The making of an ally: Chiang Kai-shek and American foreign policy, 1936 to 1941 (China, Taiwan).
详细信息
文摘
In 1936 few American policy makers thought very highly of the Chinese Nationalists. Yet by the end of 1941 American policy in Asia was bound to Chiang Kai-shek and his regime. Although the Nationalists hadn't changed, opinions and circumstances had. How this transformation evolved is the thesis of this study. While this work is primarily a study of the Sino-American alliance that developed between 1936 and 1941, it also discusses the foundations of that alliance both in China and the United States. It begins with the rise of Chiang Kai-shek and how he came to consolidate power in revolutionary China in 1927. It also discusses Nationalist policies in early years of the Nanking Decade, and the impact of the Japanese invasion of Manchuria. American foreign policy objectives in the Far East prior to 1936 are examined in detail in order to establish a basis for subsequent policies. Japanese actions in Manchuria and later North China challenged not only the limits of American policy, but also the multilateral peace agreements of the 1920s. Various interest groups such as missionaries, businessmen, philanthropists and the press were always influential with Americans and American policy regarding China. By the late 1930s, these groups would have a significant impact in bringing about major policy changes in the Far East.;The year 1936 was pivotal to Chiang Kai-shek in terms of internal unification and international recognition as the de facto ruler of China. Following Chiang's kidnapping and release in Sian, Americans were optimistic over his commitment to form a united front with the Communists to defeat the Japanese. However that optimism did not translate to material assistance following the Japanese invasion of China in 1937. Despite the collapse of the international peace system in Brussels in November 1937, the American public remained largely indifferent to China's appeals for assistance. Within that context, Treasury Secretary Henry Morgenthau worked quietly to grant economic aid to China. Public indifference also led to the rise and influence of private Americans in forming non-governmental organizations to lobby Congress and the Roosevelt Administration on behalf of assistance to China. In addition to publicizing China's plight in the American media, it was these former missionaries, philanthropists, writers and publishers who were most influential in transforming Chiang Kai-shek from dictator to democrat in the hearts and minds of the American people. Ultimately Japan's alliance with Germany and Italy in 1940 compelled the Roosevelt Administration to take action in the Far East. Because Japan threatened American interests in the Pacific, it became necessary for the United States to have a stable ally in the region. That ally could be none other than Chiang Kai-shek.