IJNIT 9 DECLINE OF FEUDALISM--AND THE ME1 JI RESTORATION Structure 9 0 _ Objectives 9 1 Introduction 9 2 Tokugawa Decline 9 2.1 Feudal~sm 9 2.2 Econom~c Changes 9 2 3 Tens~ons and Confl~cts 9 2 4 Education, Scholars and Ideas 9.3 The External Crisis 9.4 The Meili Restoration 9 4 1 The Debate 9 4 2 The Marx~st Vlew 9 4 3 The Post-War Debate 9.5 Let Us Sum Up 9.6 Key Words 9.7 Answers To Check Your Progress Exercises - 9,,0 OBJECTIVES - After reading this Unit you will be able to: explain the tensions which were created in the Tokugawa structure and the inability of the rulers to deal with these problems, know about the new social forces which were generated by economic development, understand the intellectual currents which undermined the ideological support of the social order. know about the intrusion of Western imperialist powers and the crisis it created in Japan, and . discuss the nature and meaning of the Meiji Restoration. 9.1 INTRODUCTION Tha Unit discusses the transit~on from the Tokugawa period to the Meiji Period. Th~s transition niarks the emergence of Japan as a modern nation-state and it was a complex and contentious process. Th? decline of the Tokugawa Bakufu was a long and gradual process. Scholars have examined it in a variety of ways. A major concern has been to explain the sources of Japan's strength for it alone among countries in Asia was successfuily able to make the transition to a modem nation-state and compete with the Western powers on terms of equality, if not acceptance. This concern has led hislorians to look at Tokugawa society as having undergone experiences similar to 'Western Europe. This is in sbrk contrast to the earlier views which dismissed the Tokugawa period as feudal and traditional during which the majority of the peo~lc, who were agriculturalists, were living at a bare, subsistence level. Such a view arose in part because in the first flush of modernization everything Japanese was associated with outmoded tradition and consequently to be discarded. Today scholars have built a much more complex picture of the Tokugawa period and what is clear from this is that, in spite of problems it was a per~od of dynamic growth and development. The nature and manner of this development also led to tensions and troubles, such as peasant rebellions. But even during the period of Tokugawa's decline there were areas of creative growth. In fact, ~t was the long experience which enabled the Meiji state to build w i t h a short span of time a modern state structure, industrialize the country and deal with the threat of colonization effectively. It also conditioned the nature of Meiji development emphasising the absolutist and expansionist character of the regime. In tnis Unit we shall consider the Tokugawa system and the causes of its decline within the context of Western imperialists' intrusion.
Welcome message from author
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Related Documents
