The Rise
Of
Japan
Wealth & Power
-Story of Two Cultures
on Opposite Paths-
China
Japan
1800
1840
1868
1900
Tokugawa Era
1600s-1860s
-Period of peace
• Emphasis on order & conformity
 rigid class structure, discipline,
loyalty, isolation from outsiders
• Weak emperor  strong shogun
Late Tokugawa Era
Isolation – not stagnation

Economic growth & peace
• Dutch Studies
• Daimyo's “Alternate Attendance
System”
Samurai lose importance/wealth in
comparison to merchants
Late Tokugawa Era
Spark…
 1850 - recession
 1853 - Commodore Perry
arrives from U.S. demanding
Japan end its isolation & trade
with the West
Familiar Conditions?
1.
2.
Crumbling social structure
Foreign pressure
? “Revolutions are about economics.” ?
•
In comparison to China, what can
Japan do differently to be more
successful?
Result?
1868: “Meiji Restoration”
• Shogun overthrown
• Emperor restored to power
Meiji Restoration
1.
2.
Selective borrowing from West
Effort at modernization & reform
• Industrialization
• Constitutional monarchy
• Compulsory education & medical
advances
Meiji Foreign Policy
World Power?

Imperialism
1.
2.
Sino-Japanese War Russo-Japanese War –
Japan acquired Korea, Taiwan, & other
islands


Explain why this period is often
referred to as the great divergence.
In general, what are the major
similarities and differences in
responses to the West among:
• Ottomans
• Egypt
• China
• Russia
• Japan

Evaluate the claim that the industrial
revolution was a global phenomenon.