The Meiji Constitution was a Blend of Many Conflicting Ideas
It has been said that “the Meiji Constitution of 1889 was a blend of
many conflicting ideas.” This statement is true to a great extent as
the Constitution contained a number of inconsistency and ambiguities.
As a matter of fact, it was proclaimed with the intention of solving
certain existing problems rather than giving Japan a liberal and
democratic institution. It served as a symbol of progress: appeasement
of those discontented and politically conscious; consolidation of
power of Meiji oligarchs; a cover of democracy; stimulus of Japan’s
nationalism as well as a typical example of imitation of the West, all
of which were conflicting in meaning to each other. The Meiji leaders
adopted a utilitarian approach in drafting the Constitution and they
tried to balance and reconcile these conflicting forces. In short, the
Meiji Constitution was made with the aim of killing several birds with
one stone.
The first blend of conflicting ideas was appeasement versus
symbolization, which led to the birth of the Constitution in 1889. As
early as Meiji Restoration, there was a clamor for parliamentary
government from the aggrieved and the politically conscious. The
discontented included the idle ex-samurai and indebted peasants. The
politically-conscious were merchants and educated class. The clamor
came to head the ‘People’s Right Movement’ in the 1870s. Consequently,
the Meiji Government decided to promulgate a constitution to calm down
the unrest.
However, this idea of appeasement was opposed to the idea of
necessity. Democratic institutions were considered the inevitable
c...
... middle of paper ...
... publication, public meetings
and association. However, all these rights were useless whenever it
seemed appropriate by the government. Therefore, in this blend of
conflicting ideas, Japanization formed a greater proportion.
Although the Meiji Constitution was a blend of many conflicting ideas,
it was a success for several decades. The reason for its success lied
in that: although the ideas themselves were contradictory, there was
no common ground on which they clashed, as some ideas were only
superficially meant and therefore given only the show of them, while
other ideas were seriously meant. However, the Meiji Constitution must
be a blend of conflicting ideas, it could not be purely progressive as
Japan could not change herself overnight. A blend of conservatism and
progressives was only the practical thing to do.
...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.
John Adams was the last Federalist president which led to the next 16 years of Thomas Jefferson as president for two terms and James Madison as president for two terms. Jefferson and Madison were members of the Republican Party, which had principles and philosophies that were very different than the views of the Federalists. Jefferson and Madison each abandoned the Republican philosophies for Federalism. Jefferson and Madison took on Federalist views while being President of the United States. However, Jefferson and Madison each picked somewhere to stand their ground and keep some of their Republican views.
Gluck, Carol. Japan's Modern Myths: Ideology in the Late Meiji Period. Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 1985. Print.
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.
A few aspects of Japan’s industrializing gave insight to the hectic political theater in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries: imperialism, industrial capitalism, and growth of the national image. Imperialism molded politics in Japan due to the ability for it to convince the population to believe that the Empire was doing the will of the people, and that the Empire answered to the people and not their own interests. Industrial capitalism at the end of the nineteenth-century brought important political changes. The industrialization of Japan gave birth to a larger class of laborers who gathered in cities such as Osaka and Tokyo. These people would later develop a new view of the future for a modern Japan. The growth of national image was encouraged by the political electoral process. Demonstrations and political rallies became sort of a normal occurrence, this is unprecedented for Japan.
The Articles of Confederation was the first government of the United States. The Articles had created a very weak national government. At the time the Articles were approved, they had served the will of the people. Americans had just fought a war to get freedom from a great national authority--King George III (Patterson 34). But after this government was put to use, it was evident that it was not going to keep peace between the states. The conflicts got so frequent and malicious that George Washington wondered if the “United” States should be called a Union (Patterson 35). Shays’ Rebellion finally made it evident to the public that the government needed a change.
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...
The militarization of Japanese society during the 1930s and 1940s was total and absolute. Military rule dominated nearly all aspects of life, from politics to education, a shift that seems incongruous with the democratic attitudes that defined the preceding Taishō era. However, this shift was in fact not so radical; rather, militarism progressed naturally out of the rapid modernization that Japan had undergone in the decades prior, and the fundamental values that formed the basis of the Meiji Revolution and Taishō democracy would continue to power Japan’s war engine through World War II.
From five states arose delegates who would soon propose an idea that would impact the United States greatly. The idea was to hold a meeting in Philadelphia called the Constitutional Convention in 1787 meant to discuss the improvements for the Articles of Confederation and would later be called the United States Constitution. The United States Constitution was greatly influenced by Ancient Rome, the Enlightenment, and Colonial Grievances.
The Founding Fathers created the Constitution “in Order to form a more perfect Union”. As we are well aware, this concept of a more perfect Union can be challenged for a number of different reasons. While following some sort of guideline is necessary to run a country, we have to be aware of whether or not these regulations properly fit within the structure of society that is active during the present time. We should then begin to question the very structure of what we are being governed by, and realize that maybe it’s time for changes to be made. I believe that there are ways in which the Founding Fathers did what they were supposed to do while making the Constitution, however I also believe that there are huge flaws within the system.
The Constitution is the greatest document in American history. It has pushed for progressiveness and equality. The Constitution is basically the supreme law of the United States. The Constitution was written to organize a strong national government for the American states. Before the Constitution, the nation's leaders had established a national government under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles gave independence to each state; the states lacked authority, the ability to work together, and to solve national problems. The U.S. Constitution established America's national government and fundamental laws, and guaranteed certain basic rights for its citizens using five big ideas and this shaped today's America.
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
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.
Fifty years after the end of the second World War, it is easy to look back on the American occupation of Japan and see it as a mild nudge to the left rather than a new beginning for the country. We still see an emperor, even if only as a symbol. Industry, when it was rebuilt, was under much of the same leadership as before the war. Many elements of the traditional lifestyle remained–with less government support and in competition with new variants. The Japanese people remained connected to a culture which was half western and half Japanese. Nevertheless, it is irrefutable that the surrender in 1945 had a major impact on the lives of the Japanese. Political parties, elected by the populous, became a great deal more influential in the government. This changed the dynamics of Japanese industry, even if the zaibatsu were sill the foundation of the economy. Financial success took on a new character; the production of high tech goods for sale to the world’s most developed countries was now a better source of income. The affluence of the upper class was more evenly distributed. On a broader scale, for the first time, America had more influence than European powers. The prevention of the formation of a military put the focus of the government on trade, the United Nations, and the cold war rather than an empire in Asia. Simultaneously, social attitudes and lifestyle were more independent of the government and consumer led.