Ideological Factors In American Foreign Policies Toward Japanese Aggression In China From1931to1945

Contemporary studies on the ideological factors in American foreign policiesfocus on the formal ideologies, such as capitalism and communism. Only a fewresearches concern the role of informal ideologies from culture angle. This dissertationaims to discuss and analyze the role of informal ideologies, including liberalism andnationalism with exceptionalism at the core in American foreign policies. Based on themodel of ideological lens, the paper explores American foreign policies towardJapanese aggression in China from1931to1945in terms of foreign policies oneconomy, on politics and military, and on society. As a consequence, we find somedeep-rooted ideological factors in American foreign policies, including legalism,moralism, the Manifest Destiny, a strong awareness of moral standard. And theseideological factors help different social groups—American businessmen, politiciansand the public—understand American national interests and international affairs andsuggest appropriate ways of dealing with the reality. Therefore, by providing justifiedand glorified excuses for a policy, ideologies legitimize the motivation, the means andthe target of American foreign policies.