“Anarchy” against “Order”: French Elite Perception of the Conflict in Manchuria

Abstract

The fall of the French empire in Asia is directly linked to the Second World War and France’s policy of appeasement that preceded it. The issue of France’s attitude to the invasion of Manchuria is important for understanding what French policy in East Asia was during the 1930s. For these reasons, this article intends to show the attitude of French political leaders and how, unable as they were to condemn the aggressor, Japan, it led to the policy of appeasement pursued by all French governments with regard to Japan during the rest of the decade. To do so, this article is based on the published diplomatic archives of the United States and the articles published by the newspaper Le Temps, the unofficial organ of the Third Republic.