chpt 6

• Japan's goal


  To be an equal partner with the West
• Aspects of democracy implemented

  • Elections for representatives
• Aspects of democracy implemented

  • Recognized the value of public education
• Adaptations made


  • Embraced technology to become industrialized
• Adaptations made


  Significantly impacted Japan's worldview
• Adaptations made


  Considered what traditional aspects to maintain and what to replace
• Political system


  Constitutional government (a government in which operation is controlled by a set list of rules)
• Political system


  • Moved to Tokyo (formerly Edo) because of its central location
• To modernize the oligarchy

  1. Unify the country

  2. Establish united laws and regulations

  3. Abolish domains and replace with prefectures

  4. Develop nationalistic feelings (patriotism) - the emperor served as the symbolism for a unified nation
• To modernize the oligarchy

  1. Searching for a New Model of Government

  2. Goal was to be efficient and economical

  3. Disagreement on how to do this
• Liberal minded group


  • Favored a relaxing of social traditions; favored personal freedom; supported French and American ideals of human rights and representative government
• Conservative group


  • Averse to rapid change; more comfortable with the German model of centralized control
• Oligarchy agreed


  To look for ideas based on centralized control, not a democratic model
• New government adopted


  German-style government with strong cabinet and limited powers of parliament
• Political change affects social systems

  1. New government wanted citizens to be loyal to the central state and emperor, not the local daimyo

  2. Eliminated the hierarchical social order of traditional Japanese society

  3. Feudal class system abolished

  4. People could choose their occupations and move about freely

  5. All this strengthened national unity
• Create a constitution


  1. All of Japan's leaders believed they needed to write a constitution to unify and gain international respect

  2. Political parties were developed and debates on the constitution happened in all parts of Japan, some of which became violent

  3. The oligarchy is forced to introduce new laws to reduce the public protests and introduced strong censorship and control

  4. The constitution was eventually written in 1889

  5. Incorporated tradition with modern views
• Japan's economic system


  Restricted by trade agreements with the West, not allowed to lower taxes on domestic goods or raise taxes on foreign goods
• Japan's economy before changes

  • Had road systems, markets, a merchant class, small businesses and some banking institutions
• New industries established


  • Silk and textile, glass and chemical plants
• Government's role in industrialization

  1. Initially funds many of the new industrial plants

  2. After 10 years, steps away and allows private investors to take over
• Large industries


  Controlled by a small group of wealthy families, including the "Mitsubishi" family
• Matsukata Masayoshi became the Minister of Finance


  1881
• Matsukata's new ideas


  1. Japan needed to renegotiate unequal treaties

  2. The government would promote private business

  3. The government would need more money to operate and therefore new taxes would need to be introduced
• By the end of the Meiji Era, Japan had doubled what it was producing and selling
• Capitalism


  Entrepreneurs establishing companies whose goal is to make a profit, people work for money, not goods and use their money to purchase other goods