Topic 7 historian quotes

• E.H Norman: 'What do we most need to save us from the fate of China? A modern navy and army'
• Developing and strengthening an advanced army and navy

  Avoid facing the same fate as China
• Hamby: 'the principal duty of soldiers is loyalty to sovereign and country'
• Military service came to be accepted as the patriotic obligation of Japanese men
• Macpherson: '"The role of the government was crucial, not so much in terms of pioneering industries and taxes and subsides, but in its moulding of society to conform to its military and therefore economic objectives"'
• Government's creation of a strong ideology


  Allowed a dedicated and successful workforce, which in turn allowed for the growth of industries
• Macpherson: '"In the private sector the more spectacular changes were promoted by the Zaibatsu group which had the size to achieve economies of scale"'
• The zaibatsu were able to make noticeable differences in the private sector because of their substantial size, allowing them to capitalise economies of scale which in turn was advantageous as it enabled them to solidify their dominance in the Japanese economy
• Tipton: '"The importance of government enterprises for Japanese industrial development remains questionable, since most failed to be profitable until they were taken over by private entrepreneurs in the 1880s, but economic historian agree on the importance of the government's investments in infrastructure such as railways"'
• Many businesses were unprofitable until privatisation, though many academics acknowledge the instrumental role in government investments in infrastructure for Japanese industrial development
• Hane: '"The importance of the textile industry – within which women formed the dominant workforce...by 1904 it had become the world's largest producer with a 31% share."'
• Beasley: '"The attitudes of the men who took part were profoundly influenced by their experiences."'
• By 1893, Japan had a standing army of over 60,000 men with the potential for far greater mobilisation
• The military enjoyed greater success than political parties in acquiring power and legitimacy
• Smith: '"Owing to the intensive nature of farming, the agricultural population was almost perfectly stable from 1868 to 1940. Here, then, was one of the most important reasons the state was able to sustain tradition even in the face of breathless change."'
• Japan's agricultural stability was key in sustaining its economic advance as even when there was a drop in the agricultural population, agriculture remained essential in the emergence of a modern industrial society
• Macpherson: '"Two fundamental conditions for modern economic growth were the Tokugawa legacy and the role of the government."'
• Hane: '"Modernisation would depend heavily upon the adoption of western science, technology and industrialisation."'
• Hane: '"In general the living conditions of the working class, rural and urban, did not improve significantly."'
• Hane: '"Efforts to organise unions to improve the plight of the workers met with resistance by business leaders and the government."'
• Waswo: '"Encountering new opportunities, they set about to improve their lives and the lives of their families."'