2. The Meiji Restoration, referred to at the time as the Honorable Restoration, and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Reform, or Renewal, was an event that restored practical imperial rule to the Empire of Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. The adoption of a western parliamentary model aided Japan in its development towards a stable rule, which in turn, created unity within the nation. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2001. SURVEY . The Tokugawa government had been founded in the 17th century and initially focused on reestablishing order in social, political and international affairs after a century of warfare. It was controlled by hundreds of semi-independent feudal lords. (Originally written in Japanese. Finally, in 1876, this commutation was made compulsory. Where were the Zulu wars taken place at ? The Meiji Restoration in 1868 provided Japan a form of constitutional monarchy based on the Prusso-German model, in which the Emperor of Japan was an active ruler and wielded considerable political power over foreign policy and diplomacy which was shared with an elected Imperial Diet. [9] Later, their debts and payments of samurai stipends were either taxed heavily or turned into bonds which resulted in a large loss of wealth among former samurai. In that year the boy emperor Mutsuhito—later known by his reign name Meiji, or “Enlightened Rule”—replaced the Tokugawa bakufu, or shogunate, at the political centre of the nation. What was more, many of the soldiers who had fought in the war returned to their various domains, leaving the national government with almost no military power. Battles between shogunal and Chōshū forces in the second Chōshū Expedition. By allowing the Constitution to be interpreted broadly, he also made possible a democratic reading of the country’s new basic law. The same year, Satsuma refused to participate in a second expedition against Chōshū, instead supporting its ally by covertly supplying it with large quantities of arms. This Writing Exercises: Japan and the Meiji Restoration II Worksheet is suitable for 8th - 10th Grade. Perhaps most dramatically, it abolished the old system of a social hierarchy based on inherited status. In addition to demanding a national assembly, activists called for a constitution and produced many drafts themselves. Meiji Restoration . In 1868, the Meiji Restoration signaled the beginning of the end for the samurai. The Restoration led to enormous changes in Japan's political and social structure and spanned both the late Edo period (often called the Bakumatsu) and the beginning of the Meiji era. A strong national army and navy beca… The Tokugawa shogunate, in power since the beginning of the seventeenth century, refused all these requests. Resistance to the new government continued, however, in northern Japan through 1868 and into 1869. The leaders of the Meiji Restoration, as this revolution came to be known, acted in the name of restoring imperial rule to strengthen Japan against the threat of being colonized represented by the colonial powers of the day, bringing to an end the era known as sakoku (the foreign relations policy, lasting about 250 years, prescribing the death penalty for foreigners entering or Japanese nationals leaving the country). The samurai, being better educated than most of the population, became teachers, gun makers, government officials, and/or military officers. Coal was needed for steamships and railroads. Moreover, the samurai in Japan were not merely the lords, but also their higher retainers—people who actually worked.) Meiji Restoration brought great changes in the lives of the Japanese people, especially education. Japan's economic powers are a major influence on the industrial factor of its country as well. What is the zaibatsu system? As the samurai no longer maintained their former dominance in the military realm, there was considerable discontent. The emperor took the name Meiji ("enlightened rule") as his reign name; this event was known as the Meiji Restoration. Meiji Restoration. Q. 13. While the formal title of samurai was abolished, the elitist spirit that characterized the samurai class lived on. We’ll look closely at the causes, the major accomplishments, and the effects of the Meiji Restoration. But in reality, the Meiji Restoration was more of a reinvention. the failure of Japanese expansion. (Courtesy Hakodate City Museum). The Meiji Restoration: The End of the Shogunate and the Building of a Modern Japanese State. gave Japan control over Korea c. opened two trading ports in Japan to the American Later, in 1874, the samurai were given the option to convert their stipends into government bonds. MEIJI RESTORATION LINK (4/6/18) Reasons for Imperialism DIAGRAM. For example, samurai, who historically were recognized as a warrior class, could now b… In particular, they legitimized the tenancy system which had been going on during the Tokugawa period. reemphasize traditional values. However, it is equally true that the majority of samurai were content despite having their status abolished. By rapidly modernizing, Japan aimed to build up its economic and military power and escape becoming a Western colony. In 1873, it made landowners responsible for paying a tax rate of 3% of the land value. Their hereditary stipends were gradually abolished and replaced entirely by government bonds in 1876. 2. The March 1877 Battle of Tabaruzaka was the last major conflict of the Satsuma Rebellion. Under the new government, the emperor also moved to Edo Castle, which became the Imperial Palace; Edo was renamed Tokyo and became the nation’s capital, and the era name was changed to Meiji. ...The Meiji Restoration was a significant turning point in Japanese history because it led to revolutionary changes in Japan’s economic and political structures. This rebellion was, however, put down swiftly by the newly formed Imperial Japanese Army, trained in Western tactics and weapons, even though the core of the new army was the Tokyo police force, which was largely composed of former samurai. Worried by internal problems and outside pressures and inspired by the rise of nation-states, Japan became modernized and Westernized through its slogans of Fukoku Kyohei and Bunmei Kaika. However, elements in Satsuma and Chōshū planned to overthrow the shogunate by force. Tags: Question 7 . Tags: Question 34 . Despite the bakufu's best efforts to freeze the four classes of society in place, during their rule villagers had begun to lease land out to other farmers, becoming rich in the process. "One can date the 'restoration' of imperial rule from the edict of 3, Bestor, Theodore C. Students also attended courses in "moral training" which reinforced their duty to the Emperor and to the Japanese state. Many found employment in the government bureaucracy, which resembled an elite class in its own right. The Meiji Restoration basically boosted Japan's technological and industrial advances by a landslide. This brought the painful realization that simply “expelling” the foreigners was impossible. The domain leaders were gathered in Tokyo for the announcement and ordered to reside in the capital. The Privy Council discussed the legislation several times at meetings attended by Emperor Meiji before the Constitution of the Empire of Japan was promulgated on February 11, 1889. 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