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The Rise of Modern Japan

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The Rise of Modern Japan
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Thesis statement: how the rise of modern Japan resulted in the Second World War.

Among countries outside Europe and the US, Japan recorded a high rise to modernity. The high rate of modernization put the Japanese on a tight rope as far as there cultural and social values were concerned. For them it meant losing some of their values to embrace modernity especially those that were not in line with modernity. During the first quarter of the 19th century, Japan was ruled by a class of people from the Samurai family, who laid social, political and social structures which aimed to be better than then economic powers; Britain, France and Germany[1]. Harootunian observes that Japan’s formative age begun in between 1600-1886 during Tukagawa’s rule. He laid down structures that formed capitalism on which other generational rules have relied upon for industrial and economic growth and development[2].

The three men who reunified Japan were Ieyasu, Warring, Hideyoshi; Nobunaga. After securing supremacy in Japan, Ieyasu took the imperial family, living in the capital city of Kyoto under his control and increased financial support for them2. Ieyasu took another step. He adopted a practice, long used in some parts of Japan, of having vassals send their wives and heirs to live as hostages in the territories of their lords2.

Another influential figure in the rise of modern Japan was Yamagata became Prime Minister for a second term from 8 November 1898 to 19 October 19002. In 1900, while in his second term as Prime Minister, he ruled that only an active military officer could serve as War Minister or Navy Minister, a rule that gave the military control over the formation of any future cabinet2. He also enacted laws preventing political party members from holding any key posts in the bureaucracy.

In 1912 Yamagata set an example that the army could dismiss a cabinet. Due to this, a dispute with



References: [8] Harootunian, Harry. Overcome by modernity: history, culture and community in interwar Japan. (New Jersey: Princeton university press, 2000). Beasley, William. The rise of modern Japan; political, economic and social change since 1850. (New York: st. martins press, 2000). Dupuy, Trevor N. (1992). Encyclopedia of Military Biography. I B Tauris & Co Ltd.  Hackett, Roger F Menton, Linda and Noreen, Lush. the rise of modern Japan. Hawaii University Press, 2003). [2] Harootunian Harry, overcome by modernity: history, culture and community in interwar Japan (New Jersey: Princeton university press, 2000), 5.

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