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.
“By 1870, 90% of Japan’s international trade was controlled by Westerners living in Japan.” (Woods, SW. (2004). Japan an Illustrated History (1st Edition). Hippocrene books pg. 111).
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 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.
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
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...
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 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.
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.
Especially since Japan had defected a Western imperial power during the Russian and Japanese War. Instead of fighting the Western to free Asian countries, Japan decided to team up with Western power instead in order to acquire more power and territories. Each war Japan entered, Japan comes out in victory either claiming a nation to its own or changing a nation. No outsiders was willing to stand up against Japan, feared that their own nations will end up in Japan’s hands if they were not successful. Many tried to oppose and go against Japan, but fear of losing the battle and much more. Japan achieved so much impressive accomplishments after modernizing. The more Japan won, the more rich they became. Japan was rich in resources to grow its army. They became an imperial power because they had a strong army with rich technology. Japan pushed for more. They found resources that was rare in Japan and sold them to oversea markets. These rare resources includes iron and oil that was hard to find in Japan. Many other colonies also offered land to Japan and since Japan was slowly being overpopulated, citizens were encouraged to move and settle down in those places. Japan was also the first non-western nation to win foreign wars and acquired oversea territories. Japan wanted their country to be seen just as equal in power like the West because of how much Japan had modernize in order to to obtain this much
The Meiji Restoration allowed Japan to modernise and adopt the ideas, technologies, and social, political and economic systems of the Western world. Some of the major changes that happened to the political system during the Meiji period was the introduction of the Imperial Charter Oath and the Meiji Constitution. The Imperial Charter Oath of April 1868 was a document that officially declared the breakaway from the old feudal system. The fifth provision which stated, “Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world so as to strengthen the foundations of imperial rule,” is perhaps the most important because it officially opened Japan to the world. It encouraged the modernisation of the country by encouraging the Japanese people to study the Western world and adopt their social, political and economic systems to Japan if possible. The new leaders also thought that a constitutional government would put Japan on par with the Western powers. Thus, the Meiji Constitution, modelled on the Prusso-German model, was created in 1889. The Constitution established the Emperor as the sovereign, developed a bicameral...
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.
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,