Ap World History Essay: Comparing and Contrasting China and Japan's Responses to Western Penetration in the 19th Century

China suffered the worst of the two nations after trying to stand up to European powers during the Opium Wars and the anti-western Boxer Rebellion. Japan, however, embraced foreign ideas and was able to prove itself to be a threatening world power after their war with Russia.

Political, social, and economic aspects influenced the rise of the Empire of Japan, and their effects created the ways in which Japan interacted with its people and the world around it. Politically, the Meiji Restoration of the mid-1800s to the early 1900s set the stage for the growth that took place to make Japan an Empire, including the transformation of the views on the emperor. These views on the emperor helped to create a social change: the anger of the Japanese government and people about the lack of representation for Japan in world treaties and in the League of Nations. This caused extreme patriotism. Japan was economically changed by the advancements into China after Japan’s Great Depression. This military advancement opened the door for much more and was based on the Japanese’s intense nationalistic views.

During the early nineteenth century, both China and Japan enforced policies restricting foreign trade in order to avoid industrialization and western ideas, but after both societies experienced foreign invasions and unequal treaties being established by foreigners, Japan began to industrialize and became imperialists trying to create an empire, while China differed in that the people wanted reform and government restrained the reformation of their society, therefore causing multiple rebellions and overall the collapse of their empire.

China and Japan are too enormous and influential nations located in Eastern Asia. These two nations are almost always confused because of their similar culture and people, and they also happen to be right next to each other. Japan and China have never been allies and the two countries always seem to be in conflict. These two superpowers are very important to the world, and without them everything would be imbalanced in the global market. The rising superpower, China, is a nation that will continue to grow and improve their economy, while the fragile superpower, Japan, could fall apart at any moment and ruin the balance between all of the other countries.

When it comes to modernization, the paths taken by Japan and China were strikingly similar. Well, I say paths taken, however I would argue that it was more along the lines of them being forced upon paths out of necessity in order to survive in a world in which the Western powers of Europe and the United States were increasingly encroaching and interfering in East Asia. The paths I will be looking at for these two nations will both begin with the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan and the Kangxi emperor in China, and several aspects of how these nations and forms of governance operated, as well as large changes in governance. I will look at how these two nations and the West interacted, and how their interactions began to change as time went on. From

China and Japan had similar but different experiences with the Western civilization. China and Japan reacted differently to the Western nations and it was China’s reactions to the West that would break the Chinese’s isolation leaving their traditions behind. The Industrial trade in Europe and the United States had created a gap between Asia and the West, This left china and Japan far behind technologically and they were not able to stand up against the western nations and although at different times China and Japan both ended up having to sign unequal treaties, and to open their ports for merchants.

The nineteenth century was a turbulent time of western imperialism and a major Asian power shift. European powers and the United States had a destabilizing effect on the region and the choices Japan and China made in response their imposing expansion was a major contributor to the trajectory of their respective futures. Social factors, such as the differences in national and religious unity, also played a role in the how the two nations emerged from the Age of Imperialism.

The Japanese pursuit for an empire in South East Asia helped changed the balance of world power away from Europe, by taking their most lucrative colonies. Soon after the Japanese defeat in World War II, most of the colonies won their independence from their European masters. This essay will be arguing that despite the vast geographical distance and cultural, racial differences, as well as the different time periods involved, Japanese and European intentions were very similar, and that these similarities contributed to the weakening of Imperialism as a doctrine. To do so, this essay will be examining the reasons for the Japanese

China and Japan are two unique civilizations that went through similar, yet vastly different changes throughout their histories. Their growth and response to other nations differed in many ways in government, lifestyle, and general well-being. One of the main causes for such difference between the countries is the way the West influenced each region, and the way China and Japan responded to this influence. China focused more on the idea of being a "status oriented" society, while Japan was more "goal oriented" based. In China, anyone had the ability to better themselves and change their status through civil examinations given by the government. Western impact however slowly changed this old age system. Japan's caste system viewed

Japan however, was more interested in learning the ways of other countries, after watching China’s failed attempt Japan knew that they had to approach it another way. Japan knew that the powers that were pressuring them into open trade could more than likely make it happen even if they refused.

Chinese cities continued to grow. Peace and urban growth contributed to the increase of trade within China’s borders. The Japanese government allowed some trade. Foreign influences on both China and Japan caused them to sign unequal treaties with nations. The Opium War and other issues with the British in China, and the signing of the Treaty of Kanagawa in Japan explain Chinese and Japanese relations with foreign nations.

In confronting western imperialism, China and Japan took two different approaches. China had become more dependent on Western economics when Japan did not. Many Western military forces occupied some of China’s territory during this time, the Western Military did not move in on Japan’s territory. China and Japan were forced by Western powers to sign unequal treaties and capitulations, but Japan eventually renegotiated its treaties in its favor. China and Japan both launched modernization programs, but Japan’s industrialization was more thorough and successful than those of China. China developed several strategies in an attempt to deal with its ongoing problems. They developed self-strengthening programs in an effort to renew itself. They highlighted

In the early 19th century China was in large part of Japans history. China was looked at by Japan, as a great power and Japan wanted the power. The West was part of Japans history also. Japan wanted to be a great power similar to the Western countries. Japan wanted people in their countries to stay away from all Western countries. They did not the influence of other countries to change what Japan had in support from country members.

The relationship between China and Japan started a long time ago because these countries are very close geographically. They have interacted with each other and have shared a lot of things, such as goods, alphabets, and cultures. Most of these things were brought to Japan through China; therefore, there are many things in common between the two countries. Many people are confused about the differences between the countries. Even if Japanese tell other people that they are from Japan, some people still misunderstand that they are Chinese. Although there are various of similarities, there are a lot of differences. The two countries of Japan and China demonstrate similarities and differences between appearance, alphabet, and New Year celebration to help one to understand the cultural identity of each country.

Japan’s experiences after 1854 were very similar to those of China’s. For instance, China and Japan served as important foreign interests to the Western powers. The reason why the Western powers were so interested in those two countries was due to the increasing rivalry and economic interests. As a result of foreign interaction by force or intimidation, Japan and China faced challenges such as adapting to an industrial and technological advanced society of the West. Both signed