Transformation of Japan
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 1853 during the Tokugawa shogunate, Matthew Perry, an American commodore, arrived with an army at Edo Bay to coerce the Japanese government to allow the Americans to trade. In 1856, Japan signed a treaty opening two ports to the United States trade. Soon, other nations such as Britain, Russia, and Holland won similar rights. The opening of Japan to the West created opposition among its people and in the 1860s political crisis came into the open. In 1866, civil war broke out. The samurai armed with the surplus of weapons from the American Civil War defeated the shogunate force. The civil war ended, when the victorious reform group proclaimed Mutsuhito, often called the “Meiji” meaning enlightened one, emperor.
The new Meiji government promptly went about making reforms to the political structure. Feudalism was abolished and replaced with a system, similar to that of the French, of nationally appointing prefects, or district administrators. In the 1870s, the samurai class was abolished and a draft was created to produce a new army.
Meiji leaders traveled abroad to study economic organization, political institutions, and technological advances. The bureaucracy was reorganized and opened to men of talent through the civil service exams. In 1889, a new constitution was issued based on German prototype. It recognized the supremacy of the emperor, but limited the powers for the lower house of Diet. Under the constitution, the emperor commanded the military and chose his own ministers. The Diet had power to pass law and budget if both sides agreed. Voting rights were determined by the amount of property owned; leaving the majority of the population the inability to vote. Japan’s government was centralized and authoritarian, but incorporated busines...
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...shment of the samurai and their fixed salaries that were replaced by worthless government bonds, many became poor. However, during industrialization individual samurai, as well as, several peasants were able to find opportunities and thus could gain social mobility.
Many Japanese copied Western clothing and hairstyles as an attempt to modernize. Japan adopted the Western calendar and metric system. Education incorporated Western teaching in science and mathematics. Several Japanese converted to Christianity. Despite adopting Western trends, the Japanese managed to preserve their traditional values.
In conclusion, Japan became a world giant equal to their Western counterparts. Isolation ended with forced entry by the West. The Japanese government effectively centralized and laid the foundations for industrialization. Industrialization led to economic growth. Economic growth led to a shift in foreign policy to imperialism. In the stages of imperialism, the military took control of government, thus their entry into WWII. After WWII, Japan was slightly devastated but still was able to recover and situate themselves as a dominant superpower for years to follow.
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.
The government was forced to create a national parliament called the Duma. This paved the way for more peasant reforms and an increase in production. Japanese revolts ensued with the opening of Japan to the Western World. The middle and lower classes wanted Japan to be open, while the conservative daimyo did not. Both of these groups looked to the emperor for a decision.
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
A representative government came into being in Japan, for the government was headed by the Cabinet and the Lower House was given the power to approve laws and government budget. The Japanese were represented in government eventually, though to what extent could they affect the government policies was not known. Nonetheless, the Constitution did open the way to some popular participation in the government. To establish a central government, th... ...
At the beginning of the seventeenth century, Tokugawa Ieyasu set up a government in Edo (now Tokyo) and the Edo period began. The Tokugawa regime adopted an isolationist policy that lasted for more than 200 years, cutting off exchange with all countries except China and the Netherlands. The age of the Samurai came to an end with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, and a new system of government centered on the Emperor was set up. The new government promoted modernization, adopted Western political, social and economic systems, and stimulated industrial activity. The Diet was inaugurated, and the people began to enjoy limited participation in politics. From around 1920 a democratic movement gained strength.
To fortify their nations, Japan and the Ottoman Empire underwent modernization and reformations between 1850 and 1914. At the start of the reforms both regions efforts at modernization were defensive, and both regions adopted Western elements into their society. Nonetheless, Japan worked to become a more industrialized nation, dissimilar to the Ottoman Empire, which was unable to create an industrial economy or strong state. Differences are also apparent during this modernization where women in the Ottoman Empire experienced greater opportunities than women in Japan who were suppressed in both public and political life. The efforts made in modernizing and creating reforms during the nineteenth century were defensive in both regions.
Within a short period of time, Japan had caught up with many Western technologies; having established universities, founded telegraph and railroad lines, as well as a national postal system being created. Shipping and textile industries were a huge success an exports rose.
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
When the bakafu navy surrendered in May 1869, it signaled the end of an era in Japan (Schirokauer, 188). The way of the shogunate was finished, the Tokugawa family had been defeated and the wave of revolution swept through Japan. The only problem with that wave of revolution was that the men who were leading it had no real idea where it should be going. The emperor of Japan was a sixteen year-old boy, they knew that the power should not fall right into his hands, but they were not sure how to centralize the power with out giving it directly to him. Feudalism was not to pass all the way out of Japan; it was not going to play the dominant role that it had during the time of the Shogunate rule. The idea that they settled upon was modeled after the Chinese system, it was called bureaucratic centralization. With this decision the Meiji Restoration was starting to materialize into a staying ideology.
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.
One of the things Japan advanced in was technology and that includes weapons. When the samurai fought against the Emperor’s soldiers, the samurai suffered an honourable defeat because even though they lost, they helped start a new era where the worldviews could live together in peace. Weapons were not the thing they advanced in. They also designed and created the bullet train in the future.In the Edo Period, Japan progressed greatly. One of the ways they did that was to use western technology and improve it and add their own touches. In the west they created the railroads and that inspired the Japanese to create a better one. Technology improved over time and that led to great new inventions, including the bullet train. They also advanced in their
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...
...their own career path and destiny for their life.(197) This was a (new concept)** during that time period because the lower class was not always granted the same opportunities as the upper class. (197) The Meiji restoration also introduced the idea of a democratic form of government, rather than a dictatorship.(197) They actually began to give citizens a voice in government, which was an entirely new concept to the Japanese.(197) Not only were the Japanese beginning to gain more rights, but they were also beginning to accept ideas that were once looked down upon(would have never been considered), such as sports(201). The rise of baseball became really popular during the Meiji Restoration as well.(201) Overall the Meiji Restoration was a major advancement in the Japan society and it symbolized the renewal of the Japanese people and a new Japanese government.
From the Meiji Restoration era, democratization efforts were undertaken to modernize Japan. A bicameral system of legislature as well as local, though unelected assemblies were created in the image of the Prussian model (Haddad, 2012, p. 50) and a Constitution placing absolute power with the monarch was formed. Although the main intention of the oligarchs behind the Constitution was to have the national Diet as an advisory body, they "created a series of 'transcendental cabinets' which answered to the Emperor" (Haddad, 2012, p. 50),
...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.