Political Biography: Tojo Hideki

1884 – 1948.

Japanese; Prime Minister 1941 – 4 .The son of an army officer, Tojo Hideki was educated at Tokyo Military Academy before starting a career in the army. Between 1919 and 1922 he was military attaché in Germany and Switzerland. After returning to Japan he taught at his Alma Mater before becoming Commander of the 1st Infantry Regiment in 1929. Tojo became involved in the complex factional politics of the times, siding with the tõseiha faction that promoted technological innovation in the Japanese military. In 1935 he was posted to Manchuria, returning to Tokyo as Army vice-Minister in 1938 and advocating the continuation of the war with China. In 1940 he became Minister for War, and advocated closer ties with Germany and Italy. In October 1941 he was appointed Prime Minister, where he pushed for a "southward" strategy of taking over the colonies of the defeated European powers, and eventually the attack on Pearl Harbor. In 1944 Tojo resigned as Prime Minister because of the reverses suffered by the Japanese armed forces and the bombing raids on Tokyo.

He attempted suicide in September 1945 to avoid arrest by the Occupation authorities, but following his arrest he did all he could to exonerate Emperor Hirohito of any blame for the war. He was found guilty of war crimes by the Tokyo Tribunal and was executed on 23 December 1948.

Tojo makes himself "military czar"

On this day, Hideki Tojo, prime minister of Japan, grabs even more power as he takes over as army chief of staff, a position that gives him direct control of the Japanese military.

After graduating from the Imperial Military Academy and the Military Staff College, Tojo was sent to Berlin as Japan's military attache after World War I. Having earned a reputation for sternness and discipline, Tojo was given command of the 1st Infantry Regiment upon returning to Japan. In 1937, he was made chief of staff of the Kwantung Army in Manchuria, China. When he returned again to his homeland, Tojo assumed the office of vice-minister of war and quickly took the lead in the military's increasing control of Japanese foreign policy, advocating the signing of the 1940 Tripartite Pact with Germany and Italy that made Japan an "Axis" power.

In July 1940, he was made minister of war and soon clashed with the prime minister, Prince Fumimaro Konoye, who had been fighting for reform of his government, namely, demilitarization of its politics. In October, Konoye resigned because of increasing tension with Tojo, who succeeded him as prime minister. Not only did Tojo keep his offices of army minister and war minister when he became prime minister, he also assumed the offices of minister of commerce and industry.

Tojo, now a virtual dictator, quickly promised a "New Order in Asia," and toward this end supported the bombing of Pearl Harbor despite the misgivings of several of his generals. Tojo's aggressive policies paid big dividends early on, with major territorial gains in Indochina and the South Pacific. But despite Tojo's increasing control over his own country--tightening wartime industrial production and assuming yet another title, chief of staff of the army, on February 21, 1944--he could not control the determination of the United States, which began beating back the Japanese in the South Pacific. When Saipan fell to the U.S. Marines and Army on June 22, 1944, Tojo's government collapsed. Upon Japan's surrender, Tojo tried to commit suicide by shooting himself with an American .38 pistol but he was saved by an American physician who gave him a blood transfusion. He was convicted of war crimes by an international tribunal and was hanged on December 22, 1948.

Tojo supplemental information (handout):

Simkin, John. Spartacus International, Hideki Tojo. 16 Nov 2008 http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWtojo.htm

"Tojo makes himself "military czar"." 2008. The History Channel website. 20 Nov 2008, 01:11 http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6719.

The Rise of Dictators

After World War I, many nations struggled through economic depressions, making them ripe for dictators to rise to power. We will be examining the dictators of Italy, Germany, and Japan. We will be examining and comparing the dictators, how they were able to rise to power, and what they did with their power.

Pre-Thinking: Before learning activity (We will be going through this together)

1.  With a partner, you have 3 minutes to discuss what you know about the following people. Try to find at least two words that describe each of them (write them down).

·  Mussolini (Italy)

·  Hitler (Germany)

·  Tojo (Japan)

2.  Class Discussion (KWL)

3.  Before moving on, you need to become familiar a few terms that are used to describe the types of government and leaders of this time. However, before you actually learn the terms, you will be shown videos of each of the leaders, and you will make observations. We will use these observations to help us define and understand the terms later.

Keep track of your observations on the chart /
Mussolini
Italy
/ Hitler
Germany
/ Tojo
Japan

While watching the video clips,
write describing words about things you notice about each dictator. /

4.  One of the terms is already familiar to you: Nationalism. With the same partner, discuss the definition of nationalism (think of times the U.S. had a burst of nationalism).

a.  Nationalism –

i.  Example from the video clips.

5.  The rest of the terms (word window terms) will be introduced before moving on.

a.  Militarism – glorifying the military, nation led by military leader, preparing the military is extremely important.

i.  Example from the video clips.

6.  The other terms you need to know, are not as easily shown in a video, but by the end of this unit, you will be able to provide examples of each (you will need to come back to this worksheet and write it down).

a.  Totalitarianism – a government that maintains complete control over its citizens. Individuals have no rights, and the government suppresses all opposition.

i.  Example:

b.  Fascism –Nationalism is stressed and the interests of the state are above those of individuals. Under a fascist state, the system of government is centralized under a dictator (a totalitarian state). Often the leader disrespects human rights, controls the media, is obsessed about the nation’s security, is nationalistic and militaristic.

i.  Example:

c.  Dictator – The totalitarian leader of a nation that exercises control by suppressing its opposition through terror and censorship and through nationalism.

i.  Example:

SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY.

These dictators had several things in common as you have seen by the videos. Now you will compare them by reading about them, filling in the chart..

1= Mussolini (page 743)

2= Hitler (page 745)

3= Tojo (page 772 and supplementary information)

Research your textbook and supplemental materials and fill in your dictator’s column on the chart.

/
Mussolini
Italy
/ Hitler
Germany
/ Tojo
Japan

What were the conditions of the dictator’s nation before he took power?
How was the dictator able to come to power?
What evidence do you see of the dictator being nationalistic?
What evidence do you see of the dictator being militaristic?
What goals did the dictator have about territorial expansion?
What did the dictator do with people who opposed him or stood in his way?
What evidence is there that the dictator disrespected human rights?