In the late nineteenth century Japan was in the midst of rapid transformation that began with the Meiji restoration, the new leaders of the time sought to achieve major political, economic, and social change in order to align with the seemingly more developed western powers. One of the most influential and appealing theories coming out of the West at that time was Social Darwinism, or more specifically, an application of biological concepts of natural selection and survival of the fittest to sociology and politics. This progressive thinking saw the development and legitimization of social hierarchy and “the divisions between populations of human beings, although socially constructed and transmitted, came to be perceived as ‘natural’ and inevitable” …show more content…
Of particular importance was oath five which stated “Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundation of imperial rule” (Tsunoda, 137) In particular Japan was passionate in adopting the western view on the Darwinian paradigm of evolution; this concept was expressed in Japan’s rapid colonial expansion and the subsequent treatment of the colonised peoples. One particular group of people that were systematically categorized, excluded, and dominated were the Ainu, who were located on the northern Island of Hokkaido. Following the enthronement of Emperor Meiji, the Ainu lost the ownership of their lands, this was …show more content…
Japan’s Family Registration Law came into effect in 1871 and saw the Ainu people not only categorised as commoners, but with the added classification of ‘former aborigine’(Hanazaki, 120), further instilling the idea that the Ainu were inferior, and therefore rightly subjugated to these poor conditions. This was not a uniquely Japanese idea; precedents can be observed in other empires, such as with the Australian aborigines, or the Lakota Sioux. Since at the time both American and European development in social sciences focused on the ‘race’ aspect of Darwinism, the Ainu were “regarded as a primitive race who had not yet developed the benefits of civilization” (Hanazaki, 120). The Ainu were left with two choices, either assimilate into Japanese culture and identity, or under the rule of survival of the fittest be doomed to extinction. Japan had a clear plan for what the Ainu should be, “the ideology and policy of the Meiji government was for the Ainu to become farmers” (Hanazaki, 120). In a time where technological advances greatly facilitated industrial and
the concerns facing the nation as it moved into the modern age. The industrial revolution sparked
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.
The time period that we are calling the Age of Industrialization occurred in the 1700s and 1800s. During this time period, innovations and changes occurred in agriculture, technology, and communication. The first advancements began in Great Britain and soon they spread throughout the world. The rural areas of Great Britain transformed between 1760 and 1830.
In an era where industrialization was king,
Entering an era of mechanization and large scale production by the second half of the nineteenth century due to the expansion of railroads, mining, factories etc.
The Industrial Age of America was a time for many positive changes in society. The end of the Civil War encouraged production. This mass production was made possible due to the development of machines and factories, which brought on great prosperity for the middle
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 ...
The Japanese empire practiced a form of Othering where they marked the Taiwanese aborigines as “savage” and “barbaric” and claimed that the empire was doing them a service by bringing them modernity and civilization. The discourse of civilizing the savages as a justification
In the primordial times of the Heian period, Japan procured and practiced matrilineal systems within their isolated society for over 2,000 years. During the Heian period, situated in 12th century A.D., women were given the privileged of inheriting, managing, and retaining property of their own (Kumar, 2011). It was not until Japanese culture adopted the Confucian ideas of China that the society began to integrate a patriarchal system. Confucian ideals had a prominently drastic impact and influence in Japanese society. The Confucian ethical system stressed the utopian idea of a society in which a hierarchal structure is maintained. The hierarchal structure’s foundation is based upon the subservient and submissive idea of subordinates’ obedi...
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.
during this time brought about huge gains in productivity. Wether it was the power loom, steam
Horn, Jeff, Leonard N. Rosenband, and Merritt Roe Smith. Reconceptualizing the Industrial Revolution. Dibner Institute Studies in the History of Science and Technology. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2010.
Our preliminary class gave a brief, yet detailed outline of major events affecting the East Asian region. Within that class, prompted by our limited geographical knowledge of Asia, we were given a fundamental explanation of the geographical locations of the various events taking place in the region. In subsequent classes, we were introduced to the major wars, political shifts, and economic interests which shaped Japan, China and Korea to what they are today. We examined the paradigm of pre-modern Japanese governance, the Shogunate, and the trained warriors which defended lord and land, Samurai. In addition, we examined the socio-economic classes of Medieval Japan, which included the Samurai, peasants, craftsmen, and the merchants. We also examined pre-1945 Japan’s policies toward foreign entities, notably the Sakoku Policy, which sought to expunge all foreign presence and commerce in an effort to protect its borders and culture. 1945, however, saw ...
Ever since the Industrial Revolution (1780s), the impact of technology has been subject to public debate over its effect on employment – does it cause unemployment or does it underlie the huge increases in standards of living (Jones 1996, p.11)? While it is difficult to ascertain the relationship between technology and employment, all that can be said with any certainty is that technological advancement has the capacity to create revolutionary economic and social changes (Jones 1996, p.21). In order to provide a clear analysis of the impact of technology on employment, we need to take into account the consequences of technological transitions and seek to relate these to social, economic, political, and cultural factors occurring at the time.