Japan - Meiji Restoration

1750-1914 - First Industrial Period, an Age of 1750-1914 - First Industrial Period, an Age of Revolutions: Europe in the WorldRevolutions: Europe in the World

Note: This slide show was designed by Dr. Erik

Weiselberg. Please do not use or reproduce in any

context other than studying for this course.

Periodization

• Classical Period, 400s to 1185• Feudal Japan, 1185-1867

– Kamakura Shogunate, 1185-1333• Minamoto Yoritomo

– Warring States Period (Sengoku), 1467-1603• various shogunates

– Tokugawa Shogunate, (Edo Period), 1603-1867• Meiji Restoration, 1868-1912

– Imperial rule restored, isolation ended

End of Tokugawa Period and Emergence of Modern

Japan, 1853-1868

• 1853 arrival of U.S. commodore Matthew Perry to Edo.• U.S. President Millard Fillmore demanded that Japan open

its ports for trade with the US.• Shogun made “unequal treaties,” exposed its weakness in

dealing with Western powers.• 1868 Meji Restoration - removed Shogun, moved capital to

Edo, looked to West in restoring imperial rule.• Modernization and industrialization.

Treaty of Kanagawa, 1854• Shogun opened two Japanese ports to

American ships.

• US soon won other trading rights, as did GB, Fra, Russia.

http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/featured_documents/treaty_of_kanagawa/

Responding to the West and to the Shogun

• Japanese angry at shogun for showing weakness to foreigners.

• Feeling that Japan needed to modernize to compete with the industrialized West.

Meiji Restoration

• 1867 - daimyo and samurai led a rebellion the removed the Tokugawa shogun.

• Installed the young emperor Mutsuhito

• Supported by the people against the shogun.

• 15 yrs old when he took over

• reigned for 45 yrs, 1867-1912

Emperor Mutsuhito

• Chose the name “Meiji” for his reign (“enlightened rule”)

• Best way to oppose Western imperialism was to adopt new ways.

• Group of 100 Genro, “elder statesmen,” daimyo and samurai, ruled in emperor’s name.

• Japan sent statesmen to other nations to study– “Knowledge shall be sought throughout the world

so as to invigorate the foundations of imperial rule.”

Abolition of Feudalism, 1871

• By Emperor.

• private land ownership by daimyo prevented benefits to the whole country

• daimyo gave lands to the emperor and were paid with govt bonds (which meant their financial future depended on the success of the govt).

• Daimyo lands divided into prefectures, ruled by governors (centralized rule).

Industrialization and Economic Development

• To finance and build the new industrialized economy using only the resources of their own people.

• By 20th C, Japanese economy as modern as any other nation.

• In 1872, first rail lines; by 1914, over 7,000 miles of rails.

Reforms to tax system

• 1873, ended traditional taxes paid by peasants– part of each year’s rice crop

• Taxes now based on value of land and paid in money

• peasants recognized as owners of land they farmed if they paid these taxes

Industrialization

• Govt-sponsored industry

• planning

• subsidizing (providing funds to carry out the plans)

• Model factories and pilot plants.

• Silk, cotton, cement, glass, chemicals, coal mining, weapons plants, naval shipyards.

Zaibatsu• Wealthy families who became influential in banking

and industry.

• Govt built factories and then sold them to wealthy families.

• Caused by govt debt in subsidizing econ development, putting down samurai revolt of 1877, and inflation.

• Ex’s - Mitsui, Mitsubishi, Sumitomo.• For others and detials, see

http://www2.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/zaibatsu.htm

Matsukata Masayoshi

• Came up with the plan to sell govt’s pilot factories and mills to Japanese business families.

• Yen - currency in the new monetary system.

• Modern banking system.

1873 yen, from Ronald Wise’s world paper money homepage,

http://www.banknoteworld.com/countries/japan.html

Communications and Infrastructure

• Postal system

• Rail lines

• Telegraph network

• Improvement of harbors at Tokyo and Osaka

Constitution of 1889

• Ito Hirobumi, head of commission to draft a constitution.

• Admired Germany’s govt (centralized, industrialized, powerful, small group in control)

• Jpn modeled their constitution after Germany’s

• A gift from the emperor to the people, not a recognition that the people had a right to rule themselves.

Ito Hirobumi

The Diet (legislature)

• House of Peers (upper house)– hereditary nobles and members from the new

leadership

• House of Representatives (lower house)– elected by male taxpayers (1% of pop)

• Japan = first in Asia to adopt a Western-style parliamentary govt.

Social Change

• Adopted US policy of universal public education, modeled on that of France.

• Universities w/ Western instructors.

• Increased influence of education and training, instead of birth, in determining status and role.

• “Morals classes” - taught filial piety, reverence for the emperor, value of cooperation and group loyalty.

• Class distinctions still existed.

• Meiji reformers took away some political and legal rights that women had previously won.

Changes for Changes for samuraisamurai

• 1873, official end of samurai class1873, official end of samurai class

• peasants serve in military on equal basis peasants serve in military on equal basis with samuraiwith samurai

• samurai salaries decreasedsamurai salaries decreased

• 1876, revocation of ancient privilege of 1876, revocation of ancient privilege of samurai carrying two swords.samurai carrying two swords.

Samurai resistance• Most samurai entered Meiji govt or business,

but some lacked that opportunity.

• Saigo Takamori– Meiji reformer who split with the other leaders.– Led army of 40,000 samurai to overthrow Meiji

govt (Satsuma rebellion– After 9 months of fighting, rebellion crushed.– Saigo committed seppuku.

Japanese Imperialism• Japan became strongest military in Asia.

• Japan convinced Europeans that Asians could expect fair treatment from Japan, since it was modeled on European constitutions and legal codes.

• 1894, GB and others abolished extraterritoriality rights of their citizens living in Japan.

• National pride and industrial advancement encouraged imperialism.

• Desire for natural resources.

• Earlier agreement of 1885 betw Japan and China - a hands-off agreement that neither would send armies into Korea.

• June 1894, China broke the agreement to support a rebellion against Korea’s king.

• Japan protested and sent troops to Korea to fight the Chinese.

Sino-Japanese War, 1894-5

• Japan drove Chinese out of Korea, destroyed Chinese navy, and entered Manchuria.

• 1895, Treaty of Shimonoseki– gave Japan its first colonies: Formosa (today’s

Taiwan), Pescadores Islands, Liaotung peninsula of Manchuria.

– Germany, France and Russia forced Japan to return the Liaotung peninsula

• Japanese victory surprised Western nations.

• Japan later made Korea a Japanese protectorate.

Russo-Japanese War, 1904-5

Russo-Japanese War, 1904-5

• Sino-Japanese war shifted balance of power, making Russia and Japan the major enemies in Asia.

• Russia and Japan went to war over Manchuria– Russia moved in to Liaotung peninsula and seized

the naval base at Port Arthur.

• In 1903, Japan offered to recognize Russia’s rights in Manchuria if the Russians would agree to stay out of Korea. Russians refused.

Japanese diplomacy

• Japan aided Westerners in putting down Boxer Rebellion in China.

• 1902 alliance w/ GB, GB would back Japan to prevent Russian expansion.

• 1904, Japan launched a surprise attack on the Russian navy at Port Arthur

• May 1905, Battle of Tsushima: Japan finished off Russia’s Pacific fleet.

• Japan drove Russian troops out of Korea, won land battles, and captured most of Russia’s Pacific fleet.

Treaty of Portsmouth, 1905

• Ended Russo-Japanese War

• Negotiated by US President Theodore Roosevelt in Portsmouth, N.H.

• Gave Japan the captured territories of Korea and Manchuria; forced Russia to withdraw.

Korea under Japanese occupation

• After the Russo-Japanese war, Japan attacked Korea and made it a protectorate.

• Japanese “advisors” grabbed power from Korean govt.

• In 1907, Korean king gave up control of the country.

• 1910, official annexation of Korea (until end of WWII in 1945).

Japanese actions in Korea• forbade public protest.

• Shut down Korean newspapers.

• Took over Korean schools.

• Replaced study of Korea with study of Japan.

• Took land from Koreans and gave to Japanese settlers.

• Encouraged Japanese businessmen, but limited Korean businesses.

• Some modernization of factories, transportation systems and communications.

End of the Meiji Restoration, 1912• Emperor Mitsuhito died in 1912.

• New emperor, Taisho, weak and ill– ruled until 1926, but little effect on govt.

• Political parties, not emperor, begin to appoint prime ministers.– Ex - 1918, Prime Minister Hara Kei

• 1925, all adult males get right to vote

Japan as a world power

• Japan sided with GB in WWI, received Germany’s former colonies in the Pacific.

• Joined League of Nations as one of the “Big Five” powers.

• Made demands on China which brought China under Japanese domination.

Limits to democracy in 1920s• Restrictions against socialist & communist parties.• Special police force sought out “dangerous thoughts.”• Diet passed laws preventing any effort to try to change

the govt or to abolish private property.• Zaibatsu provided funding to pol parties; suppressed

labor unrest and rural protests.• Electorate consisted of rural farmers, held conservative

values.• Great Depression sent it further into centralized

control and imperialism.