What happened to Japan in the 19th century?
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Shifting Perceptions: Japan and the World in the Late 19th CenturyBackground Information. In the mid-1800s Japan managed to remove the constraints of the Tokugawa era, which was a feudal society, and modernize their country, modeling it on European parliamentary monarchies. Appropriating the mantle of modernity, the Japanese began to see themselves as the leaders of Asia and attempted to carve buffer zones around the country to appease a perceived threat from Russia and China. The newly drafted Japanese military vanquished China in 1895 in the first Sino-Japanese War, shocking the world, which simultaneously championed Japan’s slow colonization of Korea. Japan, as the small upstart nation on the edge of the Pacific, was now a world force to be reckoned with—one that defeated the mighty Qing empire, now seen as the “sick old man of Asia,” whose fall was nearly complete at the turn of the century. Japan asserted itself as dominant power in Asia. Asian diplomacy, formerly centered on China and the idea of tribute, ceased and Japan began to claim colonial lands and to insist on western style diplomacy, international egalitarianism, and the new idea of legal rights. And yet, right after losing, tens of thousands of Chinese flocked to Japan in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Why? What did China want to “learn” from Japan and what did Japan offer to Asian countries? Why would so many newly modernizing countries be impressed with the miracle of the Meiji restoration? Learning Goals.
Standards. Common Core Standards
College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
McRel Standards
Key Concept. Essential Question. Primary Source. Thought Questions.
ActivitiesFocus Activity Ideas. Main Lesson Activity Ideas.
Summative Activity Ideas. Have the students write a one paragraph explanation, from the perspective of an ordinary citizen, explaining why the Sino-Japanese war was important to fight, and why Japan won. Resources. What era was 19th century Japan?The Edo period (江戸時代, Edo jidai) or Tokugawa period (徳川時代, Tokugawa jidai) is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional daimyo.
Why did Japan westernize in the 19th century?They were very much afraid of ending up like China, dominated and divided among various Western colonial powers. So they urged the citizenry to adopt Western mannerisms and even morality as quickly as possible, as a kind of civic duty. I have answers addressing this period in Japanese history in more detail.
What was happening in Japan in the early 1900s?By 1900 Japan's population had expanded to nearly 45 million from a late Tokugawa base of about 30 million. Increasing numbers of Japanese were attracted to urban industrial centres. At the same time, domestic food production was hard-pressed to stay abreast of population increases.
What led to the end of Japan's isolation in the 19th century?Japan's isolation came to an end in 1853 when Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States Navy, commanding a squadron of two steam ships and two sailing vessels, sailed into Tokyo harbor. He sought to force Japan to end their isolation and open their ports to trade with U.S merchant ships.
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