Why is the Second Sino-Japanese War not lumped in with World War 2 like the rest of the fronts are? What are some intere

[renwee]

I've never understood this. China is never considered one of the allies and the conflict, apart from Nanking, is rarely discussed in history class (at least in America). In some way or another it involved almost every country that was a combatant and the outcomes are still being seen today yet I know hardly anything about the topic.

Somebody fill me in!

[adachi]

I think we just suffer from an eurocentric view in the west. It was the same for me in school, I only learned about World War II in Asia beginning with Japan's attack on western nations. Hopefully as more works on the Second Sino-Japanese War in English are produced more can adopt the belief that WWII did not begin with Germany's invasion of Poland in 1939, but rather Japan's invasion of China in 1937.

[Joseph_C]

The Second War was really and only a World War between december 1941 and may 1945. Beween 1937 and 1941 there was only an Asiatic War, and between 1939 and 1941, an European War. Both wars overlapped and became a true world war when Japan declared war to the British Empire (until then, enemy of Germany and Italy), and Germany and italy declared war to the United States (until then, enemy of Japan).

[OpanaPointer]

The first two major combatants in WW2 were China and Japan. This should be clear.

[EwenS]

The Second War was really and only a World War between december 1941 and may 1945. Beween 1937 and 1941 there was only an Asiatic War, and between 1939 and 1941, an European War. Both wars overlapped and became a true world war when Japan declared war to the British Empire (until then, enemy of Germany and Italy), and Germany and italy declared war to the United States (until then, enemy of Japan).

Try telling that to the RN and the KM. Before PH the RN was chasing German raiders across the South Atlantic, Indian Ocean to Australian and New Zealand waters, where they were laying mines, bombarding Nuaru’s phosphate facilities and sinking ships around there (800+ miles north east of the Solomons in the Pacific). RCN AMCs patrolling and intercepting German merchant shipping off the western South American coast as they sought to return to Germany, and the cruiser Liverpool removing German citizens from a Japanese ship off the Japanese coast and causing an international incident in Jan 1940. German raider Pinguin went as far south as Antarctic waters to capture the Norwegian whaling fleet in Jan 1941. The Atlantis patrolled waters east of New Zealand, capturing a ship, and French Polynesia before crossing the Pacific to round Cape Horn to return to the Atlantic in the latter part of 1941 to be sunk there in Nov.

That seems to cover most of the globe.

[Cantankerous]

The first two major combatants in WW2 were China and Japan. This should be clear.

Some historians bring up the Second Sino-Japanese War when arguing that World War II started before 1939, because Japan's invasion of Manchuria came a few years before Mussolini's invasion of Ethiopia, and the Japanese attacked the Marco Polo Bridge a little over year after Ethiopia became a colony of Italy. Recall that the term World War II first appeared in a June 12, 1939 issue of the Time magazine (which also coined the term World War I), so it's possible that a growing consensus of historians will decide that the Second Sino-Japanese War began with Japan's invasion of Manchuria and thus marked the "true" beginning of World War II.

[OpanaPointer]

European historians still cling to the idea that Europe is a continent. Eurocentrism says that nothing important happened unless Europeans were involved. Happily that seems to be fading.