China and Japan 19th Century Pressures
Western intrusion China Opium war (1839) Japan (1853) Addictive British strategy “Peace” treaty (1842) American and French presence Japan (1853) Western fleets arrive West imposes constraints Expect China to have more success resisting Japan’s assets
Meiji era (beginning 1868) Before – Dutch Studies/American intervention Deliberate Modernization without Westernization Political changes New elite Military Infrastructure Public health Education Consumer goods Relationship with Westernization Industrialization This image depicts the Meiji emperor of Japan moving from the old Capital, Kyoto to the new capital, Kyoto at the end of 1686, leading to a cultural revolution.
China’s slow response Railway removal No military modernization Internal unrest/civil war Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) Intrusion Anglo-French invasion (1857-1860) 1870s – Society of Self-Strengthening 1890 – China gets interested in the outside 1898: The Hundred Days Reform Boxers = Members of Society of Harmonious Firsts Boxer Rebellion Photo taken 1890
Why the differences between China and Japan? Encroachment Political Cycle Influence of Confucianism Feudalism in Japan (Lack of) Imitation Relationship with the West
Consequences China/Japan war (1890) Russo-Japanese war (1904- 1905) WWII Social Stability This is not permanent