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Isolationism is the idea of isolating yourself from the outside world.
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The Tokugawa Shogunate maintained a 200 year period of isolation in Japan between the years 1603-1868, causing the Japanese to miss the period of westernization and modernization the rest of the world experienced. While isolationism protected Japan from Western influence, it caused many problems with the progression of industrialization.
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As industrialization occurred, Japan’s social structure changed as well. Large industrial powerhouse families and banking families, known as Zaibatsus, began to dominate the Japanese industrial world.
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In 1853, the United States President, Millard Filmore, sent Commodore Matthew Perry to give a personal letter from Fillmore to Japan asking them to trade with the United States. Under President Fillmore, the United States was very focused on expanding its markets. The U.S. wanted to beat Russia to a trade agreement with the Japanese and were willing to use force to open Japan if necessary. (Certell, n.d.) -
The Americans were looking for a port in the Pacific to allow easy access to China and Southeast Asia. Perry’s goal was to force the Japanese to agree to a favored-nation treaty, so that in the future, Japan would not overlook America in terms of trade. (Certell, n.d.)
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Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2021, September 29). Meiji Restoration. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Meiji-Restoration
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The daimyo, or the landowning lords of the ruling class, faced hardship because their income relied on agricultural production, which became much less valuable under the military government of the shogunate. Merchants also became restless because of their inability to engage with international trade. They wanted to climb in social status and find markets larger than Japan.
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Meiji Restoration,in Japanese history, was the political revolution in 1868 that brought about the final demise of the Tokugawa shogunate (military government) thus ending the Edo (Tokugawa) period (1603–1867) and, at least nominally, returned control of the country to direct imperial rule under Mutsuhito (the emperor Meiji). In a wider context, however, the Meiji Restoration of 1868 came to be identified with the subsequent era of major political,economic, and social change in the Meiji period.
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The Meiji Restoration (1868- 1912) was a coup d’état by the Samurai class. The main goal of the Samurai was to strengthen the army and prevent infighting between feudal territories. Japan quickly rose to be a major power in Asia. (Certell, n.d.)
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The constitution, based on the German system, created a bicameral legislature called the Diet. The lower house was elected and the upper house was made up of land-owning daimyo. The Emperor was able to appoint his cabinet and name a Prime Minister to head the legislature. The Emperor also retained control over the navy and held real power instead of being a simple figurehead. (Certell, n.d.)
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Japanese modernized based on the institutions they saw in Europe and favored a parliamentary system. After the diplomat’s return, a bureaucratic government was created and a parliament was formed. Japan also ratified a written constitution in 1889 to show western countries they should be taken seriously. (Certell, n.d.)
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At the turn of the 20th century,Russia began its search for a warm-water port, with its eyes set on a Japanese-ruled Korea. The Japanese and Russians tried to negotiate, but Russia was unwilling to compromise and on February8,1904,the Japanese staged a surprise attack against the Russians at Port Arthur, a Russian Navy base. The Japanese declared war,beginning a year long conflict that resulted in more than 150,000 casualties. Most of the fighting occurred in Manchuria and China. (Certell, n.d.) -
In the Treaty of Portsmouth, the Japanese maintained control of Manchuria and Korea. The treaty negotiations were mediated by U.S president Theodore Roosevelt. The Japanese left the war with a victory, but their funds were severely depleted. When Russian Emperor Nicholos refused to pay indemnities to Japan, Japan did not have the power to negotiate. (Certell, n.d.) -
In the Treaty of Portsmouth, the Japanese maintained control of Manchuria and Korea. The treaty negotiations were mediated by U.S president Theodore Roosevelt. (Certell, n.d.)