Reasons for the Meiji Restoration Contents, etc.

I. Reasons for the Meiji Restoration

1. Historical background

After the Black Ship Incident, Japan was forced to sign a series of unequal treaties with the Great Powers, and the Tokugawa Shogunate once again became the target of the Japanese society's crusade.

2. Awakening of public awareness

The revolutionary forces among the lower class samurai and the aspirants from the powerful farmers and merchants joined forces with the southwestern clans and the imperial ministers who were in conflict with the Shogunate and put forward the slogan of "Respecting the King and Repelling the Barbarians", i.e., respecting the Emperor and driving away the foreign invaders. They assassinated those in power in the Shogunate who had colluded with Western powers, attacked merchants and diplomats from Western countries in Japan, and attacked the ships of Western powers.

3, the emperor regained power

Meiji Emperor came to power after the Taisho Bungfu, the emperor regained control of the real power, in order to change the situation of Japan at the mercy of the Western powers to slaughter the situation, Japan decided to study the advanced technology of the West, and strive to be the realization of the wealth of the country and strength of the army.

The Meiji Restoration

1, political reform

The mandatory implementation of the "version of the return", "abolition of the clan and the prefectures" policy, Japan will be divided into three prefectures and 72 prefectures, the establishment of centralized political system, and the Emperor all the power in one person. The Emperor had all the power under one roof. In terms of the social system, the traditional status system of "scholar, farmer, worker, and merchant" was abolished, and formal equality among the "Four Peoples" was realized, with mutual interaction among the various classes allowed.

2. Culture and Education

Advocated the learning of culture and customs of western society and the development of modern education. The Ministry of Education and Culture was established, and the education reform ordinance, the School System, was enacted to develop compulsory education of a modern bourgeois nature. Japan was divided into eight university districts, each with one university, and 32 high school districts, each with one high school.

3. Shogunate

Introducing modern industrial technology from the West and establishing the Ministry of Industry and Commerce to manage industry and commerce; reforming the land system, abolishing the original land policy, permitting the sale and purchase of land, and implementing the new land tax policy; abolishing the customs posts set up by the feudal lords; unifying the currencies, and setting up the Bank of Japan (the central bank of the country) in 1882; and abolishing the guilds and monopolies in industry and commerce to promote the development of industry and commerce ("殖産興業"). The abolition of the guild system and monopoly organizations in the industrial and commercial sector promoted the development of industry and commerce (shogyo kyoiku).

4. Military Reforms

Military reforms were carried out to reform the military establishment, with the army taking reference from German training and the navy taking reference from the British navy; and a conscription decree was issued in 1872, making military service compulsory for all adult males over 20 years of age. Militarism and Bushido were practiced.

Expanded Information

Significance of the Meiji Restoration

I. Positive Aspects

The Meiji Restoration pushed the progress of Japanese society, and enabled it to escape from the national crisis, and then embarked on the road of developing capitalism, becoming the first power in Asia.

2. Negative aspects

1. Although the landlord land ownership system was abolished and private ownership of land was recognized, the negative aspects of the landlord ownership system gradually emerged with the deepening of industrialization, and the peasants were living in poverty, which seriously affected the expansion of the domestic market and constrained the industrial development.

2. The emergence of extreme nationalism and militarism of foreign aggression and expansion brought deep disasters to Asian countries.

3. After the promulgation of the Meiji Constitution, the feudal lords monopolized power in the name of the emperor for a long time, and the parliament was virtually non-existent, so the people did not obtain democratic rights.

4. A policy of fooling the people was carried out to inculcate the idea of emperor worship and to force the people to obey the emperor absolutely and to do their best for him.

5. The remnants of feudalism constrained the economic construction of Japan.