Meiji Restoration

Meiji Restoration

The Meiji Restoration was an important series of events which brought about numerous political, social, economic and military changes. It was also a transfer of power from the Tokugawa bakufu to a new group of political elite called the Genro. The Genro was a group of men who were primarily from the Choshu and Satsuma provinces. The restoration propelled Japan to becoming a great world power by the early twentieth century. Their ability to industrialize and unify were crucial to this success. The results of these changes taking place were not entirely positive for the people of Japan, who often paid the price so the country could advance as a whole. The struggles of peasants were both economic and social. The new taxing system forced many farmers to become tenants, and at the same time they were facing unequal growth against the urban community.

I. The fall of the Tokugawa and rise of the New Elite

A. Decline of the Tokugawa Shogunate

i. An alliance of daimyo overthrew the Shogunate after the Boshin War

ii. The Shogunate officially ended in 1868 when Tokugawa Yoshinobu resigned

B. The New Elite

i. Was comprised of men from the Choshu and Satsuma provinces which was called the Genro

ii. Goals of the Genro included maintaining independence and strengthening the army

II. Changes in Japanese Structure

A. Political Changes

i. Unification of Japan

a. It was hard to unify Japan as a whole because people were loyal

to their local areas

b. Attempted to turn the Meiji Emperor into a national hero by having him tour the countryside

B. Social Changes

i. Abolition of social classes

a. Samurai and peasants were now both equal socially

b. Samurai were given government bonds and were now forced to find jobs, where many of them ended up as bureaucrats

ii. Fukuzawa Yukichi

a. Was a major advocate for Japan to modernize their society

b. Wrote �Seiyo jiji’ which described western culture

c. He was regarded as the foremost expert on all things western

C. Economic Changes

i. Industrialization

a. Creation of Zaibatsu’s which were large industrial combines

b. Zaibatsu’s were usually centered around one family or one bank and often received tax breaks from the government

ii. Shibusawa Eiichi

a. He was a major Japanese industrialist and is known as the father of Japanese capitalism

b. He was the founder of the First National Bank of Japan

D. Military Changes

i. New military approach

a. The Japanese hired foreigners to help train their military using more modern techniques

b. These new techniques were western ideas that came primarily from French and Prussian influence

ii. Compulsory conscription introduced in 1873