The Spread of Western Imperialism

It took the Treaty of Kanagawa and unfair treatment by the US to weaken the shogunate and make way for the nationalist movements of the Meiji Restoration. The sweeping reforms put into place by the new constitutional monarchy put Japan back into the game - with rapid industrialization. military expansion, and advanced education. The landscape itself was useful for Japan's industrial age, as it consisted of mountains, valleys, and open plains, with bays, peninsulas, and small islands off the coast. (Doc. 6) The harbors formed along this coast made fishing the most viable trade, bringing in food for the country's citizens and forming a successful Japanese industry. Fishing also provided a segue into the market for naval development, meaning that in a short period of time, Japan had created one of the most sophisticated and powerful navies in all of the world. Because of the layout

Although Japan changed in many ways from 1853 to 1941, there were also many factors that remained the same throughout the history of Japan. One such continuity was the maintained existence of a figurehead ruler controlled by other political authorities. The feudalistic emperor of Japan was the supposed “highest, most powerful authority” in the land, but was actually controlled by the military leaders- the shogun. Similarly, the militaristic emperor of Japan decades later continued to remain a figurehead ruler controlled by military and government officials. In addition, Japan continued to remain reliant on exports in order to maintain its economy. As a result of Japan’s small geographical size, the island nation had few natural resources and was forced to rely on exports to survive economically. The nation also grew increasingly reliant on other nations to provide materials and supplies that it could not provide for itself. This complete reliance on other nations was seen illustrated when the Japanese military was provoked to attacking another superpower- the United States, in response to the 1940 United States embargo

Japan at the turn of the century was clearly trying to westernize and change is isolated society into one more intellectually and scientifically involved with the rest of the world. When the Japanese open their ports to the western civilization food and merchandise were not the only things being traded. When ports were open the western way of living was integrated with the Japanese culture which gradually changed the way the

Imperialism has been one of the most powerful forces in human history, serving to set the foundation of our modern world. While this has led to the formation of a global society where cultures, ideas, and innovations are spread across countries, imperialism has also left a history of exploitation, racism, and violence that is still affecting the world today. Imperial relationships are always imbalanced when it comes to power and influence; that is, one group (known as the metropole) maintains authority and control over another group (known as the periphery) with economic, political, and cultural dominance (Spiegel 2012). There are many reasons why one group chooses to dominate the other, such as expanding territory, extracting raw resources to fuel economic development, or to spread their beliefs (i.e. religion) (Spiegel 2012). In spite of these varied reasons, one of the main motivators for imperialism began with competition between empires.

After centuries of living in seclusion to the outside world, the government knew that they needed the technological advancements that the West offered. The Industrial Revolution and growing urbanisation in Japan had intended to and succeeded in mimicking Western growth. Moreover, the Japanese were well-known for their diligence, discipline, perseverance, and hard work – this resulted in substantial economic development including increased shipping of commodities and a significant expansion of trade and handicraft industries. However, the political elite pocketed most of the profits through influence and corruption. Workers and farmers found it unfair that their patriotic and back-breaking labour only received a little wage in comparison, but with a state-controlled media and education system, they couldn’t make their voices heard. So overall, this collective and nationalistic open-mindedness for communal prosperity was beneficial for Japan as a whole, but the common people were disadvantaged with no access to basic human rights and a fair

By the nineteenth century Western nations had developed superior military technology than other countries. Western countries were able to control other nations by coercing them into unfair trading treaties which would leave the country economically dependent on them. The countries rarely resisted successfully due to their insufficient military power. This occured often Asia with only Japan and Thailand remaining independent. Only Japan thrived however and became an imperial power. Japan was an isolated country until the United States forcibly opened it to trade. Japan experienced a regime change following a tumultuous time in which western nations coerced Japan into trade treaties. The new government favored capitalism and industry which lead to Japan industrializing impressively fast through “top down” government mandated modernization. Western imperialism forced Japan to modernize in order to remain a sovereign and successful state. Modernization in this case was synonymous with becoming more like the West. Imperialism drastically changed Japanese economic interaction as well as Japanese culture and class system because modernization included becoming more like the West in most aspects but their treatment of women remained the same because the West did not treat women very differently.

The late 19th century and early 20th century is known as the “Age of Imperialism”, a period in which major world powers, including the United States, adopted a policy of expansionism. Expansionism is defined as the policy of territorial or economic expansion, which is often achieved through diplomacy or military force. During this time period, the United States notably acquired territory in the Pacific and Latin America. The nation’s growing colonial empire was not the beginning of American expansionism, which started long before the late 19th century. U.S. expansionism in the late 19th century and early 20th century continued the nation’s tradition of justifying expansionism with the

Just Before entering World War II, Japan had a lot of different issues to try and solve. It had started to depend more for materials like oil for new machines being made to make the creation level of merchandise faster, which makes for a more productive economy. They required oil from outside sources in light of the fact that their property did not have all these things enormously, since the nation was an island its regular assets were made up of rice and fish. Even with these troubles, Japan started to manufacture an effective realm with a strong mechanical establishment and a decent armed force and naval force. The military got to be included in the legislature, and this started to cause them harm. The general public started to see indications of control originating from a rough place this put the individuals in a controlled state, their fundamental rights were gradually being taken away. In the mid 1930 's, the Japanese Army had numerous little, detached fights with their neighboring people groups. The Japanese individuals spread their control to make their country bigger. In 1937, the contentions started again with the Chinese in the territory close. These contentions prompted a full-scale war known as the second Sino-Japanese War. This was viewed as a bleeding war, it proceeded until the last annihilation of Japan in 1945. This demonstrates the inward shortcoming of the Japanese individuals, with high

Western Imperialism was a period when the western powers of the world, Europe and the United States, decided to expand their territories by colonizing Asian countries. In Europe the Renaissance encouraged the Europeans to trade with other countries. The Europeans were motivated by trade and culture, but were mostly motivated by God, glory, and gold. They also wanted to cease the spread of Islam across Asia by educating the locals about the Christian faith. The first European country that started the “Age of Exploration” was Portugal.

Imperialism is a major part of world history. It has created borders, wars, and nations with its ideas and actions but many people do not know what it was or how it shaped the modern world. It also brought a darker side of humanity that crushed many lives and cultures. So what is imperialism, why did it make people inhumane, and what is its impact on world history.

Between the period of 1870 and 1914, European powers was at an all-time high. The European powers shifted from being land-based empires to sea-based empires. Land-based empires were typically short-lived, unstable and had limited power. While the new transition of sea-based empires according to class notes, shaped the modern world’s network of long-distance trade. European powers switching to sea-based empires caused major growth, such as global trade and the “New Imperialism”. Coming from this new entry was the Industrial Revolution, which according to John Hobson’s, “Imperialism caused mass production, development of communication and transportation, economic surplus and global trade”. This was the start of major imperial growth between European Powers. European powers started to realize that they had the power to expand their empire globally and take over undeveloped markets. In the 19th century before the war, nationalism and imperialism was extremely important to European Powers. European Powers realized they had the power to go from imperialism to direct colonialism, where they could gain control over other territories.

Western imperialism was brought about to shape culture and customs when it expanded to Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The Industrial Revolution gave rise to global inequality and an immense gain of wealth and power, mainly in Europe and North America. In the late eighteenth century, The British, French, Dutch and Americans dominantly saw the right to take over native cultures. The West saw expanding to uncivilized territories as beneficial due to its strong economy, well-organized government and powerful military. To the natives, Western imperialism was an invasion.

People love feeling superior. In a world where everyone is judged and only the best succeed, nations and people alike love to be known as on top. This was how colonialism works. Yet for this to work, there needed to be another person or group being marginalized. This came to form in Europe with the discrimination of women. They were only good for maintaining a house, making life for the imperialist easier, all in duty for the empire. These sentiments continued into the empire, resulting with even harsher treatment of women of empire, be it the Europeans. While apparently casual, the harsher conditions were rampant across empire, continuing the degradation of the conquered.

Throughout the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries, the world witnessed a global expansion as well as a compaction of people, cultures, and ideas. The need for goods, as well as the process of mercantilism to inflate economies, was instrumental in the advancement of seafaring technologies, the need to spread religion, and the eventual globalization of the slave market. The four major regions in the world, which were the stepping stones of globalization, are Africa, Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, the Americas, and finally East Asia.

Japan emerged from the Tokugawa-Meiji transition as the first Asian industrialized nation. Domestic commercial activities and limited foreign trade had met the demands for material culture in the Tokugawa period, but the modernized Meiji era had radically different requirements. From the beginning, the Meiji rulers embraced the concept of a market economy and adopted British and North American forms of free enterprise capitalism. The private sector — in a nation blessed with an abundance of aggressive entrepreneurs — welcomed such change.