The racial equality proposal at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference : Japanese motivations and Anglo-American responses
This thesis is a study of the racial equality proposal at the Paris Peace Conference. It explores Japanese motivations for submitting the proposal, and the responses of the British and American governments which eventually defeated it. The thesis uses an analytical framework based on five categories of possible explanations for the proposal: immigration, universal principle, great power status, peace conference politics and bargaining, and domestic politics. The thrust of the analysis contained in the thesis is as follows. For Japan, the proposal meant three things: a means of reaffirming its great power status by securing racial equality with the western great powers in the League of Nations; a justification for Prime Minister Hara whose pro- League position was maintained by a fragile domestic consensus against sceptics in the government and the wider public; and a means of resolving Japanese immigration problems in the United States and British Dominions. But for Japan the proposal was not originally intended as a demand for universal racial equality. For Britain, the proposal was unacceptable because it meant ~free immigration~ of non-white immigrants into the Dominions. In particular, Australia adamantly
Shimazu, Naoko
Race discrimination ; History ; Foreign relations ; 20th century ; Great Britain ; Japan ; United States
The racial equality proposal at the 1919 Paris Peace Conference : Japanese motivations and Anglo-American responses. This thesis is a study of the racial equality proposal at the Paris Peace Conference. It explores Japanese motivations for submitting the proposal, and the responses of the British and American governments which eventually defeated it. The thesis uses an analytical framework based on five categories of possible explanations for the proposal: immigration, universal principle, great power status, peace conference politics and bargaining, and domestic politics. The thrust of the analysis contained in the thesis is as follows. For Japan, the proposal meant three things: a means of reaffirming its great power status by securing racial equality with the western great powers in the League of Nations; a justification for Prime Minister Hara whose pro- League position was maintained by a fragile domestic consensus against sceptics in the government and the wider public; and a means of resolving Japanese immigration problems in the United States and British Dominions. But for Japan the proposal was not originally intended as a demand for universal racial equality. For Britain, the proposal was unacceptable because it meant ~free immigration~ of non-white immigrants into the Dominions. In particular, Australia adamantly
racial equality proposal paris peace conference japanese motivation anglo_american response study racial equality proposal paris peace conference explore japanese motivation submit proposal response british_american government eventually defeat analytical_framework base category possible_explanation proposal immigration universal_principle great_power status peace conference politics bargaining domestic_politics thrust analysis contain follow japan proposal mean three_thing mean reaffirm great_power status secure racial equality western great_power league_nations justification prime_minister whose pro league position maintain fragile domestic consensus sceptic government wider public mean resolve japanese immigration problem united_states british japan proposal originally intend demand universal racial equality britain proposal unacceptable meant free immigration non_white immigrant particular australia