Nationalism in Japan1850-1975Wyatt Williams, Riley Levitt, and Winston Meshad

Beginning SituationIn 1853 American commodore Matthew C. Perry arrived off the coast of Japan and demanded that Japan open its ports to trade and allow American chips to refuel and take on supplies during their voyages between China and California. In 1854 representatives of the shogun indicated their willingness to sign the Treaty of Kanagawa, modeled on unequal treaties between China and the Western powers. Angry and disappointed, some provincial governors began to encourage an underground movement calling for the destruction of the Tokugawa regime and the beginning of foreigners from Japan, and later gave them “the boot”

Change #1: Meiji restoration

The Meiji restoration was a political program that followed the destruction of the Tokugawa Shogunate in 1868, in which a collection of young leaders set Japan on the path of centralization, industrialization, and imperialism

1868 provincial rebels overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate and declared yang emperor Mutsuhto

The new rulers were known, extraordinarily talented and far sighted

Determined to protect their country from western Imperialism, they encouraged its transformation into a “rich country with a strong army” with world-class industries

Change #2: Isolated nation to an Imperialistic power

From 1853 to 1941, Japan changed from being reclusive, isolated nation that kept to itself to an imperialistic power openly attacking and conquering surrounding territories and peoples

Matthew C. Perry, in 1853, sailed from the United States to negotiate improvements in economic policies. This caused Japan to take on a more aggressive stance on economics.

Perry also explained the extensive military power in the United States to the Japanese which resulted in the Japanese invasions of Manchuria in in 1931 and China in 1937

This change occurred because of the Japanese fear of becoming imperialized by other foreign powers

Continuity #1: Japanese reforms

Throughout this period the Japanese were reforming their military and industrial strength which lead to greater nationalism

They could conquer with their military which was supported by the Japanese population under one flag, and they all promoted reforms together as one nation

Japan demonstrated how strong their military was in acts such as the Russo-Japanese war in 1905 when Japan shocked the world by defeating Russia with the Treaty of Portsmouth

Japan continued to increase its influence especially after conquering southern Manchuria by taking control within it’s industries and railroads

Continuity #2: Constant conflicts between Japan and China

China and Japan were both subject to western pressures, but their modern histories have been complete opposites, this caused constant fighting

Their different reactions to the pressures of the west put these two great nations on a collision course

When the boxers threatened the foreign legation in Beijing, an international force from the western powers and Japan captured the city and forced China to pay a huge indemnity.

These events allowed Japan to create and build a stronger nation throughout this entire time period, because it made Japanese citizens confident with their leaders

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Japan invasion map from 1931

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Daimyo and Shogunal rule region map 1853-68

End SituationOn December 7, 1941 Japanese planes bombed the US naval base at Pearl Harbor sinking or damaging scores of warships. They soon began to confiscate food and raw materials and demand heavy labor from the inhabitants. Japans dream of an East Asia empire seemed within reach, for it’s victories surpassed even Hitler’s in Europe. The US, however, quickly began preparing for war. In April 1942, American planes bombed Tokyo. A month later, Japan lost four of its six largest aircraft carriers at the Battle of Midway. Without them, Japan faced a long and hopeless war. Pearl Harbor is known as one of the most drastic examples of nationalism the world has ever witnessed. This shows how willing the citizens were to sacrifice their lives for their country.

BibliographyBulliet, Richard W. The Earth and Its Peoples: A Global History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1997. Print.

"Japan Change and Continuity over Time - Term Papers - Xxhorselover." StudyMode. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.

"Samurai, Daimyo, Matthew Perry, and Nationalism: Crash Course World History #34." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 23 Mar. 2015.