Meiji Restoration
Mr. Millhouse
AP World History
Spring 2006
Internal Problems
By early 19th century, Japanese society
was in turmoil
– Declining agricultural productivity
– Periodic crop failures, famine, and starvation
– Harsh taxes on peasants
– Samurai and daimyo are in debt to merchants
– West arrives demanding trade with Japan
Challenge of the West
Arrival of Matthew
Perry (1853)
– Unequal Treaties
Similar to the treaties
signed by the Qing
dynasty
– Perry’s “Black Ships”
steam into Tokyo Bay
– Force the Japanese to
establish trade and
diplomatic relations
with the U.S.
Japanese depiction of Admiral
Matthew Perry
Internal Conflict
Shogunate’s deals with West viewed as
dishonorable
– Popular slogan: “Revere the emperor, expel
the barbarians”
Demands for reform include lowering of
rice prices and expulsion of foreign
“barbarians”
Two minor wars between supporters of
emperor and supporters of the shogun
– January 3, 1868, the last shogun abdicated
and the shogunate was destroyed
Modernization: Meiji Restoration
Abolish feudal order
– Administrative districts replace feudal domains
– Daimyo removed from power
– Samurai class is abolished
Constitutional government
– Constitution of 1889 based on German model
Establishes constitutional monarchy with legislature
– Emperor commanded armed forces, named
prime minister, and appoint the cabinet
Left: Structure of Meiji
Governement; Above:
Mutsuhito, the Meiji
Emperor
Modernization: Meiji Restoration
Constitutional government (con’d)
– Recognized individual rights
Could limit rights in the interest of the state
– Suffrage limited
Only 5% of population could vote in 1890 election
Japanese industrialization
– Modernize transportation, communication,
and education
– Sold government businesses to private
investors
Modernization: Meiji Restoration
Japanese industrialization (con’d)
– Creation of zaibatsu
Combination of state initiative and private
investment
Consolidates economic power into the hands of a
few powerful families
Many companies started by men of samurai origins
Social Developments
No reforms to ease burdens on rural
population
Massive population growth
– Strained resources and kept labor costs low
Role of women
– Maintain inferiority of women in the home
– High-school education for women (1899)
– Silk industry relied upon women working in
factories
Japanese Imperialism
Sino-Japanese War
– Japan gains influence
over Korea
Russo-Japanese War
– Japan’s navy leads to
victory over Russia
Japan annexes Korea
in 1910