Ms Burke | World Cultures
Jan 17, 2018
Ms Burke | World Cultures
Post-Meiji Remind the class… what were the
PERMS changes that changed Japan under Meiji?
Post-Meiji Reminders: The old feudal lords were convinced to
give up their traditional power and were given high government positionsTraded feudal power for modern, political
power New court and legal system
Used European ideasAbolished tortureNew rules for evidence and court rules
Post-Meiji Reminders: Government started organizing
departmentsMinistry of Education, Transportation,
Finance, etc… Increase in education Set up new tax system Strengthen the military
Post-Meiji Reminders: New Constitution and Government:
The new constitution was written and presented to the people in 1889
Adapted Western ideas to Japanese needs
Kept the idea of imperial rule and the role of the emperor
Set up the two-house Diet ○ Modeled on Germany○ Kind of like the US Congress / British
Parliament
Mitsui Bank in Tokyo After the Meiji Restoration, the Mitsui family
received permission to establish Japan’s first private bank. Out of this main building in Tokyo, it operated 30 branches and this bank became the cornerstone of Mitsui, one of the most powerful companies in Japan.
Why did Japan need to develop a modern banking system in order to build an industrial economy?
Economic Modernization Why did Japan need to modernize
their economy after the Meiji Restoration?
Economic Modernization Japan sent people across the world to
learn new technology / weapons / industry / information
BUT the government needed money to develop these new ideas! Where did they get it?
Need for Capital Capital: To raise money, the government
continued to tax peasants and borrow money from merchants
During the 1860s…a natural disaster helped the Japanese!
Need for Capital In the 1860s, disease killed most of the
silkworms in Europe
What happens to silk prices?
Japanese silk was in demand and silk merchants made LOTS of moneyThey then used that money to mechanize
silk factories
Need for Capital Zaibatsu
Powerful families using traditional ties of loyalty and modern business methods to build huge companies
Social Changes (review) Ended feudal classes (no more triangle!) Everyone is equal before the law Samurai are not allowed to wear swords All men must serve in the military, not just
Samurai Urbanization Women could work All children could attend elementary school More newspapers and magazines
Japanese Expansion in Asia By 1900, Japan became a modern
industrial nation
Why were they so successful?
Japanese Expansion in Asia By 1900, Japan became a modern
industrial nation
Why were they so successful?Strong sense of national unityTradition of self-sacrifice and hard work
Military Expansion What were some of the military
conquests that occurred during this time?
What territories did Japan gain?
What territories did Japan gain? Korea Taiwan (as known as Formosa) Special trade privileges in China Manchuria
Benefits of Military Expansion Japan sought equal political standing
with Western powers Raw materials for industrialization
Coal // Iron
What else? What is another benefit?
Growth of Extreme Nationalism During the 1920s, Japan enjoyed the
benefits of long lasting peaceWhat are some of these benefits?
Japan started reducing their army and navy to ensure world peace continuedThey signed agreements with England and
the US to keep world peace
The Great Depression In 1929, the Great Depression hit the
United States Japan also felt the effects of the
worldwide economic slowdown
Japan relied on tradeWhy?
The Great Depression The Depression forced other nations to
protect their industriesThey started taxing imports, impacting
countries like Japan who made their money from exports
As trade went down, unemployment rose
The Great Depression As the government failed to fix the
domestic / economic problems, extremist groups attracted large followings
Extreme nationalists argued that Japan should not have stopped expanding overseas
Many were also upset that Western nations would NOT allow Japanese immigration
Military Dictatorship Military figures were important in Japanese
society now they started gaining more political power
In 1931, a group of army officers caused a military crisis in Manchuria (China)Gave Japan an excuse to take the entire areaMost Japanese people supported thisThe Prime Minister of Japan did NOT support it,
but he was assassinated
Military Dictatorship During the 1930s, Japan gradually became a
military dictatorship
New leaders supported militarismGlorification of the military and a readiness for war
Old Samurai traditions / ideas came back and loyalty to Emperor Hirohito was paramount
Japan has a special mission: free Asian nations from western imperialism