Similarities And Differences Of Government In Europe And Japan

Europe and Japan are beautiful countries that had a captivating history. The most interesting thing about the two countries, perhaps, is that they had similar types of government in different points in time. The feudalistic government type in Japan and Europe were approximately 300 years apart, yet their resemblance was uncanny. They were similar in that they both had: monarchical governments, weak kings, decentralized governments, and a code of honor for warriors. The differences include: Europe’s government being controlled by the pope, the different time periods, the code of honor for knights was chivalry, and women were weak in

Europe; whereas in Japan, women and men were equal, the government was controlled by a shogun, and the code of honor

They were monarchical because they both had kings ruling over their country. Although the kings were figure heads; they were still a crucial part of the government. For example, in feudal Europe, the lord's owe their loyalty to the king, and in turn, the king will give them land. The governments in the two countries were decentralized, meaning the central authority was not in a concentrated area.

Europe and Japan had many social similarities and differences. Samurai and knights both had “codes of honor” they had to follow in order to be righteous warriors. Although the emphasis on the codes were the same; Europe’s code of chivalry focused more on “saving women” than anything. In Japan, however, the “code of honor”, Bushido stressed more on honor, bravery, and loyalty. The social class of women was different in the two countries, also. In feudal Europe, women were put up on pedestals and were expected to be saved, much like a “damsel in

Mahnoor Farooq

4th period

10­23­15

distress.” In feudal Japan, women were expected to be strong like men and had more rights than women in Europe did.

In contrast to the many political similarities, feudal Japan and Europe also had