powerful, fast, extreme, cant turn it off without a bang.

[@Handle0108]

Ireneusz Pyc 에릭 not necessarily, society simply has to have a major military advantage over its rivals(often through STEM). When a society tastes their military superiority and capability it becomes very addicting and hard to turn away from. Look at the Roman Empire or Mongol empire for example or any other society which lived off of war and imperialism before industrialisation, they were like that because a string of major victories in the battlefield emboldened the people into believing that they were invincible and destined to rule the world. Even in Africa there were empires that went beyond their borders even outside of Africa in the case of the Ethiopian empire in the 6th century which conquered southern Arabia(Arabian peninsula) of modern day Yemen, Oman and Saudi Arabia. It’s military power that allows for this, not STEM. Furthermore, Sub-Saharan African empires were also rather Geographically disadvantaged which limited most of their imperialism/conquests to just mainland Africa, because unlike North Africa which was bordering Europe and the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa is basically surrounded by very large ocean and other sub-Saharan African states.

[@Handle0108]

Ireneusz Pyc 에릭 if responding to your comment in an appropriate manner is considered “polluting the internet” then I am afraid we have nothing more to discuss. You’re free to believe what you want, have a nice day.

[@htko89]

@@ireneuszpyc6684 you should try using intelligence in your argument and not just name calling. It is the lowest form of discussion and usually used when one loses the argument

[@ireneuszpyc6684]

@@htko89 kzbin.info/door/4rUPhMkRn4zPr9VcZHvzGAvideos he's a troll with an empty channel, and I'm tired of them

[@MJ_M]

@@ireneuszpyc6684 youre a moron

[@deadby15]

The Great Depression killed Democracy in Germany and Japan. That can happen to other democracies again so the international community has to learn a lesson from this.

[@zyanego3170]

And in Australia, it lead to the Emu War

[@buzter8135]

@@zyanego3170 Don't quit your day job.

[@presidenttogekiss635]

Lol, am I the only one who found it super funny that Mickey Mouse fought Anime characters in the war? XD

[@intboom]

Kingdom Hearts represented a big step towards postwar cultural reconciliation.

[@andrei3831]

No.

[@nathanielbables8652]

No 😏

[@red2theelectricboogaloo961]

no

[@OMalleyTheMaggot]

@@intboom I'm fucking dead

[@jforozco12]

You never made the second part my man, this was awesome and I wanted to see more!

[@ajithb2w]

Ya. Please do second part. I loved this video and learnt many things .

[@Jobe-13]

Yep

[@stickdownman]

I would argue that the Japanese Meji constitution is more akin to that of the German Empire and not that of the British. The role of the Emperor and his appointees is comparable under that comparison, especially once you take parliamentary convention and norms into account.

[@tacotruck7553]

As an American, it'd be pretty terrifying if our entire army decided to separate from the government

[@TheUSgoverment]

Don't worry. That's what we have squishy, non-bulletproof generals for

[@siyacer]

​@@madtechnocrat9234JFK:

[@glint6070]

​@@madtechnocrat9234We don't have to imagine

[@jonathanpusar5931]

We do actually in a sense…look at our 3 letter agencies level of autonomy and even ability to thwart the POTUS if they do not ideologically align. And there’s always JFK as the ultimate example of this… They’ll play ball with democracy if the leadership is aligned close enough with their imperialist goals…but differ too much (or in Trump’s case be too overt and blunt) and you’ll be undermined and subverted in the shadows. Additionally, if you’re TOO out of step, they have no qualms with assassinating political opponents who risk thwarting the status quo too harshly, or acting entirely like Japan if their plans to thwart that leadership change failed.

[@lsp6032]

and something eerily similar is happening in Niger, in which a military coup overthrown the government and leading the country into a dangerous path of destruction, even if the surrounding nations did not interfere with the crisis immediately

[@kayvan671]

As a German, i'm always suprised how similar Japan was to our Country before and during WW2.

[@lachlank.8270]

Japan wanted to BE your country, or at least France 🤣 They hired a whole bunch of European people from all over to help them modernise during the Meiji period

[@tinanag0]

and today's china

[@Joseph-pz5bo]

Compare the German word for work with the Japanese word for part time work in Japanese helped me in my history GCSE

[@emilioperez6888]

​@@tinanag0China today sounds a lot like Imperial Japan. Their diplomacy, the type of language they use, territorial gain eagerness, military usage to scare national to do what they want to, the "Asia for Asians" sounding a lot like the Co-prosperity Sphere, their self importance about thinking of being the rulers of Asia, etc. Now Xi needs to proclaim to be the Emperor of China and control the government absolutely by military control.

[@matthiuskoenig3378]

It's not surprising to me, your histories are similar (hre is very similar to feudal japan) and even your family structures are similar (both are grouped in the same type known as the 'authoritarian family structure')

[@user-hitsujikaip]

Me(Japanese): Taisho Roman? Those were the days when pretty girls wore braided boots and hakama. I know! Taisho Democracy? There was a time when the Japanese had a high level of democracy at that time! Eventually it didn't work out because of the stubborn old guys, though!

[@user-hitsujikaip]

This is Taisho Roman: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fZnTY42QbtaVr5o

[@jonakim2480]

Interesting note: The pics of the Japanese officer at 9:50 and 9:54 is actually Park Chung Hee. A Korean who was educated at the Japanese military academy in the Manchukuo puppet state. Park was the de facto military dictator of South Korea during the 1960s and 70s, my father grew up under his regime.

[@jinwonlee1407]

The photo is photoshopped and was used by liberal Koreans to frame him as pro-Japanese. He had his faults for rigging presidential elections and conducting pro-japanese policies but in no means a radical Japanese officer that played a part in Japanese imperialism as this video seems to claim

[@jonakim2480]

@@jinwonlee1407 Park Chung Hee was an officer in the Kwantung army from 1944-1945. He was involved in counter-insurgency operations against militia groups that were in favor of Korean independence.

[@jinwonlee1407]

@@jonakim2480 I never knew that to be honest thank you for informing me. But that still doesn't make him a high ranking Japanese general in the 30s according to this video. And all the controversies aside, this specific photo was proven to be fake by The Center for Historical Justice.

[@jonakim3106]

@@jinwonlee1407 Good chance that specific photo is faked. There aren't many photos of him in uniform as he destroyed most of them once he became president. You are correct, he was not a high ranking general in the Kwantung army either. He was a lieutenant and was only that rank for 1-2 years at the end of the war.

[@jinwonlee1407]

@@jonakim3106 Just curious whats your opinion on Park?

[@michalnowacki9252]

4:12 Wrong. They thought the British system limited the monarch too much. The system put in place after the Meiji Restoration was more like a Prussian one, with an elected diet serving as a legislative body, and the monarch as the executive. The Emperor could annul laws and order them to be executed. The Emperor was also not simply "there" like in Britain. he actually had a Privy Council of ministers in his Cabinet that worked directly for him and reported directly to him on different issues. Just saying.

[@principetnomusic]

Emperor Taisho was a pretty weak-willed one, hence the democratisation.

[@dylanpresidafonseca2545]

You'd be surprised with the powers the queen does have.

[@oranjethefox8725]

Dylan Presi da Fonseca yeah, she just yields them to the parliament.

[@f1i273]

@@dylanpresidafonseca2545 The queen/ monarchy only has nominal powers in reality they’re just figureheads. The last time the monarchy tried exercising its power Im pretty sure parliament removed her in the 30s. Boris even lied to the queen’s face & no one cares

[@joshbrown2217]

I mean they were basing it on the Prussian system which based it off an even older British system. so taking this into account, the King at the time had a lot more power Over Britain in the 1800s, at least legally. It's also worth noting that when the queen came into power, she actually reduced the official power of the crown even more. It is worth noting that she still has a lot of powers legally (including the ability to resolve parliament if I'm not wrong) but there is essentially an unofficial understanding that she does not actually have that power. It was probably the same back then, that although in laws the king has an incredible amount of power, he has no soft power and is heavily reliant on the state, so if he did try to do anything, they would simply be ignored and there would be major repercussions on the crown. So with this in mind, you have to remember that this system was first taken by the Prussians and then the Japenese took that system, so you can see how a lot of those unofficial laws wouldn't have been translated across, even to the Prussian system. So it wouldn't be a surprise that the Japenese emperor had more power. It's like nowadays, the PM still technically has to visit the queen for her to anoint them, but it's not like she actually has any real power to refuse them as PM, it's more just a law we follow because no one can be arsed to change it and it just looks prestigious. But if you transfer that law to another country, that would actually give the monarch of that country more power than the British monarch actually has.

[@hyunsungjung4941]

Korean here, and I consider this a great video and paints a good picture of Japanese society before their descent into militarism. However, I'd like to point out that non-militaristic Imperial Japan was still a cruel, imperial power at the expense of the people in Korea, Ryukyu, Ainu, etc. Very much like the British and French, who were democratic colonial empires that dominated the world stage in the late 19th and early 20th century. Hmm, where to begin. The slogan of the modernists who were the driving factor behind the Meiji Restoration was 'Out of Asia and Into Europe(Datsu a nyu o)'. Yes, this did include many positive messages like democratization, modernization, and rule of law. However, it also entailed negative aspects of western influence, such as military expansion, imperialism, and a sense of 'Manifest Destiny' believing that Japan had the right and duty to conquer their "primitive" neighbors(Korea, for instance) to bring "the light of civilization" towards them. The Japanese annexation of Korea took place in 1910 without any consent from the Korean people, way before the rise of militarism in Japan. This 'imperialistic democracy' is evident in the civil protests in colonial Korea during 1919, where 1.1 million Koreans rose up in protest demanding independence from the Japanese Empire (that number is from the colonial authorities by the way, who had NO incentive to exaggerate the protests). The Governor of Chosen(what Japan called Korea back then) responded with violence towards the peaceful protests, with at least 553 protesters dying on site and 12,000 people being detained, many of whom succumbed to torture and disease soon after. Almost no Japanese party endorsed the independence movement, except for the Japanese Communist party who were a fringe party at the time. I sometimes imagine what Korea under a non-axis, non-militaristic Japanese government might have become, and I don't think it would have been much good. Although there is no exact way to know, we can turn to the dissolution of French rule over Algeria for some speculation. Algeria was suppressed and exploited by France, yet it was considered a part of France by many French citizens, and not an overseas colony. This toxic relationship meant that France wasn't willing to give up on Algeria despite the local populace overwhelmingly wanting independence. This led to a brutal and bloody 8-year independence war that resulted in over 170,000 casualties. I fear that had Japanese imperialism continued under a democratic system, Japan might have walked down the same path. Although less so than Fascism, Imperialism was still a definite, inexcusable evil. Edit: I return 2 years later and WTF happened to the comment section

[@dehavillandvampire2190]

The comparison to Algeria is an interesting one, though it's worth noting that it's not totally complete since the Army ran Algeria like a private colony and French military culture was constructed around an idea of themselves as the 'true guardians of France' since Dreyfus and arguably before. This was even more pronounced in the atttitudes of some officers post-WW2 and especially post-Indochina where the French Amry became institutionally incapable of accepting another 'defeat' as they saw Algeiran independence. They even held a coup in 1958 to try and prevent this. If your non axis version of Japan that isn't militaristic did exist, it's likely Korea would've gained independence either gradually or been assimilated into some kind of Federal structure. I think the over-romanticisation of Taisho democracy is as a result of two things, both a tendency to see the west as the 'good guys' still, that we project backwards from WW2, and also knowledge of what western democracies would become. In a kind of circular logic, we overlook Taisho era imperialism in Siberia and Korea because in our minds its path would mirror that of a western democracy. This of course neatly brushes over the many, _many_ issues with democracy in the west both pre and inter-war, and acts more as a historical fantasy similar to 'the good old days'. We keep doing it though because we must on some level believe that we are in the right.

[@hyunsungjung4941]

@@dehavillandvampire2190 Completely agree with you. While the Axis powers of WW2 were evil scum to the degree the world had never seen before, we musn't forget that the Western democracies that fought against them weren't exactly benevolent rulers in the territories they administered. The comparison with Algeria might have been a bit lacking, as well as my assumption that Taisho Japan was a fully democratic colonial empire. The Governor-general of Chosen(Colonial Korea) was always selected from one of the four-star generals or admirals in the Japanese army and navy. The Imperial cabinet was regularly threatened with dissolution from the Department of Defense, because the government could be dissolved if only one of the ministers resigned from office. This was what made the military capable of expanding its influence under a 'democratic' system. However, I still doubt that Korea would have become a part of a 'Japanese Federation', or granted gradual independence. Unlike British India and French Indochina, the geographical and cultural proximity between Japan and Korea made it possible for the Japanese state(and military) to supply, maintain and enforce its rule over it. We don't exactly have a replicate of this situation in Western Europe for us to take note of, so we have to rely on speculation. Personally, I think it would have ended in two ways. Either the Japanese Empire retains control over Korea and it becomes another Tibet situation (but with 50 million people), or the Koreans start a war for independence and it becomes another Algiers situation. TL;DR : Prime Alt-history material

[@dehavillandvampire2190]

@@hyunsungjung4941 I mean it would certainly depend how Japan in this alt-non axis timeline develops to become 'non militaristic' if indeed it does. To my knowledge the impetus to maintain Korea as a colony came from within the Military, so take that away and a gradual independence or Federation is more probable. Of course it is probably more nuanced than that, and the idea of a non-militarisitc, non-colonial Japan popping up in the 20s and 30s is kind of ASB.

[@hyunsungjung4941]

@@dehavillandvampire2190 Hmm, I guess you do have a point... Gotta do a little more research.

[@A_a_A_a_A_a_A]

and Korean lives were so improved lol

[@pinkside692]

The podcast Hardcore History by Dan Carlin has a fantastic series on Japan that goes into much of the nuance that can’t be explained in 30min. It’s called supernova in the East and is around 15hours in total. The first episode is great and explains the cultural background that lead to the militarization and the justification for war.

[@leirex_1]

Emperor: "Guy's stop this! We don't need this war!" Militarist: *BANZAAAAAAAAAI*

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

I don't think the emperor was 100% innocent, i think the American made him look that way to facilitate Japanese collaboration post WW2

[@nexu6517]

@@TheTariqibnziyad That is true. He could have used his divine status in the Japanese people's eyes to condemn or punish the criminals but did not. However, we should put ourselves in his position, seeing a growing number of militaristic camps within his government as well as pressured by his status not to partake in lowly things like 'governing'. He was raised and indoctrinated as such, and he wasn't that strong-willed either. We outside of Japan would assume that a man with a title of a God would be all-powerful in the rule of law of the nation he is deemed as such, but this might not be the case at all, and we could already see the process of changing the imperial family from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional one. The emperor certainly does not have much power as we think he did. It was the military. We could even compare it like the emperor is president Hindenburg and the militaristic maniacs of Japan's right-wing as the Nazis. Except for Japan's context, 'Hindenburg' did not die and Hideki Tojo did not become fuhrer. I may be wrong, but this is my opinion :p

[@TheTariqibnziyad]

@@nexu6517 100% agree, this kind of stuff, war in general is way more complex than what Hollywood portrays.

[@deutschlandundamerika3587]

HOW BOUT I DO ANYWAY

[@hellosammy4105]

Wrong. Emperor: Oh wow, so much happening. Well, nothing to do with me, tee hee. I’m God. Whassat? Time to sign our surrender? Ok then...

[@eobardthawne3333]

Spain's military: I have no money HAHAHAHA-oof Germany's military: we can do this Italy's military: i-lm glad you have faith in me. Japan's military: NOTICE ME HIRAHITO-SENPAI!

[@reaux1560]

H irohito*

[@red2theelectricboogaloo961]

japanese government: we like democracy japanese people: we like democracy japanese emperor: i like democracy japanese army: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mqekXqCfostlr8k

[@solomonreal1977]

Is this....this buffoonery all you can conjure, Eohard..?

[@scorpioengine4797]

America’s Military: *spectator mode*

[@itsafish4600]

cringe

[@mousseman8239]

At around 9:29, you should also have painted the island of Formosa with the Japanese colors as Taiwan was a Japanese colony since 1895.

[@ttld678]

We’re always thought about the rise of the German fascist, the tale of the Italian fascist is briefly mentioned, but never is the story of Japanese fascist ever told. We must have a wholistic view and understanding of all three occurrences if we wish to never fall down these dark path again.

[@matthewct8167]

As a Chinese I’ve been taught the traditional view on the Japanese. Thank you for adding context to this issue, especially when it is still relevant for today

[@clement28300yip]

"Know Your Enemy: Japan" was never shown to American troops, as even General MacArthur thought the propaganda film was super racist.

[@remnant55]

I'm loving the return to detailed, historical content. These are the Kraut videos that make me share. These are the ones my father asks "If that German guy who sounds like Snape" has made any more recently. Thank you.

[@mcorte2224]

agreed

[@4T3hM4kr0n]

"german guy who sounds like snape" I can't stop laughing!

[@vaevictis_]

aggot

[@MensHominis]

@@thewarper3393 -- "fake English accent"? Up to some time, we were taught mostly standard British in German schools. Also, he lived there for a while, I think. Also, you have to speak *some* dialect/sociolect if you don't want to engage in a heavy non-native speaker accent. You are basically saying: "If people learn English as a second language, they shouldn't learn English as a second language."

[@1685Violin]

@@MensHominis Also, one of his parents was an English immigrant so he must have grown up bilingual and the English accent affected his native accent.

[@failstates]

Part 2 never ever?

[@TheVirtualObserver]

😞

[@dehavillandvampire2190]

It's such a shame you never made this a full series, since it's rare to find people outside of podcasts go into this much detail on the fall of Japanese democracy, which is a shame since institutions turning on their governments is a lot more common than people think. I'd personally love it to see you continue this series, though I suspect that is now sadly off the cards.

[@dudarstmein2764]

I truly admire your work, but imho this video is somewhat hindered by the fact that your examples of prewar japanese society is limited to the metropolitan Tokyo. It does not mention the poverty stricken rural japanese poplulations. Berlin was also a thriving cultural center, but rural people and their wills proved to differ and ultimately overruled the metropols and brought nazis to power. Therefore the argument that japanese people were forced to war against their will is not really a solid one. Because poor people have less to lose and tend to go to war easier. However that does not change the fact that people were manipulated immensely by military to support hate towards other races and japanese colonial wars. Still beautiful work though I fundamentally disagree with most of your arguments.

[@hammerhead1410]

He did talk about the poor countryside. Not much but he did.

[@nulnoh219]

Irony is that when the Allies eventually fire bombed the Home Islands, it was the Cities that got razed. The 2 A-bombs were also dropped onto Cities.

[@henrikfitch4017]

Well I mean look at the 1936 election. Still most of the country voted for Liberals or conservatives. Compare that to Germany which had the NSDAP as the largest party in the Reichstag in 1933

[@larryleisuresuit3566]

I also admire Kraut's work, but this video seems to lack the broader context like the Japanese social structure up to that point. My understanding is that the Emperor had been a figurehead and the warlords were the dominant political entities for centuries. As such, the shogun ran the islands. Also, the invasion of China via Korea had been in the minds of these political figures for some time as demonstrated the 16th and 19th Century. "Democracy" has a flavor of the region where it is implemented. The parliamentary system in Japan was fairly new (50 years? ) and I wonder how much of the population had full grasp of the democratic concepts, especially in the rural areas where their status of "peasant" may not had been shed. As Kraut points out, many were not included in the benefits of modernization and I don't know if there were significant voices for such, except in the urban areas. Furthermore, the modernization was more an emulation of the Western style/structure rather than something that grew out of Japanese ethos. In the post WW2, check out the differences in the manner the Japan and Germany deal with the war atrocities. Germany seems to take much more active approach to stomp on authoritarian voices in its citizen education compare to Japan. Also, Japan has been a culturally conformist society, and I'm sure it made easier to pull the population into all out war. With all that said, Kraut has done a good job highlighting some of the major events that lead up to the catastrophe.

[@user-bp5qz5jd3f]

He already said that didn't he. He described the huge disparity between the urban elites and the countryside folks.

[@vulkanofnocturne]

10:45 Hi, I'm Erich Ludendorff! Welcome to The Great War.

[@wildworld6641]

*Jackass theme song begins*

[@ThoriberoCaroli]

A Prussian advocating that the military should rule the state... What a shock! :O

[@prophesorr2788]

"Democracy is as short in it's lifespan as it is violent in it's death." Benjamin Franklin. When responding to a woman who asked Ben, "What have you given us." Ben replied, "A republic mam. If you can keep it."

[@allensneed7062]

“Democracy is worth dying for, because it’s the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by man.” - Ronald Reagan

[@robbiejohannson4172]

JL-CptAtom en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_peace_theory You can find countless examples of any form of government being militaristic, but the data gives a full picture.

[@prophesorr2788]

Democracy in america only existed in the wild west and it killed many individuals unjustly.

[@Alex_Fahey]

@Robbie Johannson As he said, it was the "without the peoples input for Israel" part that mattered. He was illustrating the hypocrisy present in Reagan's words and actions.

[@robbiejohannson4172]

Alex Fahey I was explaining that because he’s an outright fascist.

[@rey_nemaattori]

It's a bit easy to state the liberal Japanese failed to appreciate the challenges of modernity, considering they were literally in a Medieval Society until the late 1860's. I mean some countries in Europe fell victim to the same and they had hundred's of years from the renaissance onward to adapt to increasing modern technologies, enlightened principles and advancing science. Japan had barely 50, they were literally ripped out of their middle ages and dropped in an early modern world. Imagine being born in 1860 in a feudal, pre-industrial world, by the time you're 70 you've experienced about 500-600 years of technological evolution in a single lifetime. It doesn't justify their actions at all, but I think a lot happened in Japan that they weren't even close to being prepared to handle, let alone by themselves.

[@CarlinConnolly]

some parallels with the "transition period in eastern europe after the fall of soviet communism? forcing countries to embrace western capitalism when their countries had no civic society or rule of law experience to underpin it... the point about the cities being markedly different to the impversihed rural areas reminds me of the current US in the way the coasts are so different to the middle

[@theoaky8924]

Also that ''democracy'' was forced upon them with warships by the west. So i dont image thay had much appreciation for it to begin with.

[@iannordin5250]

Hell, Italy was still in the process of full industrialization by the time the war broke out.

[@glorioustigereye]

I’ve been playing the trails games and their premise is the same

[@user-is3yn7xr4c]

you need to ask the question wether Japanese natives themselves wanted to modernize/westernized or not in the first place.

[@snakey934Snakeybakey]

I'm Halfway through. This is a brilliant video Kraut, but I just wanted to add; Japan's wars of expansion began long before the Taisho period. In 1894 Japan launched a successful invasion of China, however, this invasion was a stark contrast to the second Invasion, because the Japanese soldiers and sailors went above and beyond the European code of being merciful in war. While you correctly explain the factors that took Japan down it's dark path, two things that got the snowball rolling were 1. Wanting to compete with the Europeans for power in the Pacific, and 2. An inferiority complex both towards the west and towards China. After the Japanese victory at the end of the first Sino-Japanese war, Japan's victory cry was "We have shown the world that the Japanese people are not Inferior to the Chinese/Anyone" What happened next was just a perfect storm.

[@ianhomerpura8937]

That inferiority compex was even more triggered by three major events: - the intense pressure from the West, mainly the US and UK, to drop some of the Twenty-One Demands they sent to the Chinese in 1915 - the rejection of the "racial equality clause" in the League of Nations mainly by the US and the British Commonwealth in 1919 - the unequal clauses of the 1922 Washington Naval Treaty that severely milited the production of Japanese naval ships compared to the other four signatories

[@sebjornsprauten1406]

@@ianhomerpura8937 i was under the impression that the naval treaty was meant to limit all the nations military production to balance their respective naval strengths?

[@Reziac]

Very interesting. Glad to see a return to your roots with quality stuff. One thing I'd suggest -- overlay the date (year would be enough) say in the top left corner, to give us a better idea how events parallel the rest of the world. Doesn't have to be continuous, just when events advance to the next year. (Especially as you seldom mention the year, so it's hard to tell how fast time is passing.)

[@tf2013]

The Kwantung Army often acted independently without the Emperor's approval, as in the assassination of Zhang Zhuolin and the invasion of Manchuria, but was never punished. This led the Imperial Japanese Army to believe that it could do anything it wanted, and it became an unruly organization until the end of the war.

[@jeremiahkatz7218]

I love your videos, even when I find reason to disagree, and I'm so glad you're back. I do have to disagree with your characterization of the US Know Your Enemy film on Japan, however. I always thought it was racist stereotyping until I actually watched it. I found it to be an unexpectedly level-headed presentation of Japan. True, it wasn't a good characterization of the full and rich cultural heritage of Japan or the society of the 10s and 20s, but it was 'know your enemy'. The Japan of the 10's and 20's wasn't the enemy, the Japan of the late 30's-40's was the enemy. And I think they did a pretty good job representing THAT Japan. If you made a movie to introduce people to 'why we are fighting' Germany, you wouldn't be doing much service to the point to talk about hidden, secret societies of anti-Nazi Germans. They weren't the ones making history or invading neighbors. Its seems pretty common for the violent radicals to only represent about 1/3 of the population when they have power enough to dictate terms for the rest of the population. The rest either don't care, weakly support them, or are too afraid to oppose them. but nonetheless, it is that 30% that dictate the actions of the whole, whether it is radical Islamists, Nazis, or militant Japanese. So the focus needs to be on that group, not the rest of the people. It's not racist or inaccurate, its just the most relevant focus on that group's effect on the world at the time.

[@rogan7019]

Yt Lpllllkknmlpppopppiooppuyui

[@rogan7019]

Yt Lpllllkknmlpppopppiooppuyui

[@applepie4287]

Well said my friend. I do agree that this video felt kinda poorly made when placed in context of his other video namely the one on the rise of China. It comes of as if he had recently read something that presented a new view, which he instantly adopted without more research.

[@garden3818]

I agree. I watched it on Netflix, but it was pretty damn neutral considering 1940s racist America.

[@tonywords6713]

by extension of your own logic do you know what "15-30%" of America would be able to paint the whole of America as? Would you be willing to die, or be painted as "too weak" to have stopped an out of control government? Stupid ass comment.

[@faragar1791]

The generals who started the downfall of Japan's democracy, did they live to see the failure of the totalitarian nation they created?

[@faragar1791]

@David Parry Wow. I wonder if the defeat of Japan changed their minds about the political views they had before the war. Like, did they regret the part they played in creating "Imperial Japan"? At what point did they realize that the government they wanted was wrong?

[@videogamebomer]

Consider Japan has refuse to recognize any wrong doing in the war. No.

[@faragar1791]

@@videogamebomer Not recognizing government-backed wrongdoings is more of a political move than anything else. The US still doesn't recognize certain genocides in other nations because the US wants to keep positive relations with those nations. Like, the people in the video who played a part in creating "Imperial Japan", they did not like the USA and the cultural changes America brought to Japan, yet they ended up working for the United States and watched 2 of their Japanese cities get Nuked. If I were in their position, I would be thinking "I think we fucked up big time by making Japan into an empire."

[@anderskorsback4104]

A great many were sentenced to death in war crimes trials after WW2. So yes.

[@Tmanowns]

Many of them kept their positions. They preferred being conquered and occupied by America, rather than annexed by the Soviets, who were on their doorstep.

[@fragarach97]

Oh I've been looking forward to this series... a fantastic listen, ran over it twice to help my comprehension. Can't wait for part two!

[@witch3678]

Hi Kraut, currently completing my last year of highschool in Australia and I have to say, your videos are so incredibly useful when studying the Japanese section of the modern history course! I often come back to this specific video and compare it with what I've learnt in my own classes to refine my knowledge. Love what you do, a bit of a shame that you never quite finished the rest of this 3-part video essay but I appreciate it nonetheless. Thank you so much for all the work you do!

[@kepli14]

Worth pointing out that the 'openness' in the 20's was accompanied by the imperial conquest and absolute subjugation of Korea.

[@nbewarwe]

No, Korea was annexed in 1910. And before that it was already a subject state.

[@wenxiuwang3799]

Japanese domination of Korea came after the end of the Jiawu War in 1895.

[@shazzatulanam6680]

@@wenxiuwang3799 qing china,russian and the japanese empire.all were fighting for korea

[@SamDurkSheff]

I've read about this fascinating and pertinent topic a little bit but all I found was pretty scant. I was delighted to come across this video and you've done a great job, I have a better grasp of what happened and how it resonates with issues today; can't ask for more! Only just started watching your videos and can't wait to go through the rest.

[@NothingtoseeHere.Movealong]

Would love to see a continuation of this series, if possible. Will auch sagen, dass die Praesentation und Aufarbeitung grossartig ist.

[@bryanc7094]

Great video Kraut looking forward to more

[@spoogerification]

samurai weren't poor. they continued to be landlords and even became officers in the military.

[@fanyechao2761]

but the peasants are poor, and the peasants were the majority of the army

[@tavernburner3066]

Depends on when your talking about but by the end yes they were poor .This was because the shogun forced them to participate in a traditions that drained them of money and recouped to prevent rebellion.

[@Ildskalli]

Some of them, who had turned to agricultural production (including silk), did certainly become very poor in the '30s. Others, of course, founded the large zaibatsu, like Mitsubishi and Nissan.

[@anderskorsback4104]

@@Ildskalli kind of. Thing is, the big feudal lords were bought off to get them to comply with the Meiji Restoration. Several of them used that money to build new industries, and became a new upper class. The lower-level samurai were not always so able to find a role in the new social order, though.

[@Golmar_227]

Yeah, but they still lost many privileges they had in Japanese society, which, as the video already says it turned them resentful against the West.

[@ohioohayou9697]

I just recently discovered this channel and I can say that this one is by far the most fascinating and interesting to me of all of your videos!

[@kongou-geo-pol3715]

I may be late. but the idea that war with Japan was inevitable has some merit. The claim made by the video certainly isn't true, however the conflicting interests of Japan and the European powers, as well as the growing threat of american intervention and the oil embargo put japan in an undesirable position. I believe that at the outbreak of war with China, admiral Yamamoto mentioned to the British naval attache that the loss of Japans oil supply would force Japan into a war with the US. a war he would later say "he could win for 6 months" after which point, if the US had not come to terms, Japans ambitions in the pacific would be doomed. Yamamoto was right.

[@user-uy1rg8td1v]

Imperial Japan should have attacked Russia before Nazi Germany attacked. Sure the Japanese army wasn't all that great compared to Russia. But they could have pulled away enough Russian army units to allow Germany to win in Western Russia and thus allow generous peace terms to Japan.

[@mshaqed2538]

@@user-uy1rg8td1v Actually, they tried attacking Russia at lake Khasan and Khalkhin Gol, and while the Khasan engagement was indecisive, they Japanese army got completely crushed by Zhukov in Khalkhin Gol, mainly due to Japan's lack of tanks, which prevented any effective invasion into Siberia (Since the Soviets could just retreat until the Japanese lines were overextended, and then incircle them with tanks. Since Japans chose to build up it's navy instead of it's mechanized land forces, they had no real way of launching a siberian campaign, and the government abandoned the idea by 1939 after Khalkhin Gol.

[@rexremedy1733]

Yes, I can confirm this. Don’t ask how or why though…

[@Bat-Georgi]

>Yamamoto was right. >he could win for 6 months Clearly he wasn't right ;/

[@constantinexi6489]

Read it again, Yamamoto was pretty spot-on. They absolutely blitzed the Allies in the first months of of the war but were completely unprepared for the industrial war of attrition that followed. Yamamoto knew this, and that was what he meant.

[@alejandrodecastro1716]

Honestly amazing content. This is the most I’ve learnt about Japan during and before WW2!

[@r.w.bottorff7735]

I love your videos! Thank you for highlighting some of the lesser known passages of history, with great detail and with a wide perspective.

[@duckl1y380]

You do such a great job on these complex topics and you deserve way more subscribers

[@sigmavitali333]

As a former resident of Japan, and visiting sites that bear the mark of Japanese brutality. I always wondered what was going on in Japan during that time that caused this. Japan is a beautiful country with wonderful people, how could they have caused this? Your video answered so many of my questions.

[@bananian]

Wonderful until you ask them about their opinion on their war criminal shrine.

[@Moonstone-Redux]

​@@bananianFunny then, that no one ever gives the same level of scrutiny to the war memorials of America, Russia, Britain, France, China, etc etc. If you think Japan is the only country that keeps war criminals in its memorials, you are severely mistaken. If there was a strategic mistake that was done regarding Yasukuni, it's that it should never have been put into private administration, and it should never have remained the de facto war memorial. Where most war memorials around the world are agnostic and are put under government administration, its status as a religious location effectively shielded Yasukuni from official government action, though it is worth noting that the literal Emperor who started the war in the first place actually protested the shrine's decision to enshrine these war criminals and the royal family stopped visiting afterwards. Japan only gets the brunt of it because someone else bellyaches so much about it. You try insulting a Soviet war memorial and see what happens.

[@user-ex7ft4cx2k]

men from all nations are capable of extreme viciousness, once the animal inside is unleashed....

[@ravensmith8614]

Japan: "Luxury is our enemy!" Also Japan: "Invade the Soviet Union!"

[@mitchdevries6628]

This was incredibly well put together

[@FilAnd01]

I must say, I’m impressed. This is a really good and well made video. Good job, Kraut!

[@drobeson790]

Stellar. Absolutely amazing. Nothing else to add. Great job Kraut, keep it up!

[@existentialvoid]

I used to teach this at university. It is so great to see this documentary and would have used this in my class.

[@TheWestmenstudios2]

I would love more videos like this from you Kraut. Loved your previous one over the years.

[@alexlee8752]

I dont know how accurate this is, though it does make me want to look into the topic more. gotta love this type of content. Honestly you are rather good at making things like this, cant wait to see the rest of the series.

[@Waldstiem]

As an old school wargamer and historical nut, this is very well done... and your right a lot of the history that lead up to pearl harbor is either not taught or so watered over it makes the Nile look like a small glass water spill... please keep up the great work...

[@guobaorou4557]

Fun Fact: At the 9:53 mark, the picture is of Park Chung Hee during his time in the Imperial Manchukuo Army. He would later go on to become a dictator of South Korea in 1963 until he was assassinated in 1979.

[@nathannaccache4925]

I think the thing I like the most about your videos is how you title them. When I start watching its always a surprise where we end up in the end!

[@IvanIordanov00100]

Great video! I hope there will be a part 2.

[@carterstroud5403]

I always hear about how the dropping of the atomic bomb is a war crime and was unnecessary but my great grandfather was supposed to be involved in the land invasion of japan which probably would have killed him so in an odd way i exist because of the dropping of the bomb, which gives a whole new meaning to a nuclear family

[@lolcatjunior]

The idea behind it that the creators of the bomb wanted to drop the bomb around at the sea infront of the emperors palace to scare them and not kill hundreds of thousands of people, but Truman threw them out of the room.

[@tonywords6713]

yeah ok random youtube comment im sure you would be missed

[@carterstroud5403]

@@tonywords6713 ok other random KZbin commenter

[@vetabeta9890]

Still a warcrime

[@watchm4ker]

@@lolcatjunior And he was right to do so. Remember, the US didn’t have some vast arsenal: They had four workable cores, and they’d just used one at Trinity. While the hope was to force a quick surrender, there was still the possibility that Japan would have simply chosen to fight to the bitter end. And in that eventuality, the US would have wasted one powerful strategic strike against a key, or at lest a major target.

[@TechieWidget]

I really enjoyed this video, and it helped me comprehend the complicated mess that Japan underwent before it went to war in 1931. This video seriously deserves some more views. More people especially non-Japanese Asians like myself should learn about the events that happened in Japan before they go into all-out war with China and western powers.

[@hikarikimikokiyoko6592]

Oh, so nice seeing these vids from Kraut. Nice job Kraut, love your vidyas.

[@MrKenichi22]

This is a very good video, I can’t wait to see what’s next in this series.

[@shooterxd2387]

"Just the rage scream of my emperor, would've made those against peace and his will tremble, for my emperor is the son of the sun, and he's will is ultimate."

[@petersmythe6462]

"The accused used the court as a stage to promote their ideology and the judge was intimidated into passing reduced sentences" Well, Maybe Japan is like Germany in some ways...

[@ElBandito]

Hope USA will not follow suit.

[@beargrylls235]

Well done mate! I really appreciate this rare topic, the non-conformist perspective and the well founded high degree of information provided. Please continue your work Cheers

[@ChillsWithSloths]

Otaku Kraut confirmed

[@admiralduckshmidt2248]

ChillsWithSloths His German ik I’m late

[@admiralduckshmidt2248]

Emperor Raptor Many Japanese use that term it simply means someone who loves anime what your talking about is weeaboo in which case people who are obessed with Japanese culture (mostly used outside of the country tho)

[@vodkabullet4066]

hoi4 player?

[@ernstschmidt4725]

wehraboo never was more meaningful

[@Antipius]

I think this is still your best video to date. This topic is under-studied and it prompted me to do my own research and it was fascinating. Thank you! It's amazing stuff like this is free.

[@coolionohara8257]

When’s part 2?

[@ajithb2w]

Is there a part two. I can't find it.

[@accessthemainframe4475]

cancelled

[@star_duck]

Its called batte trendecy

[@tributetowomen31]

Love you guys, well done!

[@ChrissPagani]

Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. Those who remember history may be doomed to see what is coming while being powerless to stop it.

[@MogofWar]

Those who remember history often profit from repeating it.

[@ChrissPagani]

Mog of War True, unfortunately

[@arthurkilgore8001]

​@@thewarper3393 >tries to communicate with liberals >uses "the JQ" unironically bottom kek

[@AnimarchyHistory]

Im planning a video on "How Anime will save Japan" - Precisely due to all the big points you made regarding Japan's culture. The remnants of Imperial Japan still fester within Nippon Kaigi. Among Anime and live action Japanese Filmmakers. There is a cultural revolution rising among Japans youth. They are a beautiful people with an ancient culture full of passion and feeling that is far at odds with their reserved society.

[@johanmikkael6903]

@uvuweve osas escapism through digital animation.

[@bunnyfreakz]

lol 90% of Japanese do not give shit about anime.

[@someorclad9738]

My dude, that sounds like a fantastic idea. I'm a big weeb myself and would be interested to see that perspective of yours.

[@Patrick-mh5yf]

such a good video i had never heard of this and i love history thank you so much

[@davidvang3310]

Wow. This was brilliant. Thank you

[@appleislander8536]

I think Japan needs to be seen more as a parallel to Germany.

[@nikolatasev4948]

All of the things that happened did not happen in a vacuum. In 1918 Japan made a proposal stating: "The equality of nations being a basic principle of the League of Nations, the High Contracting Parties agree to accord as soon as possible to all alien nationals of states, members of the League, equal and just treatment in every respect making no distinction, either in law or in fact, on account of their race or nationality." The other Western Powers, notably United States and Great Britain, did not accept that. UK owned colonies, US had to please the Southern Democrats, the Yellow Peril fever was on. Japan felt the other Powers were seeing it as just another Oriental state ripe for colonization. Japanese rulers had watched for decades how Western countries had fought each other, and even more worryingly - how they took over, colonized and exploited less developed countries all around it. India was under British rule. The Philippines was occupied by the US. Indonesia was Dutch. China was exploited by unequal treaties forced upon it by force. Northern China was free from Russian occupation only because Japan had fought and won the Russo-Japanese war of 1905 (not due to altruism, ofc. ). Japan was more modern than China, but still small, poor and poorly industrialized. The military elite did not see what they were doing as something immoral or improper - they were only doing what everyone else was doing all the time. They thought to grow, industrialize and militarize was the only way to prevent the country from being crushed and/or losing their independence. And frankly, they were not far from the truth. Their methods were brutal and counterproductive, but the though process behind them was not unreasonable for that time.

[@deniskamikhailov5619]

TRUTH

[@nicholasrocha2414]

They were just another crab in the bucket, just another entity that desired dominance in their region of the world like all the rest.

[@maxwellvindman7212]

Im glad I watched this , it really gave me a better perspective on the whole issue

[@TheMentorOfMomos]

WHY IS THIS NEVER SPOKEN OF? THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK

[@Bj-yf3im]

I really liked this first episode of your Japan series! My question, however, is why hasn't there been a second one after all this time? Just curious! 😁

[@ThePizzaGoblin]

Man, it still makes me sad we never got the follow up to this video

[@monkeytime9851]

This is fascinating.

[@csours]

Every time he says "Total War" yell Totaler Krieg and drink a shot of Jagermeister. By the end of this video you'll be as sick of war as the Japanese were by 1946.

[@mr.coffee6242]

Yuck No thanks

[@danikytsikava6696]

Sir, you basically pissed all over the meiji restoration era without sources

[@nulolove]

Wait wdym?

[@odd-ysseusdoesstuff6347]

Wha-? The Meiji restoration was the reason why Japan in the 1920s was a military hunk Though, kinda ironic since the Restorationists basically wanted nothing to do with the outside world

[@ENoob]

This parallels the lesson that England Learned in the civil war of the 1640s to 1660s and is the reason the army was so restricted in size immediately afterwards.

[@ParryLinn]

Yeah there no longer the name of royal follow afterward the term "British"

[@davidduffy9806]

You have an extraordinary voice, you’re an outstanding narrator.

[@tosoledo]

The book Total war was publish in 35, a bit late to have any influence on Japan who started the invasion of Manchuria in 31 and of china in 37.

[@mrsir2254]

Fun Fact: What series?

[@Flow86767]

11:55 Ludendorff’s book is much more likely to interest and relate to these Japanese militaristic elite. It is beyond me how people can think that these Japanese military man could’ve been interested in Mein Kamph, as the rhetorics and teachings of Hitler’s book are mainly focused on Germany and Germany alone. The Japanese military elite, must have felt no connection and not a single care about this book. On the contrary, Ludendorff’s book could be applied to any countries, it was simple ideas of putting the military first and the people after, to fight a total war. This idea is not restricted to one country, like Mein Kamph was.

[@aliabi.5847]

Mein Kampf had a strict list of races and the Japanese were as superior as the west Europeans

[@kaybee55]

He spoke very positively of the Japanese. Not a good compliment in hindsight.

[@pierren___]

Ikkita Ikki inspired Japan Prosperity Sphere and the liberation of Asia

[@HarrisonCSmith]

Not going to lie, this channel kicks ass. And you kick ass Mr. Kraut

[@vidhanp482]

Pls make the second video in this series 🙏

[@terryaltherr2481]

This was a really good vid. While there were some errors in the video, I appreciated how it highlighted the major fact that Japan didn't just descend into a totalitarian state or that Japan was necessarily destined to be a totalitarian state. I watched Knowing Better's video on Japanese Nationalism last year and I was rather frustrated how he glossed over the functions of the Japanese government and made numerous claims without the proper context. Also, for all the problems with bill wurtz's history of japan vid, Knowing Better's vid seemed more like a react vid where he was losing it over history of japan. I would be fine with that were it not for the fact Knowing Better also oversimplifies the history of the Empire of Japan and even the post-war era.