JAPANESE HISTORY

Tokugawa Japan 1600-1878

1 Control system

2 Collapse of Tokugawa Shogunate

3 Downfall of Tokugawa Shogunate

4 Note

Meiji Japan 1878-1912

1 Introduction

2 Charter Oath

3 Abolition of feudalism

4 Political Modernization

5 Economic Modernization

> 6 Military Modernization

7 Education Modernization

8 Note - Rise of militarism

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Military modernization

• strong army
• discontent among the poor samurai & peasants led to the outbreak of many local rebellions
• the need to have strong mil force to suppress domestic rebellions & foreign threats
• national security
• Meiji leader believed that Japan was in danger of f. attack, it could be saved only by strong rule & efficient mil force
• In the early 1870s, defended Japan against any possible f. mil threats & domestic rebellions or disorder
• After 1890s, attention was more concentrated on Japan's ability to fight & win a foreign war & to acquire imperialist interest overseas
• Samurai class monopoly was broken

Development of Army

• Long militarist tradition
• Choshu took leadership in mil development
• Even before the fall of Tokugawa Shogunate, Choshu had developed its mil force to prepare for foreign attack
• At first, based on France model
• After 1870-1 Franco-Prussian War, Prussian model
• Department of War 1869
• Modernized national army
• Set up military schools
• Strict discipline & administrative control were introduced
• Formation of an Imperial Guard
• A national military force without local ties was created

1871 Conscription Law

• New military system
• replaced the former warrior class
• Coped with the abolition of feudalism
• Abolished the different between samurai & commoner
• Peasants became the foundation of mil system

Development of Navy

• Satsuma took leadership
• before the fall of Tokugawa Shogunate, attacked against foreigners
• British model

 Successful - expansionism, imperialism

• 1879 annexed Liuqiu
• 1890s ambition in Korea & Manchuria
• 1894-5 Sino-Japanese War
• prestige for Japan
• brought the government much internal support
• strengthened the hand of the mil in national affairs
• 1896 Triple Intervention France, Russia, Germany
• 1895-1900 Sphere of Influence in China - Fujian
• 1901 8-power expedition force
• 1902 Anglo-Japanese Alliance
• equality with the west
• 1904-5 Russo-Japanese War
• against Russian advances in Manchuria & Korea
• 1910 annexed Korea
• 1914-8 WW I
• fought on the Allied side
• but limited its activities to seize Germany possessions in China & Pacific
• 1915 21 Demands
• 1918-20 Russian civil war helped the 'whites'
• 1919 transfer of Germany's Sphere of Influence in Shandong
• 1921-22 Washington Conference
• rise of Japan threatened the interest of US
• 5-power Pact
• 1931 started trouble in China
• 1937-45 2^nd Sino-Japanese War
• 1941-5 mil dictatorship

• By 1912, when Emperor Meiji died, Japan had not only achieved equality with the west, but also had become the strongest imperialist power in East Asia
• in building a strong army & teaching soldiers the values of obedience & discipline, the government was greatly strengthened
• promotion of militant nationalism
• traditional samurai spirit + imperial nationalism
• became more aggressive
• adopted expansionist policy in the search for glory abroad
• rise of militarists, ultra-nationalism
• 1900 imperial decree