mid-terms, returned this week course grading philosophy?
Post on 20-Dec-2015
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Mid-terms, returned this week
Course grading philosophy?
Studying the modern era
Hit the brakes: from 100 to 10 yph Three 50 yr. eras, roughly
1850-19001900-19501950-2000
Connect longer past to modern era 2 ways Past evolving forward
economy Past “appropriated” by a later present
monarchy
Creating a Nation State: Context
Internal Crises; External Threats: Generatea broadening, deepening of nation:
-in understandings-in institutions
Socio-Economic Tensions
Tenmei famine 1783Tempō famine 1833-36 (cold, wet
summers) Farmers fled to Osaka & Edo > riots and
starvationRising tide of peasant protest (intra-
village)Chronic daimyo and samurai debt, pay
cuts First samurai rebellion in 200 years (1837)
Ōshio Heihachirō
Ōshi Heihachirō Rebellion, 1837
Ideological Tensions“Merit” ideology (men of talent)National learning (kokugaku) [ 国学 ]Aizawa Seishisai (1782-1863)
Wrote Shinron (New Proposals) in 1824 Echoes themes of merit (and lazy rulers),
and of sacred realmSakuma Shōzan (1811-1864)
Use of Western technology (=open the country)
”Eastern Ethics and Western Science”Teacher/activist, Yoshida Shōin, 1830-59
External crisis: Hunters, Whalers and Gunboats:
Pressure from Russia over Kuril islands & Hokkaido 1770s-1810s
Brits attempted to open Japan 1810s and 1820s
Bakufu concerned Ordered daimyō to strengthen coastal defense
British, Dutch, Russians all interested to force Japan to trade (more)
But, US most motivated to open Japan (whaling)
Matthew Perry arrived Edo July of 1853
Demanded opening of Japanese ports (1854)
Political crisis ensued Reference: “Black ships
and samurai” website (MIT)
Commodore Matthew Perry: Two views
Overthrow ofthe bakufu
•Context of internal crisis and external threat•Tokugawa seek to co-opt opposition, but•Outer domain leaders, and many lower-middling samurai lead overthrow
Satsuma & ChoshuOuter hanHate TokugawaHigh populationHigh ratio of
samuraiFinancially
solvent
Meiji restoration, 1867-68
Bakufu by 1865-66 undertakes reforms similar to those the new government would adopt
But, too little, too late
Anti-bakufu movement succeeds,in name of Emperor : “Meiji ishin (restoration)”
The revolutionary changes
•Dismantling the old order
-domains
•Samurai
Building New Institutions
•Rationalized bureaucracy
•Conscript army
Building new institutions
•schooling
•Rationalizedbureaucracy
•Conscriptarmy
Building new institutions
•taxes •Rationalizedbureaucracy
•Conscript army
•Mass schooling
Building new institutions
•Rationalizedbureaucracy
•Conscript army
•Mass schooling
•taxes
Monarchy
Issues of interpretation
Why did old elite (or a fraction of it) carry out a revolution, which harmed its members?
(-) the weak roots of samurai privilege
(+) Merit ideal
a contradiction in baku-han system