Imperialism In Japan

There was once a time in Japan called the Edo period (1603-1868, ending when Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned) - this was a period where Japan was ruled under the Tokugawa Shogunates, a feudal military government. Japan had a stable population, and a popular enjoyment of art and culture. However, they had an uncompromising policy prohibiting any foreign contact, ultimately making it completely isolated from the western world. There was also a strict social order, where everyone knew their status. Emperors and high nobilities had invulnerable prestige, but were weak in power. The shoguns –military dictators– and daimyōs–serfs of the shoguns-, on the other hand, were very powerful due to their relation to the Tokugawa clan. This was the beginning
All classes, regardless of where one was on the social order, were to strongly advocate welfare to the nation, as well as to have the right to fulfill their ambitions. This meant that the severe discrimination and ostracism of burakumin-an outcast group that belonged on the very bottom of the social order-would be eliminated. A national tax system was then initiated by Ōkubo Toshimichi, so it'd be required to pay in money instead of rice. This gave money to the government so they could build a stronger nation. Many samurais cut off their hair knots in acceptance for more western-style hair and took professions in business. However, conservative samurais were unhappy with the loss of class privilege and rioted. This riot was called the Satsuma Rebellion; it was the last but most grave revolt to the new Meiji government. But with the Imperial Japanese Army, which were largely made up of former samurais that were trained in Western strategies and weapons, the protesting samurais were easily
These samurais were also more educated than most of the population, and so they became teachers, gun makers, government officials, or military officers.
Japan's changes were drastic, beginning as a feudal country and then rapidly blooming into a thriving, advanced nation. Emperor Meiji helped make the vision of a modernized and industrialised Japan come true with his power and by cooperating with those who agreed with his vision. Without the Meiji revolution, Japan would drastically lag behind other developed nations. The Meiji Restoration greatly changed Japanese history to the current-day country, thus making this an important turning