Rana Mitter, a British historian and professor at Harvard University, has authored Forgotten Ally: China’s World War II, 1937-1945, a comprehensive study of China‘s significant, yet frequently understated, role in World War II. Mitter intentionally titled his book to emphasize this historical oversight.
In interviews, Mitter explained that most Westerners readily identify the United States, the Soviet Union, and the United Kingdom as major Allied powers. However, China‘s participation, beginning with the 1937 Marco Polo Bridge Incident, often gets overlooked. Mitter argues that China was not only an Allied power but the first to engage in the war against Japan in Asia.
Mitter highlighted the critical juncture of 1938. Facing overwhelming odds and lacking foreign allies, China chose to continue fighting Japan despite widespread pessimism, even among Western diplomats. Major Chinese cities like Beijing (then Beiping), Shanghai, Nanjing, and Guangzhou were under Japanese occupation. Mitter emphasizes that China‘s decision to resist, rather than negotiate with Japan, profoundly altered the war’s trajectory in Asia and potentially the global conflict as a whole.
World War II marked a pivotal moment for China‘s international standing. Mitter argues that the war transformed China from a semi-colonized nation to an independent state significantly shaping the post-war global order. China‘s presence at the 1945 San Francisco conference, where the UN Charter was signed, secured a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, solidifying its position on the world stage. Mitter‘s research extends to China‘s involvement in the creation of post-war institutions like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Mitter acknowledges that Western awareness of China‘s WWII role is improving, noting greater inclusion in museums like the National WWII Museum in New Orleans and the Imperial War Museum in London. However, he stresses that much work remains. China‘s wartime experiences remain less thoroughly covered than other major theaters of the war. Mitter concludes that understanding China‘s contributions from the 1930s and 1940s is crucial for comprehending the complexities of today’s global landscape. China‘s role in establishing key institutions and its sustained resistance against Japan are aspects of history that warrant ongoing study and consideration.
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