<論説>平沼内閣運動と斎藤内閣期の政治

Abstract

平沼騏一郎は、ロンドン条約問題における枢密院の敗北を契機として、軍部との提携による政権獲得に乗出した。当初平沼は対外的には陸軍皇道派と海軍艦隊派の強硬論を全面的に支持し、対内的には既成政党の打破を目指し、これを支持する元老・重臣勢力に対抗していた。満洲事変を契機として満蒙問題が強圧的な手段により解決され始め、五・一五事件によって政党内閣が崩壊すると、陸軍皇道派の意向を斎藤内閣が全般的に受け容れていたことにより、かえって平沼内閣運動は一時低調期を迎えた。しかし一九三三年に入ると、軍部の内外における独走をある程度抑制して統一された対外国策を樹立し、また軍部の支持を得て国内政治の帰趨をめぐって対立する元老・重臣勢力、既成政党を打倒すべく、平沼の政権獲得への動きは俄に活発化した。そして三三年秋頃から斎藤内閣との関係が悪化していた陸軍皇道派が平沼内閣を希望するに及び、三四年の一〜四月頃において平沼内閣運動が最も有力化する。それは元老・重臣勢力に政権を要求する平沼系と、斎藤内閣を見限り親軍的内閣を期待する軍部の連携運動であったと位置づけられる。

Hiranuma Kiichiro, with the defeat of the Privy Council over the problem of the London Treaty, began to try for political power by means of cooperation with the military authorities. At first, Hiranuma, regarding foreign problems, gave his total approval for the hard line of the "KODO" (皇道) group in the army and the "KANTAI" (艦隊) group in the navy, and concerning domestic problems, he aimed at the defeat of the existing political parties and opposed the power of the "GENRO" (元老) and "ZYUSIN" (重臣) which was supporting them. After the Manchurian Incident, the problems on Manchuria began to be resolved with heavy-handed measures, and as a result of the 5.15 Incident the party cabinet collapsed. From that time, because the Saito Cabinet totally accepted the views of the "KODO" group in the army, Hiranuma's campaign for power received a temporary setback. However, early in 1933, to control the overdone deeds of the military authorities about the domestic and foreign problems suitably and establish the national foreign policy, and to defeat the power of the "GENRO" and "ZYUSIN" and the existing political parties which were opposed to Hiranuma over the lines of the domestic politics by means of the military authorities' support, his motion for the organization of his cabinet got harder suddenly. When the "KODO " group which had made worse the relation to the Saito Cabinet since the autumn of 1933 came to hope for the Hiranuma Cabinat, the campaign for it got much likelier from January to April in 1934. It was the cooperative campaign between Hiranuma group which demanded the political power from "GENRO" and "ZYUSIN" and the military authorities which gave up on the Saito Cabinet and hope for a cabinet in favor of the military authorities.