Reviews for Japanese Imperialism, 1894-1945

The average rating for Japanese Imperialism, 1894-1945 based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2010-07-19 00:00:00 James Mulcock As I said in one of my comments, this is not an easy book -- it is academic and overly detailed, with lots of minutiae devoted to negotiations and treaties that were unsuccessful (without issue) or of transitory interest. That said, even these details are often instructive and one can skim some pages. The book, however, contains brief -- and clear -- discussions of: the ideological aims and background of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere; of Japanese ultra-nationalism; of the nature of Japanese involvement in Korea, China, Taiwan, the Advance to the South (ninshan) -- and explains clearly how their drive for security and resources led to the United States Embargo, which in turn lead to Pearl. It all makes sense. At the same time, there is none of the glorification of japanese fascism that you find on every page of Toland -- a book which really horrified me, when I attempted to read it several years ago. The book can be highly recommended for those with any interest in understanding 20th century Japanese history -- provided you have mastered the art of judicious skimming. I often found I had to go back and read sections I had skimmed -- which on the second round fascinated me -- but that's the nature of the beast.

Review # 2 was written on 2020-06-26 00:00:00 Vicki Mottley La capacidad de condensar esta cantidad de información es admirable. Reconociendo la necesidad de un acercamiento multi-focal al problema del Imperialismo, Beasley hace un trabajo maravilloso explicando las diferentes raíces y el componente histórico y dinámico del expansionismo. Hay un énfasis claro en cuestiones económicas, pero no renuncia a expresar lo limitado de estas, reconociendo la necesidad de análisis complejos y menos maniqueistas.