CLASS 11

HISTORY

CH – 11

PATHS TO MODERNISATION

Renaissance 2.0
By: Shivang Bharadwaj
 INTRODUCTION
• China dominated East Asia at the start of the 19th century.
• In terms of power, the Qing Dynasty appeared assured. Japan, a small island nation, developed alone.
• Later, China was in disarray and unable to meet the challenge posed by colonialism.
• On the other hand, Japan successfully created a contemporary nation-state.
• Japan developed into a sophisticated industrial power, but its imperialistic ambitions resulted in conflict and
defeat by Anglo-American forces.
• In this chapter, we deal with the countries of Japan and China, their varied geographical locations, their
challenges, and their present state.
JAPAN
• Japan is a collection of islands.
• Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido are the four
largest.
• There is no significant river system.
• More than half of the island’s landmass is mountainous,
and Japan is in an earthquake zone.
• There are several homogeneous ethnic groups, such as the
small Ainu minority and Koreans, who were brought in as
forced labour when Korea was a Japanese colony.
• The majority of the time, Japanese is spoken.
• Japan has no tradition of animal husbandry. Rice is the
staple crop, and fish is the primary protein source.
 Political System
• From Kyoto, an emperor ruled Japan.
• By the 12th century, the Imperial court had lost its power to the Shoguns, who ruled in the emperor's name.
• Shoguns were members of the Tokugawa family from 1603 to 1867.
• The country was divided into 250 domains under the rule of Daimyo lords. The Shogun wields power over them.
• They also held sway over the major cities and mines. The Samurai served the Shoguns and Daimyo.
• Three changes in the late sixteenth century laid the groundwork for future development.
• The peasantry was disarmed, and only samurai were permitted to carry swords. It thus ensured peace and order, ending the
previous century's frequent wars.
• The daimyo was commanded to live in their domain capitals, each with a high degree of autonomy.
• Land surveys recognised owners and taxpayers and evaluated land productivity to ensure a stable revenue base.
• By the mid-seventeenth century, Japan had the world's most populous city, Edo, and two other major cities, Osaka and Kyoto.
• The development of a market economy and a diverse culture flourished in towns where a fast-expanding class of sellers
patronised theatre and the arts.
• The increased use of money and the establishment of the stock market steered the economy in new directions.
• As social and intellectual changes occurred, such as the study of ancient Japanese literature, people began to question the extent
of Chinese influence and the study of ancient Japanese literature.
 Meiji Restoration
• Internal discontent showed almost simultaneously as the demands for trade and diplomatic relations rose.
• The Meiji restoration is one of the most significant events in Japanese history.
• Trade and diplomatic relations were sought.
• In 1853, the United States demanded that Japan sign a treaty allowing trade and opening diplomatic relations.
• Japan was on the way to China, which the United States saw as a significant market. At the time, only one Western
country traded with Japan: Holland.
• In 1868, a movement deposed the Shogun and returned the Emperor to Edo. This was renamed Tokyo, which
means "eastern capital," and became the capital.
• British dominance in Asia alarmed Japan, and Japanese scholars were eager to learn about modern European ideas.
 Meiji
• To create economic growth and build a powerful army, the
government made a sense of national identity among people
and transformed subjects into citizens using the slogan
'Fukoku Kyohei' (rich country, strong army).
• The government also established the 'emperor system,' in
which the Emperor exercised power alongside the
bureaucracy and the military.
• The Emperor was revered because he was a direct
descendant of the Sun Goddess, but he was also portrayed
as the leader of westernisation. On his birthday, he wore
Western-style military uniforms, which became a national
holiday.
 Modernizing the Economy
• The Meiji government imposed a new administrative structure by altering old village and domain boundaries to integrate the
nation. In 1871, feudalism was abolished under Meiji rule.
• Another Meiji reform was the modernising of the economy. Japan’s first railway line, between Tokyo and the port of Yokohama,
was built in 1870-72. In 1872, modern banking institutions were launched. Zaibatsu (business families) dominated the economy.
• Funds were raised by levying an agricultural tax.
Industrial workers
• Textile machinery was imported from Europe, foreign technicians were employed to train workers and teach in universities and
schools, and Japanese students were sent abroad. The number of people in manufacturing increased. Over half of those
employed in modern factories were women. The size of factories also began to grow.
Aggressive nationalism
• In 1889, Japan adopted the new constitution. The Meiji Constitution created a Diet and declared the emperor as the commander
of the forces, based on a restricted franchise.
• All young men over twenty had to do a period of military service. A modern military force was developed. The military and the
bureaucracy were put under the emperor's direct command.
Daily life
• A new school system began to be built in the 1870s. Schooling was compulsory for boys and girls and, by 1910, almost
universal. Tuition fees were minimal. Tokyo University was established in 1877.
 After Defeat
• Japan's attempt to carve out a colonial empire ended with its defeat by the allied forces. The nuclear bombs were dropped
on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
• Japan was demilitarised, and a new constitution was introduced.
• Japanese philosopher Miyake Setsurei argued that each country must create unique talents in the interest of world
civilisation.
• The rapid reconstruction of the Japanese economy after its shattering destruction was called a post-war 'miracle'.
• The new constitution included Article 9, the so-called "no war clause”.
• Agricultural reforms, the re-establishment of trade unions, and an attempt to demolish the zaibatsu, or large monopoly
houses, which dominated the Japanese economy, were also implemented.
• The constitution was liberalised. In 1946, political parties were resurrected, and the first postwar elections were held.
• Women were granted suffrage in the 1946 elections.
• The government, bureaucracy, and industry all had close ties.
• With its advanced technologies, Japan also introduced better goods at lower prices.
• The US's assistance and the demand generated by the Korean and Vietnamese wars aided the Japanese economy.
• The 1964 Tokyo Olympics symbolised the maturation of Japan's economy.
• The introduction of a network of high-speed Shinkansen, or bullet trains, which ran at 200 miles per hour, added to its
prosperity in 1964.
• Several pressure groups protested industrial pollution in the 1960s. With the growth of civil society, industrialisation
was pushed with complete disregard for the environment.
• Today Japan faces the challenge of using its political and technological abilities to maintain its position as a leading
world power.
 China
• China is a large continental country with numerous
climatic zones.
• Three major river systems dominate the core: the
Yellow River (Huang He), the Yangtse River (Chang
Jiang - the world's third longest river), and the Pearl
River.
• Mountains cover a large portion of the country.
• There are several ethnic groups, including the Han,
Uighur, Hui, Manchu, and Tibetan.
• Chinese and Cantonese are the most widely spoken
languages.
• The origins of modern China can be traced back to the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries when China first
encountered the West.
 Opium Trade
• The demand for Chinese goods such as tea, silk and porcelain created a
severe balance of trade problem.
• Western goods were not in demand in China, so the payment had to be
made in silver.
• East India Company sold the opium which grew in India to China, and the
silver earned through this was given to the trade agents. It was used to
buy tea, silk and porcelain to sell in Britain.
• This led to the triangular trade between Britain, China and India. During
1839-42, the British won the first opium war in China and snatched
power from the Qing dynasty.
• The second opium war was fought in 1856-60. Liang Qichao applied
traditional ideas in novel ways to meet Western challenges. He helped
popularise Chinese nationalism.
• Sun Yat Sen was a Republican revolutionary inspired by ideas from Japan
and the West. He founded modern China and established a republic in
1911.
 • The Manchu dynasty was overthrown, and a republic was established in 1911 under Sun
Yat-Sen.
• Yat-Sen’s programme was called the Three Principles – These were nationalism –
which meant overthrowing the Manchu, who was seen as a foreign dynasty, as well as
other foreign imperialists; democracy or establishing democratic government;
and socialism regulating capital and equalising landholdings.
• On 4 May 1919, an angry demonstration was held in Beijing to protest against the
decisions of the post-war peace conference.
• Sun Yat-sen’s ideas became the basis of the Guomindang's political philosophy, which
identified the ‘four significant needs – clothing, food, housing and transportation.
Establishing the • After the death of Sun, Chiang Kaishek (1887-1975) emerged as the leader of the
Guomindang. He launched a military campaign to control the ‘warlords’, regional
Republic leaders who had usurped authority and eliminated the communists.
• He advocated a secular and rational ‘this-worldly’ Confucianism.
• He encouraged women to cultivate the four virtues of ‘chastity, appearance, speech and
work’ and recognise their role as confined to the household.
• The Guomindang, despite its attempts to unite the country, failed because of its shallow
social and political vision:
• Sun Yat-Sen’s programme of regulating capital and equalising land – was never carried
out.
• The party ignored the peasantry and the rising social inequalities. It sought to impose
military order rather than address the problems faced by the people.
Rise of Communist Party of
China
• Some Chinese intellectuals became interested in studying
Marxism when the Russian revolution of 1917 brought the
Bolshevik wing of the communists to power.
• They believed their traditional culture was unsuitable for modern
living conditions and were looking for a substitute. They formed
a society to study Marxism.
• Communism appealed to the intellectuals, and similar societies
began to spring up. It was these groups that formed the centre of
the communist party of China.
• It was established in Shanghai. The first congress was held there
in 1921.
• Mao Zedong emerged as an influential communist leader,
leading the party to become a powerful political force and
winning against the Guomindang.
• He had a radical approach.
• He supported the emergence of rural woman’s associations and
promulgated a new marriage law that prohibited arranged
marriages, stopped the purchase and sale of marriage contracts
and simplified the divorce process.
 Establishing New Democracy
• The government of the People's Republic of China was established in 1949.
• It was founded on the principles of 'New Democracy,' a coalition of all social classes.
• The government took control of critical sectors of the economy. Private enterprise and land ownership were prohibited.
• The Great Leap Forward movement, which began in 1958, was a policy designed to galvanise the country's
industrialization.
• Mao was successful in mobilising the masses to achieve the Party's objectives. His goal was to create a "socialist man"
with five loves: fatherland, people, labour, science, and public property.
• Liu Shao-chi and Deng Xiaoping attempted to reform the commune system because it was inefficient. The steel produced
in backyard furnaces was unfit for industrial use.
 Conflicting Visions
• In 1965, Mao launched the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in response to the conflict between the
concept of a socialist man' and those who objected to his emphasis on ideology rather than expertise.
• The Red Guards, primarily students and soldiers, were used to campaign against old cultures, customs,
and habits.
• Students and professionals were dispatched to the countryside to learn from ordinary people.
• Ideology surpassed professional knowledge in importance. Denunciations and slogans have taken the
place of rational debate.
• The Cultural Revolution ushered in a period of upheaval, weakened the Party, and severely harmed the
economy and educational system.
• In 1975, the party emphasised greater social discipline and the need to build an industrial economy.
 • The Cultural Revolution was followed by process of political change.
• Deng Xiaoping kept the party under control and introduced a socialist
market economy.
• The party declared its goal as four modernisations (to develop
Reforms from 1978 science, industry, agriculture and defence).
• It was proclaimed that without the fifth modernisation of democracy,
the other modernisations would come to nothing.
• The post-reform period saw the emergence of debates on ways to
develop China.
 Story of Taiwan
• Taiwan had been a Japanese colony since the Chinese ceded it following the war with Japan in 1894-95.
• The Cairo Declaration (1943) and the Potsdam Proclamation (1949) returned China's sovereignty.
• The GMD, led by Chiang Kai-shek, went on to establish a repressive government that prohibited free speech and
political opposition.
• They kept the local population out of positions of power.
• They implemented land reforms that increased agricultural productivity while also modernising the economy.
• Taiwan saw transformation into a democracy following Chiang's death in 1975.
• In 1987, martial law was lifted, and opposition parties were legally permitted.
• Most countries have only trade missions in Taiwan rather than full diplomatic ties because Taiwan is considered to be
part of China.
• The issue of reunification with the mainland remains contentious, but "cross-strait" relations (between Taiwan and
China) have improved.
• China may be willing to accept a semi-autonomous Taiwan as long as it abandons any attempt at independence.
 Story Of Korea
• Internal political and social unrest, as well as growing pressure from
China, Japan, and the West, plagued Korea's Joseon dynasty.
• After years of political conflict, Japan decided to make Korea a
colony. In 1945, the Japanese Colonial era came to an end.
• The Korean War between South and North Korea began in June
1950. North Korea received support from China, but South Korea
received our support.
• A peace agreement marked the end of the conflict.
• A combination of strong leaders, well-educated bureaucrats,
aggressive industrialists, and a skilled labour force helped Korea
achieve rapid economic growth.
 Two Roads of Modernisation
• The histories of Japan and China demonstrate how different historical circumstances led them down vastly
different paths to becoming independent and modern nations.
• Japan was successful in maintaining its independence and repurposing traditional skills and practices.
• China was humiliated in the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95). The Treaty of Shimonseki was signed between China
and Japan on April 17, 1895, effectively ending the First Sino-Japanese War.
• After their defeat, the Chinese became vulnerable and declared that both China and Japan needed reforms to
modernise.
• The Sino-Japanese war laid the groundwork for the Anglo-Japanese alliance in 1902.
• The Chinese path to modernization was quite distinct.
• Foreign imperialism, both Western and Japanese, conspired with a hesitant and uncertain Qing dynasty to
undermine government control.
• Traditions were rejected and new ways to build national unity and strength were sought in the nineteenth and
twentieth centuries.
 Important Questions
Short answers
1) Who are samurais?
2) What is Meiji restoration?
3) Name the three major river systems in china.
4) Which year was the People’s Republic of China established?
5) In which year did the war between north and south Korea begun?

Long answers
1) Write a short note on the Meiji restoration.
2) Write about the emergence of communist party in china.
3) Write a short note on Taiwan.
4) Write about the war between north and south korea.