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430 History

FIND OUT MORE. Economy 302–303 • The State 308–309

Asian Conflict

The first half of the 20th century saw Britain, France,

and the Netherlands being challenged by the peoples

they ruled in south and southeast Asia. At the same

time, Japan was trying to take the place of the

Europeans and create its own Asian empire.

FIND OUT MORE. Age of Empire 422–423 • Revolutionary China 429

WHEN DID JAPAN BECOME POWERFUL?

After the restoration of the emperor’s power in 1868,

Japan turned itself into an industrial nation. It defeated

Russia in 1904–1905 and annexed Korea in 1910.

In 1919, it gained former German territories in Asia.

During the 1930s, extremists and the military planned

Japan’s invasion of China. During World War II (1940s),

Japanese armies finally swept through southeast Asia.

HOW DID GANDHI FIGHT FOR FREEDOM?

When Indian nationalists were demanding self-rule, one

of the leading campaigners against the British was

Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948). Instead of calling for

an uprising, Gandhi used non-violent methods of

protest. He lived very simply and called for India to

return to the traditional values of village life. He became

known as Mahatma or “great soul”. With his influence,

India became independent in August 1947. However,

he was assassinated in 1948.

HOW WIDESPREAD WAS THE DEPRESSION?

The 1920s and 1930s were already desperate times

in Australia and New Zealand, in Britain, and across

Europe. When an Austrian bank collapsed, chaos

spread to central Europe. Germany was struggling too,

as it tried to recover from World War I and pay

money to France as reparation for the war.

WHAT WAS THE WALL STREET CRASH?

In 1929, US investors found that their stocks and

shares had become worthless. All trading ceased on

Wall Street, New York City’s financial district, as the

New York Stock Exchange crashed. Fortunes were lost

overnight and factories laid off workers.

PEACEFUL PROTEST 3

In 1930, Gandhi broke the

law by marching to the sea to

collect salt. Only the British

were allowed to produce salt.

4 QUEUING FOR SOUP

Hungry men line up for free

soup at a public kitchen in

New York City in 1931. By 1932

over 12 million Americans were

out of work.

1 MONEY FOR PLAY

German children use wads of

banknotes as toy bricks. The

German currency lost value so

quickly that one loaf of bread

could cost millions of marks.

The Depression

An economic depression is a period

of falling prices, low production of

goods, and high unemployment. The

Great Depression of 1929–1934

caused hardship in the United States,

in the countries of Europe, and in

their overseas empires. Banks closed

and firms went out of business.

1920– Gandhi leads

1922 Indian National

Congress

Campaign

1926– Nationalist

1942 agitation in

Indochina

1940 Japan occupies

French Indochina

1941 The Vietminh

founded

ASIA 1920–1942

Asian conflict

Depression