The Meiji Restoration allowed Japan to regain complete control of its foreign trade and legal system and by fighting and winning two wars, The Sino – Japanese War in 1894, and The Russo – Japanese War 1904 – 1905, Japan had established full independence and equality in international affairs. In a little more than a generation, Japan had exceeded its goals, and in the process had changed its whole society. Japans success in modernisation has created great interest in why and how it was able to adopt Western political, social, and economic institutions in such a short time.
The political revolution “restored” power to the emperor, but he did not rule directly. He was expected to accept the advice of the group that had overthrown the shogun. These groups were the Choshu and Satsuma clans of the samurai. The ambitious, able, and patriotic young men from the lower ranks of the samurai then emerged and took control and established the new political system. In July 1869 the feudal lords had been requested to give up their domains, and in 1871 these domains were abolished and transformed into prefectures of a unified central state.
The feudal lords no longer owned any territories and were now offered a yearly stipend, which was later changed to a one-time payment in government bonds. The Samurai lost their class privileges, when the government declared a1l classes to be equal. By 1876 the government banned the wearing of the samurai’s swords, and the former samurai cut off their topknots in favour of the Western – style haircuts and took up jobs in businesses and the professions. This is an example of a major social change that occurred because of the Meiji Restoration, and western influence.
Political and economical changes were also a national army based on universal conscription, which was created in 1972, requiring three years military service from all men, samurai and commoner alike. A national land tax system was established that required payment in money instead of rice, which allowed the government to stabalise the national budget. This gave the government money to spend to build up the strength of the nation.
The loss of privileges brought some resentment and rebellion, from some older Samurai. However, the samurai had their last run in 1877, in the Satsuma rebellion. The governments’ newly drafted army, trained with European infantry techniques and armed with modern western guns, defeated the last resistance of the traditional samurai warriors. With the exception of these few samurai outbreaks, Japans domestic transformation proceeded with remarkable speed, energy, and the cooperation of the people.
Another major social change was when the Meiji reformers brought the emperor and Shinto to national prominence, replacing Buddhism as the national religion, for social ideological reasons, and even political means. Shinto was now associated with the imperial rule, and Japan had a powerful symbol of age – old national unity.
With the abolition of feudalism, Japan made tremendous social and political changes. Millions of people were suddenly free to choose their occupation and move about without restrictions. By providing a new environment of political and financial security, the government made investment in new industries and technologies.
These were the economical changes the Meiji Restoration was responsible for. The government led the way in this, building railway and shipping lines, telegraph and telephone systems, three shipyards, ten mines, five munitions works, and fifty-three consumer industries. These included making sugar, glass, textiles, cement, chemicals, and other important products. This was very expensive, however, and strained government finances, so in 1880 the government decided to sell most of these industries to private investors, thereafter encouraging such activity through subsides and other incentives. Some of the samurai and merchants who built these industries established major corporate conglomerates called the Zaibatsu, which controlled much of Japans modern industrial sector.
The government also introduced a national educational system and a constitution, creating an elected parliament called the diet. They did this to provide a good environment for national growth, win the respect of the Westerners, and build support for the modern state. In 1872 the government established a national education system to educate the entire population. By the end of the Meiji Restoration, almost everyone attended the free public schools for at lest six years. The government closely controlled the schools, making sure that in addition to the skills like mathematics and reading, all students studied “moral training”, which stressed the importance of their duty to the emperor, the country and their families.
The major political change was the constitution of 1889. This was “given” to the people by the emperor, and only he (or his advisors) could change it. A parliament was elected beginning in 1890, but only the wealthiest one- percent of the population could vote in the elections. In 1925 this was changed to allow all men (but not yet women) to vote.
To win the recognition of the Western powers and convince them to change the unequal treaties the Japanese had been forced to sign in the 1850’s, Japan changed its entire legal system. The Western nations finally agreed to revise the treaties in 1894, acknowledging Japan as equal in principle, although not in international power.
The Meiji Restoration brought great changes both within Japan and in Japan’s place in world affairs. In the years following this revolution, Japan realises what an effect the Meiji Restoration had because industrialisation itself undermined traditional values, emphasizing instead efficiency, independence, materialism, and individualism. Japan had evolved, however was it for better or worse? Japans democratic political system continued to evolve under the Meiji constitution, but then is unable to meet the dual changes of economic depression and the political power of the Japanese military leaders in the 1920’s and 1930’s. This eventually led to Japan requiring more resources, and then the attack to Pearl Harbor in 1941. This led to World War II and the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, which ended the war.
The most important feature of the Meiji period was Japans struggle for recognition of its considerable achievement and for equality with Western nations. Japan was highly successful in organising an industrial, capitalist state on Western models. However, when Japan also began to apply the lessons it learned from European imperialism, the West reacted negatively. Many of the misunderstandings between the West and Japan stemmed from Japans sense of alienation from the West, who seemed to use a different standard in dealing with European nations than it did with a rising power like Japan.
The Meiji Restoration was even more significant in Japanese history compared to World War II, and the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, because it was ultimately what set the chain of events in motion.
Overall, The Meiji Restoration was responsible for the rapid transformation of Japan into a modern industrial power, politically, socially and economically. With a constitution, a parliament, a national compulsory education system, a modern army and navy, western haircuts and clothes, roads, trains, telegraph systems and more – in less than 50 years.
In conclusion, the Meiji Restoration not only marked a significant turning point in the history of Japan, but it was the most significant and important. The Meiji Restoration modernised Japan, and altered the way of life for Japanese people politically, socially and economically. Before the Meiji Restoration, Japan was a small, minor and militarily weak country in Asia. Therefore Japan as an industrialised country like it is today, might not have existed without the revolutionising powers of the Meiji Restoration.
By, BRADY DORMAN
