During the Meiji Restoration, Japan transformed into a strong industrialized nation by adopting the Western political, cultural, and technological ideas. Japan was the “only non-Western country to industrialize in the nineteenth century and that, moreover, she did so in an extremely short time” (Sugiyama 1). Japan’s social, political, and economic aspects were all affected by the Western technologies to transform Japan into an industrialized nation (Wittner 1). By adopting the Western ideas during the Meiji Restoration, Japan has turned into a powerful industrialized nation by becoming an “international political player in the 1880s” (Wittner 1).
Prior to the Meiji Restoration, the Western powers viewed Japan as the backward nation because “in terms of military strength and economic development, Japan was indeed far behind the Western nations” (Hane and Perez 84). The Meiji government feared that Western nations would colonize Japan because they had already done it to other Asian countries by using military forces (Hane and Perez 84). The Meiji government’s fear came out to be true when the Western powers imposed unequal commercial treaties on Japan. Because of these unequal treaties Japan was “deprived of the right to regulate tariffs, and Western residents in the treaty ports were granted the privilege of extraterritoriality” (Hane and Perez 84).
However, these unequal treaties were significant to the Meiji Restoration because they became the foundation of Japan’s industrial revolution by providing Japan with the access not only to Western technologies but also to political, cultural, and social ideas (Hane and Perez 82). Moreover, the treaties were important to Japan’s economic future because they increased the Japan’s econom...
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...Restoration was the telephone. Iwadare Kunihiko established Nihon Denki (Nippon Electric Co., also known as NEC) by teaming up with the Western Electric (WE) of the United States (Odagiri and Goto 161). Kunihiko and NEC adopted WE’s technology and communication equipment, which helped expand the production of telephones (Odagiri and Goto 162). The telephone production was important for Japan’s industrialization because communication became easier. Many people were able to keep in touch with their friends and families who live far away by simply calling them. The telephone was also important for business because it sped up the commercial transactions. As more people are using the telephone, more private owned telephone companies were operated to raise profits. The American telephone technology brought industrialization in Japan by increasing the telephone production.
In the early 1800’s, Japan had blocked off all trade from other countries. Foreign whaling ships could not even reload or repair their ships in Japan territory. This offended many other countries. In 1852, Matthew Perry was sent to Japan to negotiate open trade. Japan felt threatened by the United States, and gave in to their demands. Japan was frightened by their stipulations, and immediately began to reform. They developed a new education system that was similar to America and Europe’s. They also developed a Western style judiciary system.
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.
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).
Conroy, Hilary, and Sndra T. W. Davis, eds. Japan in Transition: Though and Action in the Meiji Era, 1868-1912. London and Toronto: Associated University Presses, 1984.
In conclusion, Japan went through many transitions from the mid 1800’s to the early 1900’s. Transitions such as Transformations of Japanese Politics, to Meiji Economics, to Building a Modern Social Structure, and influence of Western Style. Through all changes Japan became a better established country. The Meiji government had made very resourceful and useful decisions that had benefitted Japan and it’s
Meiji Restoration, refers to the 1860s Japan in under the impact of Western capitalist industrial civilization of, from top to bottom, with capitalist nature of the overall westernization and modernization reform movement [1].
Japan’s foreign policy before World War II was that of imperialism. Japan, seeking to increase its autonomy, was eager to gain control of new territories. Like the Europeans, especially Britain, Japan wanted to extend its borders over seas. Imperial colonies would bring Japan the self-sufficiency that it craved by providing new and extended national resources. A Japanese empire would eliminate the need of importing goods from other countries. To establish this empire Japan decided to expand into Manchuria, China and South East Asia, countries which were close to Japan and could more easily be invaded and taken over from the European powers currently in control there. National pride, another factor of imperialism, was very high in Japan. This pride is what drove the desire for national au...
During World War I Japan had successfully placed itself amongst the leaders of the Allied nations. Despite this the Japanese struggled against racial discrimination, which plagued Japanese-Western relations. However, racial discrimination was not one-sided, the Japanese strongly believed that they were spiritually superiors to their western counterparts. This superiority complex combined with Japan’s growth during the war fueled imperialistic desires. Japan aspired to be a contender in the global market economy, but Japan lacked vast resources that the United States and other western Allies possessed. During the great depression Japan’s economy was collapsing as exports declined which in turn led to political upheaval. “The American Hawley-Smoot tariff in 1930, followed the next year by British imperial preference, threatened to cause permanent damage to Japanese economy.” (Gordon, p. 140)
The Western ideas and influence throughout the 1500’s-1800’s impacted the Indian, Chinese and Japanese society economically and culturally. In 1543, the Portuguese arrived in Japan bringing with them guns, clocks, glasses, tobacco and Christianity which brought unification and conversions to Christianity for many of the citizens. The conversions of religion brought about the destruction of temples throughout Japan. In 1598, due to the destruction of the countries religious culture, all Europeans that had traded with Japan were ‘kicked out’ (except for the Dutch and Koreans) resulting in Japan being in isolation for the next 255 years. The isolation brought around a new Shogunate rule which brought about no civil war and peace in the country. T...
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Japan became an “imperial Power” after becoming modernized, opening doors to all foreign relations, and adapting to almost all of the foreign resources. The country Japan strengthen overtime due to the newly advanced technologies. Technologies, such as electricities, trains, telegraphs, and a new form of currency called yen, and a new system of bank was created. Many investments were made to make Japan a rich country, such as the government continuously investing in the military forces. These investments paid off because the Japanese military forced Korean to sign and unequal treaty of their own and allow Japan to obtain its greatest military achievements, which was its victories over China and
In conclusion, the Meiji Restoration was significant in the modernisation of Japan because it exposed Japan to the Western culture, and brought momentous social, political and economic changes to Japan. Historian John Whitney Hall described the Meiji Restoration as “Japan's transition to modernity” and “proved to be one of the pivotal events in Japanese history.” Westernisation and the changes brought by the Meiji Restoration provided the framework for the modern Japan.
During 1868 Japan went through a change that led to the restoration of power in the Meiji Emperor called The Meiji Restoration. The people during the time that were affected the most were the peasants and female silk workers. The Meiji restoration benefited some but not all because peasants barely survived the war and snowstorm of 1884, Young woman were sold by their parents to the factories and modernization that helped the people of Japan mostly was the transportation, The lives of the peasants were very difficult because it seemed like the people didn’t really care for how the peasants lived or the difficulties they faced.
...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.
The economic change that led to the Meiji restoration were isolation, which meant that the Japanese could only trade with the Dutch, there were trade basis that were regarded as being feudal, the Japanese felt that they needed to keep up with the west through industrialization.
Prior to 1960s Japan only focuses on the defence matter and doesn’t think much on building one’s economy but during Meiji restoration in 1868 -1912, it focuses on the development of an economy thus ignored spending on the defence. Instead it comes up with the ‘rich state and strong army policy’ mainly to industrialise the nation so as to compete with the West. Under the government policy,