Any World War 2 topic

TOPIC ONE: The Franco-Thai War of 1941 was justifiedDefinitions:Justified: having, done for, or marked by a good or legitimate reason.CRASH COURSE IN 1880s Thai History:Thailand was under huge pressure at the height of imperialism; King Chulalongkorn, the 5th King of the Chakri Dynastry, was forced to conceded one third of Thai lands in the face of western imperialism, but most notably, the almost completely ethnically Thai lands of Laos and some of Cambodia, in which Thailand gained from a costly war with Vietnam. However, this was done in the bests interest of the Thai people; during this period, Thailand almost jumped from feudalism to industrial capitalism, with modern irrigation and railways first being introduced in the early 1900s. THE ORIGINS OF THE FRANCO-THAI WAR:The modernisation of Thai politics was to come much later; in 1932, 27 years after the death of King Chulalongkorn, Thailand (like many other countries) felt the full effects of the "Great Depression". The Thai Currency was incredibly weak (with newspaper costing less than $1, when compared with today's rate of $2), and the nation was experiencing huge economic downturns; it was time for (1,2,3) REVOLUTION! (Well not really, but still) Since the reign of King Rama the V (King Chulalongkorn), Thailand has been sending students to France and other countries to obtain some foreign education; with no surprise, these students were the origins of the so-called 1932 Revolution. Phibulsongkram, whose life has had much significance in Thailand's history and shall do so in this debate as well, engaged in several debates against Marxism. He did not see it as particularly persuasive, but soon became a staunch Anti-Communist in the following years. Soon, several students, now army officers, lauched a Coup D'Etat against the king. Creating a party called the "Khana Ratsadorn", or the "People's Council", the students (aka Army Officers) drafted a new constitution, which effectively turned Thailand into a Constitutional Monarchy (although the role of the monarch under this system was unclear). It did not take long for the syptoms of elitist revolution to follow; Ho Chi Minh alledgedly published a pamphlet, written in English, Thai and Chinese, condemning these "fake" revolutonaries. Democracy in Thailand was clearly unstable; it took only one year for a Coup to take place. There were 3 more rebellions and insurgency (most notably, the Bowdaret Rebellion, where monarchists attempted to reinstall an absolute monarchy) before 1939.THE WAR: After the last rebellion (although it was a purge) attempted against the government of Marshall Pibulsongkram, a stable government was finally created. However, this government was in no way democratic, and in no way liberty loving. But yet this was the government that led Thailand through World War II. At the start of World War II, Thailand initially declared it's neutrality. This was initially a impossible task; Thailand was surrounded by Western Imperialism, and was in Japan's "Greater Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere". However, it was not until 1940, when tensions between both countries (France and Thailand) came to a boiling point. In 1940, the news of the Blitzkrieg and the Fall of France initially incited some waves of nationalist sentiments in Thailand; the Thai government was said to have been "fascistic", and initially wanted to reclaim it's lost lands. After the victorious Japanese invasion of French Indochina in 1940, Thailand concluded that this WAS the perfect time to strike back, and reclaim it's lost lands; now they needed an excuse.They did not have to wait long; in 1940, a Thai man was shot and killed for being in French Indochina without a permit. This incited anger and a wave of nationalist protests, soon leading to outright small scale fighting. Soon, the fighting erupted into a series of skirmishes and a full-scale war broke out. France had an impossible task ahead of them; the citizens of these so called "lost lands" were vulnerable to rebellion, as they were met with Thai leaflets, which called for the reunification of these lands with the Thai Fatherland. Thai forces were highly trained and advanced (on land) with considerable ease.The Renualt FT-17 tanks were easily wiped out by the much more modern Thai tankettes (although when faced with FFL Artillery, the tanks were met with some serious opposition) The Royal Thai Air Force had complete air superiority; the Admiral-Govenor of French Indochina even stated that "It was as if [The Royal Thai Air Force] planes were flown by veteran pilots." The French, however, had a slight advantage at sea, and was able to launch a successful raid on Koh Chang, sinking one Thai ship. However, the Japanese, who always had an eye for ways to peacefully appeal to the Thai government, came in and organized an armistice in which:1. Battambang, Pailin, Siem Reap, Oddachar Meanchay, and Preah Vihear became Thai territory (initially part of French Cambodia)2. Xiangbouli and a part of Champasak Province became Thai territory (initially part of Laos)My Point: This war was a just war, waged on just terms. I have introduced the topic. It is now pro's turn to present his argument.Thank You