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Effects of modernization in japan
The Meiji Restoration and Modernization
The Meiji Restoration and Modernization
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During the early stages of the 17th century, Japan remained isolated, with little contact to any nations. Japan functioned under the rule of the Tokugawa shoguns, a military government which had maintained power since 1603, (Meiji Restoration Britannica). However western nations soon began trying to convince Japan to open up ports for trade, and in 1853, U.S Commodore Matthew Perry sent four ships to Japan, heavily armed with weaponry. He left the Japanese shogun a letter from President Millard Fillmore. The letter asked the Japanese for free trade with the United States, warning that a more powerful fleet of ships would return for the response. Cornered, the Treaty of Kanagawa was signed in 1854, opening two ports and allowing the US to set …show more content…
The period of his rule is known as the Meiji Era, a period of major economic, political and social change, lasting from 1868 to 1912, (Meiji Restoration, Britannica). The Meiji government put full focus into modernizing Japan, statesmen from Japan were sent to western countries to observe the way government and civilization functioned, the gathered information was implemented to Japan, (Beck, Roger, B, 720). Some of the major reforms included, moving the capital, removing feudal class privileges, universal education, a new tax system and much more, (Meiji Restoration, Britannica). These reforms were met with mixed views, while many benefitted from Japan’s modernization, many in the samurai class felt that their status had been destroyed, and many peasants distrusted the new regime and were against its new western policies. This led to large revolts, peaking in the 1880s, (Meiji Restoration, Britannica). However, although drastic changes to the class system created backlash among many Samurai, the Meiji Restoration ultimately benefitted the people of Japan as it led to widespread industrialization, educational benefits and pushed to establish new human rights for the people of …show more content…
Not only did education shift the populus under the philosophy of the new government allowing for further advancements, it benefitted the lives of the Japanese people. Prior to the Meiji Restoration, education was a rarity for the lower classes in Japan, meaning only a small portion of Japan was educated. This all changed however in 1872 with the addition of a universal educational system known as Gakusei. The educational advancements are clearly put in perspective with the fact that by 1906, “school attendance was as high as 95%, and Japan boasted one of the highest literacy rates in the world,” (Education during the Meiji Restoration, Virtual Museum). With education comes a better quality of life for the people. With the majority of the people educated, the Japanese people were now free to pursue greater futures and were given more options for success. Without education one is limited to unskilled labor, which can often be mundane and tiring. The Meiji Restoration gave the citizens of Japan new pathways towards happiness, a massive benefit of the new education system. Furthermore, education benefitted women’s rights and enforced other positive ideals of equality. Before the Meiji Restoration, education was limited to boys from the samurai class. With Japan’s new schooling methods, the educational system “encouraged a democratization
The goals of the Meiji Restoration included dismantling of the old feudal regime and the creation of a nation-state capable of standing equal among Western powers, including the United Kingdom, France, Russia, and the Unites States. The leaders of the Meiji Restoration were mostly young samurai motivated by increasing domestic problems and threats of foreign intrusion. Saigō Takamori was also an influential leader in the Meiji Restoration. He was responsible for leading several rebellions against the government in companionship with samurai warriors and peasants who distrusted the new regime. The citizens of Japan were also, arguably, influential leaders of the Meiji restoration. Under their pressure to insist on the creation of a constitutional government, the government formed a Cabinet system in 1885 and in 1886 began developing the Constitution, which would be presented as a gift from the emperor to the people in 1889 and established a bicameral parliament. Revolutionary tactics from the Meiji Restoration included the development of transportation and communication. Railroads were built, telegraphs connecting major cities, and the institution of a European-style banking system developed. We can clearly recognize differences between the revolutionary tactics of the Meiji Restoration to those in the Mexican Revolution and those in the
Initially Japan’s objective for industrializing was to avoid being overtaken by Western superpowers, however during the process of industrializing the Japanese government realized that industrialization is key in order to remain a dominant force in the market during this new contemporary era. Thus the Japanese began to promote industrialization in order for national prestige, power, and wealth just as Germany did. In the end both countries were successful from modernizing and industrializing. Thus promoting the increase of power and wealth for members of the higher classes. While having generally negative effects on the members of lower classes.
When the American Commodore Perry arrived and forced the Japanese to open up trading with the Americans in 1853 it caused a massive shift in the way Japan was run. The shogun could not deal with the looming threat and began a campaign of anti-foreignism “’Toi!’ (Expel the Barbarians!)” . The shogun eventually capitulated and began to allow foreign ships into Japan; this sparked the anti-foreign element, created by the shogun, to remove the shogun and reinstate the Emperor into power: “’Sonno’ (Revere the Emperor) was added to their mantra of ‘Toi’ to represent the old system where the Emperor was like a god. The Emperor took power back into his hands and renamed himself Meiji meaning “Enlightened Rule.” However, the Emperor did not expel the ‘barbarians’, instead he saw them as a method of creating a better Japan and began a campaign known as the ‘Meiji Restoration’ to modernize the nation. Japan needed to modernize because the western countries had forced the Tokugawa shogunate to sign unfair treaties that greatly favoured the western countries, notably the United States of America, Russia, Great Britain and France . One of the key events of the Meiji Restoration was the decline and fall of the samurai class in Japan. This essay intends to show the reasons for the decline of the samurai at the beginning of the Empire of Japan through the policies enacted during the Meiji Restoration. This will be shown through the military, cultural, political and social reforms enacted by the Japanese government.
In 1900 Britain was in many respects the world’s leading nation, enjoying a large share of world trade, a dominant position in the international money market, and possessing a far flung empire supported by the world’s most powerful navy. Japan was a complete contrast, sharing with Britain only the fact that it too was a nation of islands lying off the shore of a major continent. Until the 1860s it had possessed a social and economic structure more akin to that of feudal, rather than twentieth century, Europe. By the 1990s, the positions were almost reversed. This paper sets out to examine the contrasting democratic political systems of the two nations and to explore the social and democratic consequences of the changes that have occurred.
Many countries had tried to open trade in Japan. Most of those missions had failed until Commodore Matthew Perry’s mission from 1852 to 1854. “Perry’s mission was at least the fourth United States effort to open relations with Japan” (Powell 888). Until Perry’s mission, Japan had isolated itself from most foreign trade. It was dangerous territory to discuss mostly because Japan closed door for trade more than two centuries before trade would be reopened. “In 1853, Perry led four ships into Edo Bay which later to be named Tokyo Bay. The Japanese, who had never seen steamships before,were greatly impressed. Perry was determined to avoid the mistakes of other western envoys” (888). When Perry went to Japan he had impressed the Japaneses with the modern technology which gave him an advantage to those other mission before his. With the Japanese interest and farther help Perry would be able to claim the first successful mission to open trade with Japan at the age of sixty “Commodore Matthew Perry sailed into Edo Bay with a letter from the President of the United States demanding that Japan open its ports to trade” (Gaynor 658). Perry’s demands and the letter from the President persuaded Japan to find a ground floor for trade. Perry’s mission lead to the Treaty of Kanagawa which open trade between Japan and the United States.
Although Japan did offer universal education, the curriculum was segregated and gender-specific. Not only was the role of women in public life harshly suppressed, but laws were made to forbid women from joining political parties and meetings. Constitutions and civil codes gave no political rights to women and instead gave full authority to the male head of the family. Women in the Ottoman Empire experienced greater opportunities because the reform-minded class that emerged in the Tanzimat era believed that the development and teaching of women helped strengthen the state. Male reformers of Japan, on the other hand, still believed women’s roles lay in the context of family life.
The incursion of Western powers into Japan–and especially the arrival in 1853 of Commodore Matthew C. Perry of the U.S. Navy, on a mission to get Japan to open its doors to international trade–proved to be the final straw. In 1858, Japan signed a commercial treaty with the United States, followed by similar ones with Russia, Britain, France and Holland. The controversial decision to open the country to Western commerce and investment helped encourage resistance to the shogunate among conservative forces in Japan, including many samurai, who began calling for a restoration of the power of the
Perry believed that "our people must naturally be drawn into the contest for empire." In 1852, he accepted command of the East India squadron in order to lead an expedition to Japan. The U.S. State Department directed him to negotiate a treaty of amity and commerce that would open Japan to relations in as full a range as possible. Perry prepared steadily for the formidable task of inducing Japan to negotiate a document favorable to the United States. In 1846, Japan had humiliated and expelled an American emissary, leading Perry to conclude that a resolute show of force would prove essential to the "opening" of Japan. He, therefore, shaped a small but powerful armada of four ships, including the steam-driven paddle wheelers Susquehanna and Mississippi.
In 1868, after more than two centuries of self-imposed isolation, Japan finally begun to emerge into the modern world. The beginning of the 16th century saw the Tokugawa family awarded military control of Japan, and the introduction of an isolation policy on their behalf. During this period, starting in the 1630s and ending with the arrival of Matthew Perry in 1853, Japan had extremely limited contact with the outside world. Japanese culture and Japan’s internal economy continued to develop, however, almost completely without foreign influence. After reopening its borders to the rest of the world in 1868, the nation entered a period of rapid modernisation, drawing in technological, cultural, military and educational influences from other countries around the world. The Tokugawa family’s isolation policy had a moderate effect on the modernisation of Japan. The isolation policy had allowed Japan to progress beyond localised warfare, establishing trade and communication routes between previously disconnected localities, and together with the the 250 years of peace enabled by Tokugawa rule, allowed Japan’s continuous development throughout this period. The Tokugawa family’s isolation policy prevented foreign influence, however, separating the country even further from the West. Japan’s modernisation after this period saw the introduction of a bureaucratic government, improvements to their transport system, further improvements to their industrial sector upon those already made during Tokugawa rule, and the implementation of a powerful military. This military along with other things, led the Japanese down the path of rapid international expansion and colonisation (Pyle, 2006).
Learn all you can from the Europeans and Americans"2 was what Emperor Meiji was speaking to the Japanese in 1867. During this period, Japan agreed. to change its hereditary authority and class barriers between its people. Japan also opened their ports during this period 4 and sold fuel to other countries such as the US.5 The Japanese language took a major turn, too. with the addition of borrowed words from all over the world.6 Japan borrowed the American education system of elementary, middle school and universities during this time.7 A new western style army and universal military conscription program was soon set up by General Yamagata Autamo.
Russia wanted to open trading relations with Japan and when the Japanese denied the proposal for trade between themselves and Russia, Russia attacked already established trading posts in Japan knowing they didn’t have the the forces in order to defend. In response to this attack, Japan captured a captain of a Russian surveying group and held him until Russia agreed to stipulations before he could be released. The shogunate was weary of westerners and had great respect for its ancestors so initiating any new foreign relations wasn’t allowed and if there were to be any contact with foreigners it was under strict orders of how and when. The shogunate while weary was aware that there were many countries wanting to establish relations with Japan and was against having any contact at all so the country of Japan was closed off to all western powers and an isolationist policy was born. This policy while in theory would help the country of Japan protect itself in its vulnerable state wound up impoverishing itself and they hurt themselves more in the process by stifling their economy even further. During this period of isolation, Japan tried working to improve itself in order to be ready for that one day when the country would no longer be closed off to all other powers around them. They spent more time on military training as well as developing new
Though it seems that it was the Western influence that set off this revolutionary change, a more scrutinizing look into Japanese society at the time reveals that Japan was in fact on the brink of supplanting the fixed, hierarchical Tokugawa order for one that was better suited for its fast evolving, capitalistic society. As historian David Lu states, “Our people began to discover [modern civilization’s] utility and gradually and yet actively moved towards its acceptance. However, there was an old fashioned and bloated government that stood in the way of progress.” (Lu, 351). Therefore in a way we can view the intrusion of Western powers in Japan on that infamous July day in 1853 as an event that occurred during a time when Japan was ready for a world renewal, and not a direct and complete cause of modernization of Japan; in fact it was Japan’s revaluation of modernization and what it meant to be Japanese amidst strong western influences that eventually ...
Both the Japanese and the Russians agreed on the fact that if they wanted to make significant advances in their countries it was vital for them to better educate their citizens. Because of this, both countries placed a substantial emphasis on the importance of improving their education systems. They were willing to take the necessary precautions in order to make significant advancements and become dominating world powers. Of course, both countries knew that the intelligence of their citizens and the success of their country were two aspects that were directly correlated. Peter the Great mainly focused on educating the noble, while the Meiji Emperor was concerned about the education of all of his citizens(62)(197). The Meiji administ...
The Meiji Restoration was a political revolution during the Meiji Period (1868-1912) that resulted in the collapse of the Tokugawa Shogunate and restored the control of Japan to the rule of Emperor Meiji, which means enlightened rule (cite). The end of the Tokugawa Shogunate terminated Japan’s isolationist foreign policy known as sakoku (cite) and resulted in a new era of reformist political, economic, ideological and technological development along with westernization
Imperialism has not only influenced colonial territories to better themselves or to further the mother country’s realm of power, it also had a significant impact on the people’s culture, education, environment, and political systems. Japan and Britain were two imperial systems that countered each other in many facets but also had strikingly similar qualities that had helped them become strong imperial powers that needed one another to continue their position amongst others. The Japanese empire was an inspirational country to other Asians that spearheaded the fight against the European imperialism. After the Meiji restoration, the emperors decided that the modernization of Japan was going to begin and in order for it to be a success, the government had to change along with their culture, “.restored authority faced new dangers in a new age.