Modernization in China and Japan

I. Defining Modernization

A. Becoming more like the modern world

1. What does that mean?

a. largely, modernization = westernization

b. possible positive or negative connotations

2. Will be of extreme importance historically, still having impact today

B. Characteristics of modernization

1. high rate of technological growth

a. military

b. industry

c. medicine

d. consumer goods

2. secularization of politics

3. widening of trade frontiers

4. centralization of political power

C. What were the priced of modernization?

1. acceptance of foreign "paradigm" of development

2. loss of traditional values

3. necessity of accepting new value systems

a. sometimes this could be, to our minds, positive

i. foot binding

ii. self-immolation

b. but very difficult to do

c. tended to undermine traditional authority structures

4. sometimes a desire to mix the old with the new (e.g. Confucianism + Western technology)

D. What happened if a country failed to become modernized?

1. lost power to rule over itself

2. was, often, cut up or colonized

II. China on the eve of modernization

A. "Beginning" of modern China with the Opium War in 1839--42

1. importance of opium to the trade of west with Chinese

a. Chinese (Qing Dynasty) had not wanted anything from the west!

b. West used opium fields of India to expand trade to China

c. actually "hooked" China in order to get trade

2. opened a number of cities to European traders

3. nothing actually said about opium in the settlement, but trade would of course continue

4. gave Hong Kong to British

a. originally very little importance placed on it

b. would become the most important trade center of Pacific Rim

B. Taiping Rebellion further weakened the Qing Dynasty

1. difficult to fight both external and internal enemies

a. Taiping rebels high point taking Nanking (Qing capital) in 1853

b. Rebellion finally put down in 1864

2. left Chinese politically, militarily, and socially weakened

C. Provided the opportunity for a high degree of imperialism and internal struggle

                D. constant struggle would erupt among traditionalists, reformers, and revolutionaries

III.  Western expansion into China

A. Creation of "spheres of influence"

1. held by many European powers

2. not complete takeover of political power, just high degree of political and economic influence in one's own sphere

a. Russia

b. Japan

c. Britain

d. Germany

e. France

f. Italy

3. cut up China internally, not just along the borders or along the coasts

B. Open Door Policy (1899) and Boxer Rebellion (1900)

1. too little too late for American policy to have much affect

a. wanted to have all countries accept Chinese rule but also keep trading with all parts of China

b. wanted to cut down on expansion of "spheres of influence"

2. Boxer Rebellion tried to rise up against Europeans, failed

  IV. Led to collapse of political order in China

A. would mean the eventual downfall of the dynasty

B. 1905 commission to set up a western-style constitutional government

C. No real political strength up into WWII

  V. Japan's Road to Modernization

A. Differences between China, Japan

1. healthy Shogunate from 1600s onward

2. small size

3. decision to accept some Western innovation

4. irony that this happened because local authorities (Daimyos) wanted to get military power, yet helped overall modernization

B. Gunboat Diplomacy, 1853

1. American fleet sent to Yedo

2. Show of strength opened Japan to American traders

C. Yet politics not strong enough to continue

1. Tokugawa shogunate couldn't hold together both reformers and ancient shogunate rights, based on conservative and traditional practices

a. shogunate had political power

b. Emperor had spiritual power and also political power

2. rise instead of new emperor (Meiji, in 1867)

3. Shogunate fell in 1868, Sat-Cho reforming group into power

D. Back and forth between Old and New forms of government

1. some desire for western-style democracy

2. restructuring was, however, very difficult in a traditional society

3. Meiji emperor strengthened itself by a "revolution from above" in order to modernize within a more traditional, authoritarian structure

E. Creation, therefore, of a quickly modernizing power that would play a part in world affairs

VI. Differences between China and Japan? – Primarily a question of who controls modernization – natives or foreigners.