15.5- The Meiji Restoration and Southeast Asia

Review- Japan Geography: Archipelago Mountainous Few Natural Resources Isolated

Review- Japan Society: Religion-__________________ Feudalistic society- but who really has the power? Samurai follow Bushido- way of the warrior Honor, bravery, absolute loyalty Tokugawa Shogunate came to power in 1603 Improved economy through internal trade 1636- Closed Country Edict stopped trade with foreign nations and prohibited travel abroad Problems with isolation: Corruption in government Goods made by hand = expensive and time consuming Japanese lost faith in their government Feudalism- loose system of gov’t in which land is exchanged for service/labor

The Opening of Japan 1853- US ships arrive in Japan led by Commodore Matthew Perry. He delivered a letter from the US President (Franklin Pierce) demanding that Japan open its ports for trade. 1854- Treaty of Kanagawa is signed, opening 3 ports to trade with the US Soon the US won extraterritoriality, and other imperial powers (Britain, Russia, France) demanded similar arrangements Extraterritoriality- the right for foreign people living abroad to live under their own laws and be tried in their own courts

Tokugawa  Meiji Like the Chinese, the Japanese resented the unequal terms of the treaties they had to sign with foreign nations Many felt the shogun did not take a strong enough stand against the foreigners Emperor Mutsuhito was “restored” to power and took on the name Meiji, meaning “enlightened rule” His rule is known as the Meiji Restoration, and is a major turning point in Japanese history

Meiji Restoration (1868-1912) Determined to strengthen Japan against the West- “a rich country, a strong military” Goal was to learn Western ways and adapt them to Japanese needs so Japan could stand up to imperial powers Sent members of the government abroad to study Western govern- ments, economies, technologies, and customs

Meiji Reforms Government modeled after Germany- all people are equal before the law, but emperor has autocratic power Two house legislature- one elected and one appointed Improved infrastructure (railroads, ports, communication systems) Developed modern banking and education systems Modernized the military Economic development/industrialization

Zaibatsu- powerful banking and industry families Industrialization Zaibatsu- powerful banking and industry families Rapid industrialization took place under the Meiji- the goal was to industrialize to stand up to the West To get industries started, government would build factories and then sell them to wealthy families (zaibatsu) who would continue to develop them Industries: silk manufacturing, shipping, copper, coal mining, steel making

Changing fashions of the Meiji Traditional      Meiji

Education

In less than 50 years Japan transformed from a traditional agricultural nation, into a powerful industrialized and modern nation

Success Japan was able to modernize with amazing speed during the Meiji Restoration for a number of reasons Tokugawa Isolation had set the stage for the Meiji Restoration by creating a homogeneous society and allowing for economic growth It was easy for Japan to adapt Western ideas to their own purposes- they had previous experience in doing the same thing with China

Japanese Imperialism Like other nations after industrialization, Japan soon needed raw materials that were essential to its industrial growth Japan sought to create an empire like the ones created by Western nations With their powerful army and navy, Japan worked to increase its power in Southeast Asia

Sino-Japanese War In 1894, competition with China for power in Korea led to the Sino-Japanese War Although China had more resources, Japan had modernized its army, and to everyone's surprise Japan easily defeated China Japan soon was able to gain ports in China and take over the island of Taiwan This victory showed that Japan had joined the West in the race for empire

Russo-Japanese War In 1904, Japan challenged Russia for control in Korea and Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War Japan’s army defeated Russian troops in Manchuria, and its navy destroyed the Russian Fleet **This marks the first time in modern history that an Asian power beat a European nation**

Korea Korea acted as a __________________ _________________ between China and Japan. Korea’s location put it at the crossroads of East Asia, and they soon faced pressure from outsiders Initially Japan made Korea a protectorate under its control, but by 1910 it annexed Korea to add to its growing empire

Japanese Rule in Korea The Koreans resented Japanese rule, and just like in basically every other imperialized nation, nationalism began to grow Koreans protested Japanese rule, but these uprisings were violently suppressed It would be many years before Korea gained their freedom Positive Negative Modernization- built factories, railroads and communications systems Agricultural production increased Harsh rule- forbade public protest, shut down newspapers and controlled schools Worked to erase Korean language and culture Most of Korea’s newly produced resources went to Japan

Southeast Asia Imperialist nations turned to Asia after their successes in Africa and the Middle East The South Asian countries appealed to the Europeans, who wanted to secure sea routes between India and China

Dutch East Indies Dutch East India Company was in charge of the Spice Islands in the 1600s, and over time gained control of the rest of the East Indies (Indonesia) By 1800, the Dutch government had taken over control of these territories, and was benefitting from the many riches the island had to offer: Coffee, pepper, cinnamon, sugar, indigo, tea, tin, copper, timber However, the Dutch forced the natives to work as slaves, and purposely discouraged Westernization

Philippines Spain had seized the Philippines in the 1500s, but after awhile the Filipinos began to resent Spanish rule 1898- Spain gives control of Philippines to the US after the Spanish-American War The Filipinos rebelled against American rule, but the rebellion was crushed by US forces, who promised to modernize and grant the Philippines sovereignty in the future.

Britain and France The British and French were the main players of the South Asian areas. The British held Burma and the Malays. The French held Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia (known as French Indochina) Between the two stood Siam (present day Thailand), a necessary border between the super powers.

Siam (Thailand) King Mongkut of Siam saw how Western powers overtook neighboring countries and escaped the same fate by negotiating and modernizing Mongkut launched a campaign to reform Siam: Reformed the government Modernized the army Built factories and industry Brought Western experts in to train Thais Eventually Britain and France agreed to Siam’s independence, but created spheres of influence to prevent others from pushing into the nation