Meiji Restoration + Civil

Shinto

Japanese religion worshiping ancestors and natural forces

Decline of the Bakufu

Period of civil war in Japan between 1460-1600

Daimyo

Powerful landholding magnates in feudal Japan

Shogun

Military dictator of Japan during the feudal period

Autocratic

Political system with ruler having complete power

Seclusion Edicts

Official orders isolating Japan from the world in 1635

Bakufu

System of military government in Japan from 1192 to 1868

Feudalism

System regulating life in Tokugawa period

Samurai

Member of a military class in Japan from 11th to 19th century

Sankin Kotai

System controlling daimyo by having them visit the Shogun

Stipend

Monthly living allowance paid to individuals

Black Ships and Commodore Perry (Gunboat Diplomacy)

American naval expedition to Japan in 1853

Unequal Treaties

Unfair treaties imposing Western powers' interests on Japan

Opium Wars

Conflicts between Chinese Qing Dynasty and Western powers

Political Vacuum

Period when power is lost and not yet replaced

Sonno Joi

Anti-foreign movement in Japan in the 1850s and 1860s

Meiji

Emperor of Japan from 1867 to 1912, leading modernization

Genro

Privy council members leading the Meiji restoration

End of Isolation

Opening of Japan to foreign nations after the Meiji restoration

Collapse of the Bakufu

Catalyst triggered by Perry's arrival in Japan

Stratification

Arrangement of society into separate layers or groups

Prussia

Former European empire including modern-day Germany

Diet

Japan's equivalent of a parliament

Oligarchy

Government by a small group of powerful individuals

Zaibatsu

Group of industrial and financial companies in Japan

Kazoku

New social class post-Meiji restoration including court nobles

Shizuko

New social class post-Meiji restoration mainly from the samurai class

Heimin

New social class post-Meiji restoration consisting of commoners

Charter Oath

Emperor's 1868 declaration listing 5 aims for the new government

Iwakura Mission

18-month journey to observe Western conditions for Japan's future

Zaibatsu system

Privileged business system after selling government industries

Prussian model

Adopted model under the Japanese constitution for assembly

Imperialism

Building a military for overseas missions and empire establishment

Sino-Japanese War

1894 conflict where Japan defeated China, gaining Taiwan and Manchuria

Russo-Japanese War

1904 conflict where Japan defeated Russia, gaining Port Arthur lease

Samurai Rebellion

Attempted revolt against reforms by the samurai class

Imperial Army

Created in 1871 with 10,000 samurai under Yamagata Aritomo

Treaty of Shimonoseki

Resulted in Japan's control over Korea, Taiwan, and Manchuria

Treaty of Portsmouth

Ended the Russo-Japanese War, recognizing Japanese claims over Korea

Meiji Restoration

Modernized Japan, abolished feudalism, and changed various aspects

Constitution

Granted freedoms but power remained concentrated with the genro

Land tax

Initial funding source for Meiji modernization program

Decimal currency

Introduced in 1871 with the yen as the unit of currency

Mass conscription

Introduced in 1873, making military service universal

Education Act

Established compulsory primary education based on Western models

Shintoism

Re-emphasized as the state religion, personified in the Emperor

Meritocracy

Emphasized in the education system based on talents and efforts

Meiji Period

Rebuilt legal, social, and political system, abolished feudalism

Oligarchic system

Concentrated power in the genro's hands despite democratic aspects

Westernization

Borrowed and adapted Western practices for rapid modernization

Industrialization

Built industries using land taxes, later sold to private businesses

Imperialism Rationale

Belief in the need for an empire to survive as an Imperial Power

Imperial Army Mission

Forced Korea to sign the Treaty of Kanghwa in 1876

Imperial Army Size

Became a sizeable force after extending conscription in 1890

Union

the states that stayed loyal to the United States and fought to retain a united single country

Confederates

the states that joined together to secede from the United States

Tariff

a tax put on imported good to make them more expensive, so that people would buy US-made goods instead

States' rights

the rights that individual states believed they still held, despite the existence of a Federal Government

Federal Government

the central government of the United States, formed in 1789, after the individual states federated to become a single country

Peculiar institution

the term used by Southerners for the system of slavery

Planter

a landowner in the South owning 20 or more slaves

differences between the north and south economy

The north excelled in factories and the south excelled in farming and trading