- Government
- Tokugawa dynasty
- Military dictators (shoguns)
- Religion/Culture
- Religious mix of Christianity, Buddhism, and Confucianism
- Zen Buddhism
- Less Confucian influence than China, but heavy influence on family values. Definitely no exam system and more of an exam system.
- Contact with the West
- 1640s to 1700s
- Not much contact with the west
- Deshima
- An artificial island in Nagasaki Harbor
- The ONLY contact with Europeans
- Some scientific/technical knowledge of the West
- 1840s
- Western nations desire formal relationships with Japan
- Matthew Perry
- Leads American warships into Tokyo Bay (1853)
- "Allow free trade"
- "Sign this friendship treaty"
- "Or we will blow up Tokyo!"
- Japanese sign a treaty so that they don't get blown up (even though they did lmao rip)
- Unequal treaties
- Westerners get EXTRATERRITORIALITY
- Where an American in Japan or any American-influnced country is judged under an American court and American laws rather than that countries
- Unrestricted trade
- Japanese get loss of control over trade and a nice slice of humble pie
- Japanese look really bad after all these agreements with the Americans and nobody ends up liking the Shogunate
- 1850s-1860s
- Resentment against the Americans build up
- 1867
- Civil War!
- Anti-western Samurai v.s. Tokugawa Shogunate
- 1868
- Meiji Restoration
- Shogun resigns and military dictatorship is gone
- Emperor takes over completely
- Meiji Reforms
- Goals
- Social Reforms
- Samurai class is abolished (the emperor betrays his allies)
- Meiji Constitution
- Japan becomes a constitutional monarchy, similar to America's constitution of written rights and laws
- Japan diet (parliament)
- Upper house
- Lower house
- Who can vote?
- Wealthy men
- <5% of population
- What does the emperor do?
- Commander and chief of the military
- Appoints Prime Minister (chief executive)
- Can dissolve parliament (aka: screw you guys i'm getting a new parliament)
- Can write his own laws (so it's not really a democracy)
- How about human rights?
- Guaranteed!
- Unless they're inconvenient for the government! :)
- How does the constitution help Japan?
- Conflicts no longer violent
- Channeled through the political process
apr 25 2016 ∞
apr 25 2016 +