| Popis: |
Unprecedented in its scope, the First World War was also unique in the Western efforts it triggered to find the “meaning or direction of history”, a desire to see war as the secret to a peaceful world. But for Asia, how could this “direction of history” mean anything other than decolonization combining modernization and pre-modern roots? In 1914, this was achieved only by Japan, something made possible by its military victories but also by its immunity to external influences and its remoteness. Japan was a “Far Asia”, hence its view of China: a strong China would weaken the protection afforded by Japan’s distant location; weak, it would attract Westerners. For Japan, the war was less an opportunity to act than it was a period of self-interrogation. |
