History - Meiji Era

Grade 8 Essay on Japan, Meiji Era (If there is any additional information you would like to add or any misinformation from the cards, pls let me know)

When did the Meiji Restoration occur?

1868

When did the Russo-Japanese War occur?

1905

When did WWI occur

1914-1918

When was the Rise of the Japanese Nation?

1905-20s

What was life in Japan before 1868?

1. Power under the Shogun (military leader) - Tokugawa shogunate

2. Japan closed to all foreigners except dutch and china

3. No central government - local government was the daimyo

4. Largely a feudal system

Who is the Tokugawa Shogunate?

also known as the Edo Shogunate, the Tokugawa shogunate was the military government of Japan during the Edo period from 1603 to 1868.

What is a feudal system?

a system in which people were given land and protection by people of higher rank, and worked and fought for them in return.

what 4 things happened during the Meiji Modernisation (1868)

1. Began a modernisation programme

2. Became more Western - democratic, industrial, educational

3. Samurai code of honour and loyalty was transferred to industries

4. Zaibatsu were created - huge companies or conglomerates

Who was the figurehead of Japan?

The emperor

Who held the power in Japan?

A shogun

Who was in charge of local governments?

Local Daimyo

What happened in 1467?

A civil war which lasted a century and a half

What did European traders introduce to Japan?

Christianity and guns

How many years were the Tokugawa family in power?

250 years

Where did the shogunate rule from?

Edo

How did the Tokugawas maintain peace in Japan?

1. Took swords to give to the samurais

2. Upheld strict social hierarchies

3. Banned foreigners

What struggles did Japanese people face?

1. Unfair taxes which paid for the Samurai’s leisure activities (eg.

2. Famines

3. Hardworking Conditions

what trading terms was Japan forced to accept?

An unequal treaty, first with the Americans, then with Britain

1. Full access to Japan’s merchant port

2. No export charge

Who beat the Shogun’s army in 1868?

Satsuma and Choshu ( acting as an alliance )

What reforms were implemented by Meiji and his advisors?

1. Reconfiguring the country (into a centralised state)

2. Standardised Taxes

3. Disassembling the social hierarchy

4. Mandatory 4 years of education for both male and female

5. Mandatory NS

6. Art and architecture

7. Building of railway structures and telephone lines

8. Teaching National culture

what was ended in 1877?

Samurais

What key trait did Japan have that distinct it from Europe?

A very/highly involved emperor in the government

What did Japan adopt in 1889 from the West?

The constitution - president; prime ministers etc

What was the focal point of Japan’s pride and identity?

Emperor Meiji

What did Japan annex in 1879 and 1894? (Note: Annex means to add (territory) to one's own territory)

The Ryukyu Islands

When did the first Sino-Japanese was take place?

25 July 1894 - 17 April 1895

Who did Japan become increasingly suspicious of?

The West

What did Japan try to include in preamble to the new league of Nations after WWI?

Racial equality

Where did Japan invade in 1931?

• Manchuria

• China

• Korea

• French Indo-China

• Almost all of east asia

When did Japan’s empire end?

1945