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Dictator: Tôjô Hideki Answer the following: Where? When? What were his Major Beliefs? Why did people follow him? What makes him a DICTATOR?

Dictator: Tôjô Hideki Answer the following: Where? When? What were his Major Beliefs? Why did people follow him? What makes him a DICTATOR?

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Dictator: Tôjô Hideki Answer the following: Where? When? What were his Major Beliefs? Why did people follow him? What makes him a DICTATOR?
Tôjô Hideki General Tôjô Hideki (1884-1948), Japan's wartime leader was known for being harsh on prisoners, biased towards growing the military, and a brutal yet precise strategist. Known within the army as "Razor Tôjô" both for his bureaucratic efficiency and for his strict, uncompromising attention to detail, he climbed the command ladders. Hideki worked closely with those in the army seeking to upgrade and improve Japan's fighting capabilities despite tight budgets and "civilian interference." He played a key role in opening hostilities against China in July. Seeing the military occupation of Chinese territory as necessary to force the Nationalist Chinese government to collaborate with Japan, he continued to advocate expansion of the conflict in China when he returned to Tokyo in 1938 as army vice minister, rising to army minister in July 1940. He pushed for alliance with Germany (where he had served in 1920-1922) and Italy, and he supported the formation of a broad political front of national unity. In October 1941 he became prime minister. Although Tôjô supported last-minute diplomatic efforts, he gave final approval to the attacks on the United States, Great Britain, and the Dutch East Indies in December 1941. Japan's early victories greatly strengthened his personal prestige and his assertion that there were times when statesmen had to "have faith in Victory." When the war intensified, Japan's losses mounted, and its fragile industrial foundations threatened to collapse. Serving as both prime minister and army minister, at various times he also held the portfolios of home affairs (giving him control of the dreaded "thought police"), education, munitions, commerce and industry, and foreign affairs. In February 1944, he even assumed direct command of army operations as chief of the Army General Staff. Yet despite all his posts, Tôjô was never able to establish a dictatorship on a par with those wielded by Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. He served constitutionally at the command of the emperor, without support of a mass party, while crucial power centers, such as the industrial combines (known as zaibatsu), the navy, and the court, remained beyond his control. After Japan's surrender the next year, Tôjô attempted suicide when threatened with arrest by occupation authorities, but he was tried and hanged as a war criminal on December 23, 1948. At his trial, he asserted his personal responsibility for the war and attempted to deflect attention from the emperor.
Transcribed Image Text:Tôjô Hideki General Tôjô Hideki (1884-1948), Japan's wartime leader was known for being harsh on prisoners, biased towards growing the military, and a brutal yet precise strategist. Known within the army as "Razor Tôjô" both for his bureaucratic efficiency and for his strict, uncompromising attention to detail, he climbed the command ladders. Hideki worked closely with those in the army seeking to upgrade and improve Japan's fighting capabilities despite tight budgets and "civilian interference." He played a key role in opening hostilities against China in July. Seeing the military occupation of Chinese territory as necessary to force the Nationalist Chinese government to collaborate with Japan, he continued to advocate expansion of the conflict in China when he returned to Tokyo in 1938 as army vice minister, rising to army minister in July 1940. He pushed for alliance with Germany (where he had served in 1920-1922) and Italy, and he supported the formation of a broad political front of national unity. In October 1941 he became prime minister. Although Tôjô supported last-minute diplomatic efforts, he gave final approval to the attacks on the United States, Great Britain, and the Dutch East Indies in December 1941. Japan's early victories greatly strengthened his personal prestige and his assertion that there were times when statesmen had to "have faith in Victory." When the war intensified, Japan's losses mounted, and its fragile industrial foundations threatened to collapse. Serving as both prime minister and army minister, at various times he also held the portfolios of home affairs (giving him control of the dreaded "thought police"), education, munitions, commerce and industry, and foreign affairs. In February 1944, he even assumed direct command of army operations as chief of the Army General Staff. Yet despite all his posts, Tôjô was never able to establish a dictatorship on a par with those wielded by Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. He served constitutionally at the command of the emperor, without support of a mass party, while crucial power centers, such as the industrial combines (known as zaibatsu), the navy, and the court, remained beyond his control. After Japan's surrender the next year, Tôjô attempted suicide when threatened with arrest by occupation authorities, but he was tried and hanged as a war criminal on December 23, 1948. At his trial, he asserted his personal responsibility for the war and attempted to deflect attention from the emperor.
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