Omari
AP World History: Snapshot #26
Compare reaction to foreign interference in two of the following regions: the Ottoman Empire,
China, India, Southeast Asia, and Japan
The reaction of foreign domination varied between the nations of China and
Japan during the period of 1750-1914. Both nations were similar because
technologically they were behind Europe and the US, which had made great advances in
industrialization. Later, Japan opened trade with the US, trading raw materials and
ideas. The reaction to foreign domination worked into a sense of nationalism which had
many effects in history. These nations also differed in their reaction of foreign
domination because Japan took the US up on its offer to modernize, thus avoiding a
military conflict, while China declined the Britain’s trade offer and was unable to avoid
a military battle that yielded detrimental consequences.
To compare the nations, they both were technologically behind compared to the
US and Europe, who both had gone through the Industrial Revolution. The reason they
were behind was that they both were isolated; Japan through Tokugawa law and China
through Ethnocentrism. In the Tokugawa’s Closed Country Edict, Japanese law
prohibited the import and export of trade, as well as entrance and exit of foreign
people. If caught, the consequence was death. China’s ethnocentrism came as a result
of natural barriers which isolated them from many regions . As years progressed, they
became very ethnocentric and gave themselves the name of the “Middle Kingdom” to
note their superiority over other ethnic groups.
During their encounter with western nations in the age of imperialism, China and
Japan were both given an ultimatum to “open trade or go to war”. China decided to
stay isolated and later was taken over, meanwhile Japan modernized and retained their
autonomy. The US set Mathew Perry out to open trade with Japan. His ultimatum was
“open trade or go to war”. Realizing they were technologically inferior to the US, Japan
opened trade. They traded raw materials for finished goods and western technological
ideas that helped Japan to industrialize and to develop their military capabilities. In
place of the Tokugawa shogun, came the Meiji Emperor Mutsuhito—this event was
known as the Meiji Restoration. In time after World War I, Japan became Imperialist.
They took over Manchuria and began to commit atrocities in China. December 7th, 1941
Japan bombed Pearl Harbor; WWII for the US had begun. On the other hand, In 1793
Great Britain launched the McCartney Mission to open trade with China. China (being
ethnocentric) resisted its chance to modernize, and in retaliation, Europe began the
illegal distributing of Opium, a highly powered narcotic. This sparked the Opium war
between Europe and China. In 1842, China was defeated due to lack of raw materials
and inferior technology. As a result of the Treaty of Nanjing, China suffered from
European domination. China and Japan were VERY different, due to their response to
the ultimatums they were given. Simply put, China was taken over, and Japan kept its
autonomy and became imperialistic.
The reaction of foreign domination varied between the nations of China and
Japan during the period of 1750-1914. Distinctly, the Japanese and Chinese in this time
period were mostly different due to their decision making. The different roads that were
taken gives the benefit of the doubt to Japan, who in the end, was more successful and
became a military and economic force to be reckoned with in the subsequent time
period.