6. The Japanese Empire
The Japanese Empire was an enormous force that reigned from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until 1947 with the new constitution of what we now know as Japan. The reason behind the success of the Empire was the accelerated industrialization and militarization, which in the early 1920’s led to political turmoil. The Japanese quickly gained a bond with the Axis Alliance, and had many successes in the Second Sino Japanese War between 1937 and 1945. The Empire was known for its brutality against conquered people and war crimes before the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which is when it officially fell and transformed into modern day Japan.