Why The Meiji Restoration Prevented Japan's Colonization?
Michael Kim
Ms. Jones
World Since 1500
23/1/18
Why The Meiji Restoration Prevented Japan’s Colonization Prior to the arrival of Commodore Perry, Japan enjoyed peace and stability for 200 years under the Tokugawa Shogunate. However, Japanese society remained isolated and failed to integrate modern innovations from the industrial revolution, resulting in her being left behind in the feudal times. The Japanese proponents for progress began to show their dissatisfaction for the Tokugawa Shogunate, which represented stasis quo and its lack of willpower to implement the much needed changes. Similar events were unfolding in China, with inept handling of events resulting in Chinese losses of lives and territories, and many other concessions. The …show more content…
The Japanese government evaluated farming lands and fixed prices for future transactions that involved the exchanging of lands and taxations (Williams 27). The owner of the land had to pay three percent of the land’s value annually, leading to a stable flow of tax revenue for the government. The revenue solidified Japanese infrastructure and the creation of new markets within their economy. Japan built new industries to help fuel their economy, such as mills and smelters. These industries would later be sold to independent entrepreneurs, who used Western technologies to produce items sold in the international market. One example is coal production. In 1875, Japan produced 0.6 tonnes. Then in 1905, Japan was producing 13 tonnes. The very coal they began utilizing allowed the growth of their merchant fleets, increasing by over 700 steamships between the years 1873 to 1904. The growth of the Japanese economy was propelled by the forceful economic reforms presented by the Japanese government. The Japanese adopted an economy based on the British and American model, the fuel for this economy was the aggressive entrepreneurs who also helped to advance Japan and her
Ms. Jones
World Since 1500
23/1/18
Why The Meiji Restoration Prevented Japan’s Colonization Prior to the arrival of Commodore Perry, Japan enjoyed peace and stability for 200 years under the Tokugawa Shogunate. However, Japanese society remained isolated and failed to integrate modern innovations from the industrial revolution, resulting in her being left behind in the feudal times. The Japanese proponents for progress began to show their dissatisfaction for the Tokugawa Shogunate, which represented stasis quo and its lack of willpower to implement the much needed changes. Similar events were unfolding in China, with inept handling of events resulting in Chinese losses of lives and territories, and many other concessions. The …show more content…
The Japanese government evaluated farming lands and fixed prices for future transactions that involved the exchanging of lands and taxations (Williams 27). The owner of the land had to pay three percent of the land’s value annually, leading to a stable flow of tax revenue for the government. The revenue solidified Japanese infrastructure and the creation of new markets within their economy. Japan built new industries to help fuel their economy, such as mills and smelters. These industries would later be sold to independent entrepreneurs, who used Western technologies to produce items sold in the international market. One example is coal production. In 1875, Japan produced 0.6 tonnes. Then in 1905, Japan was producing 13 tonnes. The very coal they began utilizing allowed the growth of their merchant fleets, increasing by over 700 steamships between the years 1873 to 1904. The growth of the Japanese economy was propelled by the forceful economic reforms presented by the Japanese government. The Japanese adopted an economy based on the British and American model, the fuel for this economy was the aggressive entrepreneurs who also helped to advance Japan and her