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 positions Traded feudal power for modern, political power  New court and legal system Used European ideas Abolished torture New rules for evidence and court rules

Post-Meiji Reminders:  Government started organizing departments Ministry 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 money They 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 unity Tradition 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 peace What are some of these benefits?  Japan started reducing their army and navy to ensure world peace continued They 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 trade Why?

The Great Depression  The Depression forced other nations to protect their industries They 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 area Most Japanese people supported this The 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 militarism Glorification 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