Japanese Modernization

Term Paper # 100552

This paper discuses the modernization of Japan between the period of the Meiji restoration and the end of the Taisho period in 1927.

1,065 words () | 4 sources | APA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the restoration of the Emperor to the throne, which began the Meiji period, led to a series of official policies, such as a centralized government and moving the capitol to Tokyo, which were conducive to the process of technology and cultural modernity. The author points out that, in the Meiji period, acceptance of Western influences were shown in the cultural milieus. The paper stresses that, during the Taisho period, western influences brought about democratization as demonstrated in a two party political system and calls for universal suffrage. The author argues that Japan's failure in World War II began during the Taisho period with Japan's policy of the colonization of Taiwan in 1895 and Korea in 1910.

From the Paper:

"The Meiji restoration refers to the fact that the traditional emperor of Japan was essentially returned to power in 1868 following an extended period of Shogunate rule led by the Tokugawa clan. The Tokugawa clan ruled Japan from the early 1600s until 1867 and was largely responsible for Japan's increasing isolation from surrounding countries as well as fierce resistance to intrusion by the Western powers seeking access to its markets. Perhaps the single most pivotal point, vis-a-vis opening up and accepting the reality of the forces of modernization, was a series of visits by Commodore Perry of the U.S. Navy beginning in 1852."

Sample of Sources Used:

Hane, M. (1992). Modern Japan: A Historical Survey (2nd ed.). Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Huffman, J. L. (1997). Creating a Public: People and Press in Meiji Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press.
Ienaga, S. D. (1962). History of Japan (6th ed.). Tokyo: Japan Travel Bureau.
Sansom, G. B. (1978). Japan: A Short Cultural History. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.