Summarize Japan's social and economic development from the Meiji restoration to the Great Depression
Social development: The great depression
Social development: Meiji Restoration - When Japan noticed that the Western world had resources that outclassed those of Japan, Japan wanted to modernise before a western country decides to dominate them
Economic development: Meiji Restoration
Economic development: The Great Depression
Urbanisation
Industry
Causes
Before the Great depression
Education
During the Great depression
During the great depression
Japan had little amount of natural resources & lead to it relying on foreign trade
Became the major power in East Asia
Due to failure of the financial machinery
Mandatory for all children to take
The Great depression lead to large amount of people who lost their jobs and affected the trading
Taught national identity and loyalty to the Emperor for a stronger and more united nation
Social hierarchy
Japan's economy declined with the rest of the world
Abolished samurais, western military takes over
Citizens have the freedom to change their social class, where they lived, and their occupations.
Former samurais are allowed to become farmers, business owners, and trades people.
Improved living standards
Complete ownership of farms
Farmers need to pay a 3% land tax
Lower discrimination between social classes
economic system has shattered
resulted in a sudden rise in the crime rate. Theft, burglary and felony became common occurrences.
Freedom to practice any religion
The effects of the Great Depression/What did it lead to?
Women rights
The right to be given the same amount of pay as men
low economic growth
mild deflation
unsettled financial system.
1946: Given the right to vote
Education
Allowed to choose their occupation, partner, and they could inherit and own property using their own names
Due to lack of public spending
Many schools were closed down or understaffed. Professional education was no longer a priority.
Encouraged to receive education
New government structure
Political system
During the Meiji period, the government sent official abroad to learn about the Western economy, they found that they were very behind an there is a need for them to advance their industry and technology to remain self supporting and competitive in the western marketplace
Japanese's parliament (diet) was given privilege to choose Japan's prime minister.
A prosperous economy
World war 1 - Oppourtunities
Although Japan was a relatively powerful country at the 1920s, it didn't suffer like western countries (e.g Britain & France) who fell into an economy slump
All men over 25 had the right to vote.
National health insurance plan
Japan dominated British markets after Britain's economic slump
One of the biggest impacts on the economy is that the Meiji period brought was the end of the feudal system.
When the Tokugawa shogunate was overthrown and the Meiji government was founded, Japanese Westernization began completely.
The industrial revolution first appeared in textiles, including cotton, silk, which was based in home workshops in rural areas.
Japanese textiles dominated the home markets and competed successfully with British products in China and India.
Japan skipped water power and moved straight to steam powered mills, which were more productive, and it created a demand for coal.
Japanese people now had the ability to become more educated. With a more educated population, Japan's industrial sector grew significantly.
In the early Meiji period, the government built factories and shipyards that were sold to entrepreneurs at a fraction of their value.
Urbanization proceeded steadily during the Tokugawa period.
The Prime Minister was previously chosen by the emperor, but then shifted to the people choosing the Prime Minister
Developing to democray
As a cause of the Great Depression, half of all of Japan’s factories were closed by 1931 because no one was in a position to buy imported products from them.
With half of the factories in Japan closing, it left many people without jobs and a way to get food for their family.
children were begging for food to passengers on passing trains and farmers had no choice but to eat tree bark to stay alive.
this action generated new demands for food, manufactured items, and the elimination of unemployment by 1936.
Average family incomes dropped 40 percent from $2,300 in 1929 to $1,500 in 1933. That's like having income fall from $32,181 to $20,988