japan u5 study guide 2

Question 1

How did the role of the emperor change (3 ways), and what was the Privy Council?

Answer 1

Apex of German-style constitutional order (but no power)
1) Greatly increased emperors wealth
2) Increased effort to glorify emperor by exploiting media and art community
3) Reaffirmed emperor as absolute sovereign in a New Constitution
Privy Council
- reserved for oligarchs
- ‘rule behind the screen’ for oligarchs

Question 2

What two institutional developments did the oligarchs push through?

Answer 2

1) Established German-style bureaucracy, with classical Confucian ideals as guiding principles
- consisted of bureaucrats, like scholar-officials, role models of integrity and duty, loyalty and obedience
2) Brought back Imperial University with Civil Service Exams to staff new bureaucracy
Significance
- shows effort to retain classical principles and classical ideals into gov. service, but also modern Western knowledge
- most leadership (central, prefectural, and local gov. officials) mostly formal samurai
- new elite came from old elite, oligarchs has stability and continuity

Question 3

What basic German principle did the military adopt, and why significant?

Answer 3

Rescript to Soldiers and Sailors, required servicemen to follow 3 principles
1. practice absolute obedience to the emperor
2. military service is central to try to instill patriotic feeling in broader public
3. New Military was almost completely independent
Significance
Army and Navy Chiefs of Staff could send troops without government permission. To work around budget restrictions, couldn’t be controlled by civilian gov. principle called independence of the Authority of the Supreme Command
Emperor had Independence of the Authority of the Supreme Command
the New Military, like the New Bureaucracy was stabilizing force against corrupt outside influence. Revamped traditional samurai ethics and imperial nationalism, spirit of Meiji

Question 4

What was the key component to the new economic policy? What were the Zaibatsu? Significances?

Answer 4

“Selling off government enterprises”
- keep control over military-strategic factories but sell off others
- only to former government officials, merchants, and financiers who had ties with oligarchs, already successful
- had big impact
Zaibatsu
- cartel-like organizations with multiple connecting business interests in mining, manufacturing, shipping, distribution, and finance
Significances
- Japan more flexible, pragmatic, willing to change compared to china. Had to do what they had to do to deal with challenges

Question 5

What were the new model and new system in the 1880s? Why were traditional Confucian virtues important?

Answer 5

• called for revival of Confucian morality
  Multi-track education system
• boys acquired rudimentary vocational training, girls learned about household management to become ‘good wives and wise mothers’
  -Higher School boys became traditional samurai gentleman and man of cultivation, while also emulating elite of Germany and England
• ceremonial observation of grand festivals on national holidays became mandatory to reinforce loyalty and patriotic qualities
  recited Rescript on Education
• new national antem Kimi ga yo had Western-style music
  Confucian virtues significance
• virtues of respect, obedience, selflessness, etc. became tied to Emperor and security and prosperity of Japanese nation

Question 6

What 2 causes helped bring a shift for the C+E thinkers? Fukuzawa’s solution and importance?

Answer 6

1) Western nations aggressively pushed for resources and markets, called ‘new imperialism’
2) Westerners were arrogant, hypocritical, and racist
Fukuzawa
- Social Darwinism theory: survival of the fittest but survival of the nations
His solution
- be offensive
- Asians must unite and Japan leads to protect Asia and its civilization
- published An Argument for Throwing off Asia
Importance
- C+E movement faded away, Rich Country, Strong Military took its place

Question 7

Why was Treaty Revision important to the Japanese?

Answer 7

Unequal treaties
- fueled C+E shift for public
- Japanese always got denied for proposals
-highlighted that the West had power and wealth, and central tension
- developed a national consciousness to be regarded as equals

Question 8

How did the government respond to the protests, and why significant?

Answer 8

• natural disasters happened in beginning of 1890s
  a. large-scale flooding
  b. host of poisonous chemicals such as arsenic on lots of crop land
  c. silkworms and fish died, agricultural output dropping, sores appearing on hands and feet, also other health problems
  In result Japanese protests and wrote petitions to gov.
  Response
• Public Order and Police Law
  a. restricted speech, assembly, and association.
  b. prohibited workers from organizing and striking, banned women from political association
  Significance
• marked beginning of Japan environmentalist movement
• shows that gov. didn’t care about working conditions or environment health. sacrifice for states needs.

Question 9

What developments did the War signify? What slogan emerged?

Answer 9

China and Japan competing for Korea influence
Tonghak Rebellion broke out in southern Korea, turned to China who sent 3,000 troops
To compete Japan sent 8,000 troops
Treaty of Shimonoseki
1) China had to recognize Korea as independent state
2) China paid Japan large indemnity
3) cede to Japan Taiwan island
4) Grant Japan free use of Liaudong peninsula in southern Manchuria
Significance
- Japan forces better equipped, better led, more united than Chinese
- Shocked Chinese scholar-official class
- Lead shift of East Asian balance of power
- Japan became Rich and Strong
- West recognized Japan as threat
Triple Intervention
- three European nations insisted Japan forfeit rights to Liaodong peninsula b/c violated Chinese sovereignty
Persevere for the Sake of Revenge
- take back what was theirs
- from Triple Intervention