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Meiji modernization of japan
The Meiji Restoration and Modernization
Meiji Restoration played a significant role in the modernisation of Japan
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JAPAN'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
In the following paper I will be examining the process of economic development in Japan. I begin with their history in the Meiji period and how that effected their great success in the postwar development. Then I will go through the different economic stages of economic development in postwar Japan. I will examine the high periods and low period in Japan economics, and the factors behind these shifts in development. Last I will give a conclusion and where I believe Japan economy will be in the future.
To understand Japan economic boom after the war you must also look at there history. Without the creation of the industrial economy during the Meiji Japan this economic growth after postwar could have not happened. To look even closer lets examine the period before called the Tokugawa period, from 1630's until the 1860's. Smith explains that "during this period Japanese economy experienced unparalleled growth and structural change" (Smith, Page 4). The system was set up on rules and obligations on all sections of society. These systems of control helped rapid urbanization.
Education is also a factor in the economic development in Tokugawa period. Tokugawa Japan abapted Confucianism belief system from there neighbors China. This became important because "one of the distinctive traits of Confucianism was reverence for education and learning" (Smith, Page 5). This spread of education was dramatic. Not
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Only did the knowledge seep the upper class (such as the samurai and merchants) but in order to expand business it filtrates down to the peasants and artisans also. During this period up to forty percent of boys and ten percent of girls were educated by the 1850's. These are great numbers compared to other societies. The Tokugawa period in turn developed an economy familiar to bureaucratic direction and directed by the well-educated people stated Dennis Smith.
In 1869 the Tokugawa shogunta was bought down and Meiji restoration began. Japan was under great change. Meiji Japan began to industrialize. This was due to the western countries that have already industrialized. It was through private investment and enterprise that Japan began this process. The backbone of industrialization was the zaibatsu. Zaibatsu were industrial and financial conglomerates. They were given government support including benefits from government subsidies and sell-off of government factories. The first of these zaibatsu were Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo, and Yasuda. Growth of industrialization began slowly. In the beginning they still depended largely on United States and Europe for most specialized and worldly machinery and manufactured goods.
In the 17th century, Japan’s economy grew. The resources previously used for war were now used for land reclamation. This doubled agricultural production and doubled population from 12 million to 24 million. Some of the by products produced were, cotton, silk, indigo, and lumber. After the growth of the economy, commence also grew. Townsmen governed districts and Samurai watched over the cities. Services such as schools, police, and Firefighter companies were provided. Merchants provided moneychangers, pawn brokers, peddlers, small shops retail establishments, and wholesale merchants. In the early 18th century, Japan adopted Confucianism, which would put schools in every district.
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.
With the gradual decline of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the restoration of the Imperial title, Japan began its second phase of foreign borrowing by entering ‘secondary civilization,’ or industrial society (Suzuki, 1995 p.773). Beginning in the late Tokugawa period, the power of the shogun and the damiyos progressively began diminishing under political pressure and the deteriorating financial condition of the nation. Dissatisfied with the conditions, the people began leaning towards the restoration of the nation as an Empire, which occurred in 1867-68 with the resignation of Tokugawa Yoshinobu (15th Tokugawa Shogun), marking the beginning of the Meiji Restoration. The transfer of power to the Emperor proceeded smoothly, indicating the beginning of Japan’s radical influence and changes from the west. At the beginning of the Meiji period, Japan was primarily an agricultural nation with a weak military and scarce technological development still largely traditional in nature. Power was transferred into the hands of noble samurai that had opposed Tokugawa rule, acting in the name of the Em...
After World War 1 Japan had a hard time adjusting to the new world. “While its economy was still primarily agricultural, rapid population growth (to over 80 million) had diminished the amount of land suitable for farming. Many people lived in small houses, lacking running water. In a nation about the size of California, only one of every six acres was farmland. This put great pressure on Japanese government to find more space and land for its people.” (America Enters World War II page 12). Japan attempted to change its agricultural-based economic system to an industrial based system. “But the international system of trade barriers and tariffs, established by the United States and other industrial powers to protect domestic manufacturing, hindered Japan’s industrial expansion.” (America Enters World War II page 13). Many of the materials Japan needed were found in neighboring countries that were controlled by European powers. Japan began to question it’s right to Asian markets and raw materials. “J...
During the time period between the 1850s and 1950s, Japan underwent massive changes politically, economically, and socially. Acknowledging the failure of isolation, Japan imitated the West in an attempt to modernize, however, still retaining its own identity. A reorganized and more centralized government allowed Japan to industrialize in half the time it took the nations of Western Europe. Industrialization provided Japan with the tools needed to transform itself from a half civilized and “backwards” society during isolation, to a dominating superpower during WWII.
In the late nineteenth century, Japan’s economy began to grow and industrialize. Because of the scarcity of natural resources in Japan, they relied on imported materials from other countries. In September 1940, the United States placed an embargo on Japan by outlawing exports of steel, iron, and aviation fuel, because Japan took over north...
This final cartoon fits in quite nicely with many of the topics we have discussed in class. The artist depicted an angry mob of U.S. citizens carrying wooden boards chasing American Indians out of their country. To me that was just ironic because the mob chasing the Indian are the actual immigrants within this country. Personally, I think the stigma behind immigration reforms involving American Indians is a joke because this is their country and we are the immigrants in most cases. The angry mob stated “Immigrants go back to where you came from” and the Indian man responded with “Took the words right out of my mouth.” The dialogue within this political cartoon was quite comical in a sense because Native Americans saw Anglos as the immigrants to their land. The basic knowledge of knowing that Native Americans are indigenous to the Americas and the struggle that they have endured from intruding Anglos is sufficient background information to analyze this cartoon. I believe that the artist 's intended message was to explain why we should not push immigration onto the American Indians when we are the culprits and Immigrants of this country who destroyed their cultural roots. Political cartoons can be beneficial tools in explaining and understanding political problems happening not only in the United States, but globally as
The inception of the Tokugawa Shogunate around 1600 would reduce the impact of foreign relations throughout Japanese society. This bulwark helped resist change and development in Japan, although it continued throughout the western world. Following two hundred years of self imposed seclusion from the rest of the world, the forceful re-entry of the foreigner brought about considerable change in Japan. While managing the foreign threat, there was also an imbalance of power in the current feudal system of the Tokugawa Shogunate. This imbalance created uncertainty for Japan and the imperialistic foreigners. This imbalance and uncertainty would lead to the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate and the emergence of the Meiji Restoration. However, to understand the transition between the current Shogunate government and the modernization through the Meiji Restoration, it is imperative to realize not only the necessity of modernization but also difficulties modernizing presented. To achieve modernization, Japan would have to abandon or modify various traditional cultural institutions and ideologies which were weakening the Japanese Nation.
The Tokugawa Shogunate, although a very strong government, gave way in 1868 because of slow economic decline. The economy suffered in many ways, starting with a population growth that strained resources. The Shogun, as Confucians, wanted Japan to be an agriculturally based civilization but that fell to pieces as more and more peasants moved to cities to become artisans or merchants. These merchants would then manipulate the price of rice in order to make the largest profit. Samurai had to convert rice into cash, but it became harder for them to do so when the shogun could not stabilize rice prices. Merchants soon grew richer than daimyo and samurai who still held the higher social status. The Shogunate made laws that stopped all travel in and
“Criminality is learned in the same manner as any other learned behavior” (Siegel). People, and criminals, learn motives, values and techniques from interactions and experiences with other people. This can be with parents and family members or peers in someone 's life. The theory says that the criminal need someone to teach them the criminal acts before they commit the act themselves. This theory “affirm[s] the importance of criminal contact as a means for learning how to offend” (McCarthy). Most people do not wake up one day and decide to start being criminals. Most of the time, that person has friends and acquaintances around them already doing criminal acts. That person might think that the acts are criminal and bad but, after a while of hanging around them, especially if they never get in trouble, the deviant acts will look more normal. People become “delinquents because of an excess of definition favorable to violation of law over definitions unfavorable to violation of law”
The major premise of this is that the development of the unconscious personality early in childhood influences behavior for the rest of a person’s life. Criminals have weak egos and damaged personalities. The main focus of this is mental illness. In regards to social learning theory, one’s criminal behavior is learned through human interactions. Learning theories help explain the role that peers, family, and education play in shaping criminal and conventional behaviors. If crime were a matter of personal traits alone, these elements of socialization would not play such an important a part in determining human behaviors. Mental illness is part of the major crime causation for trait theory. According to some estimates, as much as 50% of the U.S. prison population suffers from some form of mental
Born in 1818 in Prussia, Karl Marx was a philosopher, journalist, historian, sociologist, economist, and revolutionary socialist. Marx is most notably known for founding socialism, a system of society in which no property is held as private, and his economic works, like the Communist Manifesto and Das Kapital. His fundamental ideas, later known as Marxism, created the base of Socialist and Communist movements throughout the world. Marx also had a very close friend named Friedrich Engels. Engels, born in 1820 in Prussia, was philosopher and collaborator of Karl Marx. Engels helped Marx co-author The Communist Manifesto and edit Das Kapital. Throughout The Communist Manifesto, key themes are showcased in Marx and Engels’s argument on economics. The major argument is for Communism. Marx states that Capitalism
Oedipus, a great and noble king was flawed by his hubris, or spiritual pride. Oedipus believes that he could avoid what the oracle told him long ago: he would kill his father and then marry his mother. Instead of returning to his...
...high power status, Japan had to have a self-reliant industrial common ground and be able to move all human and material resources (S,195). Through the Shogun Revolution of 1868, the abolition of Feudalism in 1871, the activation of the national army in 1873, and the assembly of parliament in 1889, the political system of Japan became westernized (Q,3). Local Labor and commercial assistance from the United States and Europe allowed Japan’s industry to bloom into a developed, modern, industrial nation (Q,3). As a consequence production surplus, and food shortage followed (Q,3). Because of how much it relied on aid of western powers, Japan’s strategic position became especially weak. In an attempt to break off slightly from the aid of the west Japanese leaders believed that it would be essential for Japan to expand beyond its borders to obtain necessary raw materials.
Reflection: The purpose of the Bible is to be the medium of His revelation to us. God used the means of words to communicate his special revelation to His creatures. The Word is addressed to every type of person. God reveals to us what will happen to us if we are a Jew, gentile, Christian, Pagan etc. It is his means of communication to us. Which is why it is important for us to learn the language that it was original written in. If someone were to write you a love letter in Spanish, and you had to translate it into English, you would not understand the full essence of what that person wrote to you. God has written us the “love letter” in a sense and it is important