What Are The Meiji Restoration And Its Effects On Japan

Impact of Meiji Restoration

Isolated for over 200 years, Japan was highly ethnocentric and traded from within. Japan got most of its ideas from the influence of China. Some of the ideas Japan borrowed from China were their writing and script, their governmental organization, and Buddhism. The Tokugawa was the last form of traditional Japanese government. Feudalism is a political, economic, and social system based on loyalty, the holding of land, and military service. Feudalism was a big fight for power and control. As the government got weaker, wealthy landowners became more powerful and fought other wealthy landowners for their land. When Japan was under the feudalistic control, the government was decentralized and the emperor was the

The greatest effect on Japan was the abolition of feudalism when Japan modernized. The largest effect on the rest of the world was Japan was now able to trade with other countries, which now meant that other countries economies could benefit as well as Japan's. Another major effect was that Japan acquired a written constitution which set laws and structure for Japan and became the law of the land until it was replaced with a new constitution. The new constitution also set up the National Diet. Next, by 1897, about 95 percent of the population was receiving a formal, primary education. In document five it says “... 95 percent were receiving some formal education” (document 5). Since most of the population was receiving a formal education this meant that people learned how to man factories for steel, iron and rubber, and how to grow their own food. People in Japan also had a better standard of living. Lastly they began to use their new skills to build an empire in Asia. All in all Japan had many social effects due to the Meiji

One major effect was that Japan helped with the debt by switching fixed interest bonds for the stipends. Also the national government assumed the Stipends which paid the Samurai. “ The national government also assumed responsibility for the Stipends paid to the Samurai” (document 1). The next economic effect was that the Samurai rebellions led to the creation of money to finance the rebellion, which led to inflation and the income of the Samurai. Lastly Japan finally had a written banking system. A written banking system meant that people could have money. Overall Japan and the rest of the world had many economic effects due to the Meiji