Transformation of Japan Essay -- History Historical Japanese Essays

Transformation of lacquer During the time period between the 1850s and 1950s, japan underwent massive changes politically, stintingally, and socially. Acknow leadging the failure of isolation, japan imitated the West in an render to modernize, however, quiesce retaining its own identity. A reorganized and more centralise government allowed japan to industrialize in half the time it took the nations of Western Europe. Industrialization provided japan with the tools needed to transform itself from a half well-behavedized and backwards fiat during isolation, to a dominating superpower during WWII. In 1853 during the Tokugawa shogunate, Matthew Perry, an American commodore, arrived with an army at Edo Bay to coerce the Japanese government to allow the Americans to trade. In 1856, Japan signed a treaty opening two ports to the join States trade. Soon, other nations such as Britain, Russia, and Holland won similar rights. The opening of Japan to the West created opposition among its people and in the 1860s political crisis came into the open. In 1866, civil war broke out. The samurai armed with the surplus of weapons from the American Civil contend defeated the shogunate force. The civil war end, when the victorious reform aggroup proclaimed Mutsuhito, often called the Meiji meaning enlightened one, emperor.The new Meiji government quick went about making reforms to the political structure. Feudalism was abolished and replaced with a system, similar to that of the French, of across the nation appointing prefects, or district administrators. In the 1870s, the samurai class was abolished and a draft was created to enhance a new army.Meiji leaders traveled abroad to study economic organization, political institutions, and technological advances. The bureaucracy was reorganized and opened to men of giving through the civil service exams. In 1889, a new system was issued based on German prototype. It recognized the supremacy of the emperor, just now modera te the powers for the lower house of provender. Under the constitution, the emperor commanded the military machine and chose his own ministers. The Diet had power to pass law and budget if both sides agreed. Voting rights were unflinching by the amount of property owned leaving the majority of the universe the inability to vote. Japans government was centralized and authoritarian, but bodied busines... ...shment of the samurai and their fixed salaries that were replaced by worthless government bonds, many became poor. However, during industrialization respective(prenominal) samurai, as well as, several peasants were able to find opportunities and thus could actualise social mobility. Many Japanese copied Western clothing and hairstyles as an attempt to modernize. Japan adopted the Western calendar and metric system. Education integrated Western teaching in science and mathematics. Several Japanese born-again to Christianity. Despite adopting Western trends, the Japanese man aged to preserve their traditional values. In conclusion, Japan became a world giant equal to their Western counterparts. Isolation ended with forced entry by the West. The Japanese government effectively centralized and laid the foundations for industrialization. Industrialization led to economic growth. Economic growth led to a shift in foreign policy to imperialism. In the stages of imperialism, the military took control of government, thus their entry into WWII. After WWII, Japan was slightly devastated but still was able to recover and situate themselves as a ascendent superpower for years to follow.