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Autarky
Economic self-sufficiency, where a state aims to produce all goods and resources domestically rather than relying on international trade. Pursued by fascist Italy, Nazi Germany, and the USSR.
Kuomintang (KMT)
Chinese Nationalist Party founded by Sun Yat-sen, also known as the Guomindang (GMD). Under Chiang Kai-shek's leadership from 1925, the KMT unified China through the Northern Expedition and governed as the national government from Nanjing until 1949.
Kwantung Army
Japanese military force stationed in Manchuria that initiated the 1931 invasion, defying civilian authority.
Manchukuo
Japanese-controlled puppet state established in Manchuria in 1932, ruled nominally by the last Qing emperor, Puyi.
Militarism
The belief that the military should dominate politics and national policy, often justified by claims of national destiny.
Northern Expedition (1926-1928)
GMD campaign to end warlordism and unify China under central rule.
Taisho Democracy
A term describing Japan’s movement toward greater political liberalization and party politics during the 1910s and 1920s.
Ultranationalism
An extreme form of nationalism that glorifies the nation and seeks expansion through conquest.
Warlord Era (1916–1928)
Period of political fragmentation after the death of Yuan Shikai, when military governors ruled regional territories.
Zaibatsu
a large Japanese business conglomerate