Suchergebnisse

On the night of 7 July 1937, an unexpected exchange of fire on the Marco Polo Bridge about 12 km from Peking, China, between a detachment of the Japanese garrison of Fengtang deployed in military exercises & a patrol unit of the Chinese army stationed in the region, broke the peace established by the 1932 Peace Accord that ended the Japanese occupation of Manchuria. While some commentators suggest that this incident marked the beginning of WWII, it did indeed indicate the start of a true war between China & Japan. After sketching the bellicose background of China-Japan relations in the early 20th century, diplomatic actions of the Joint Commission created by the incomplete Peace Accord are explored. In particular, the nonconforming (to the Anglo-US norm) behavior of the Italian representatives is examined. Details are also provided of the War of Shanghai (Aug-late Dec 1937). J. Sadler