A Brief History of Japan essays

A Brief History of Japan essays From Feudalism to Military dominance to Constitutional Democracy, Japans history is an insightful roadmap of how she developed into the Japanese modern state that is apparent today. Examining Japans past experiences as a nation, five of the most crucial events of history are the Tokugawa Shogunate of 1603, the Meiji Restoration of 1868, Japanese victory in the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Japanese defeat in WWII, and MacArthurs drafting of the new Japanese Constitution in 1946. These could be argued to be the major turning points in Japans history, completely altering the countrys values, attitudes, and orientation. The first turning point for Japan is seen in the Tokugawa Shogunate Period. I see it as the calm before the storm. It was a period of time of relative peace and stability, characterized by its strong centralized rule. This was a feudalistic era living in an isolated world. The Tokugawa Ieyasu establishes 14 generations of Tokugawa Shoguns. One of the largest landmark a lterations is found in the moving of the capital to Edo, otherwise known as Tokyo. This period is not as popular as the other listed turning points, but it too is very important because it illustrates Japans paradigm of society and what it took to shift it from its imbedded ways. It was the starting point of Japans road to modernism. The Meiji Restoration of 1898 is a huge turning point for Japan. It was Japans birth into a modern state." The US first made its presence with Perrys introduction leading to the forced treaty of trade. In addition to the end of Japans 200 years of isolation, the population growth and the mismanagement of public finance created a disordered economy, weakening legitimacy of the people. Because of the Shoguns luxurious lifestyles, the deficit rose thus causing inflation. This lead to the attempted rectification through heavy taxation, but it in...