What Was The Impact Of Western Penetration In The 19th Century

Improved Essays
During the 19th century both China and Japan witnessed a western penetration. Most of this came from Europe but some also came from the United States. In China the western penetration came mostly from Europe due to Europe wanting new goods that they could not find anywhere else then China. On the other hand Japans western penetration came mostly from the United States after being closed off from the rest of the world for many years. Even though both China and Japan were affected by western penetration they had many different experiences but they both also had some of the same experiences. One nation that was affected by western penetration in the 19th century was China. China’s western penetration came mostly from Britain. China was originally …show more content…
Japan began as a feudal society which began to change after the first interaction with Europe. While the Europeans were in Japan the Japanese adopted early musket ideas but they were turned away from Europeans once they brought in Catholic missionaries. The religious changes brought fear to the shoguns of a change in religious beliefs. This led Japan to begin isolationism. This isolation was so extreme that Japan fell behind in Industrializing and stayed that way for many years. This is until the United States comes to Japan in 1853. The Japanese were amazed when they saw the US ships coming into their harbor that they wanted to change the way that they were living. After signing the American’s unequal treaties the Japanese feared that the foreign power was going to take them over. This led to Meiji era where Japans goals were to Industrialize, create Nationalism, and to have a strong military. The industrialization of Japan brought them many new ideas and inventions to help their nation over time. It also brought them a new government plan to sell and receive goods from other nations. Japan also created a new nationalist society. This new society replaces the samurai power with a state government who would make the new laws of the nation. Education was also an idea that was used in creating a new nationalist society. Education was used to have new people ready to run the …show more content…
But the one thing that is majorly similar is that it took a power higher than them to get them to that point. In China’s case it took a war between Britain about trade for the Chinese to do something about their army and nation. On the other hand it took Japan to get a visit from America to do anything about their nation. The thing that makes them similar is that both nations came from a period of isolation from a bad event for them to change and industrialize. After all the industrialization of these nations led them both to become imperial powers during the 19th century. Over time the changes from Britain and the United States led both China and Japan to become an imperial power in the 19th century. The Western penetration also gave them more authority in their part of the world but it wasn’t achieved until each of the nations came out of a period of isolation from the rest of the world. With each of them going through many different things to change but some of the same

Related Documents

  • Great Essays

    The Russo-Japanese War

    • 1386 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Unlike Russia, Japan had stabilized government and strong army forces. Also, they already had won the First-Sino Japanese War against China. At that moment, Japanese wanted more power,…

    • 1386 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Japan Dbq Analysis

    • 366 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The political revolution of the modernization stage allowed Japan to strengthen its internal government and external interests. Prior to Japan’s attempt to introduce an advanced government, the emperor overthrew the Shoguns and restored his supreme power, which is also known as the Meiji Restoration. Under the emperor’s reliable, centralized government, rather than numerous Shoguns, Japan united. The new government acted as the catalyst that emboldened Japan’s will to modernize and led a successful transition and transformation. Japanese envoys and scholars were sent to European nations, such as Germany, to “study the institutions of the civilized nations, adopt those most suited to Japan, and gradually reform” the government “to attain the status equal to that of the civilized nations.”…

    • 366 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Over the past two centuries, Europe’s grasp on the world has strengthened and tightened increasingly, the “Western” influence becoming one that is looming and inevitable. Europe’s pre-eminence emerged almost accidentally, the product of an incidental group of conditions in the world economic system that Europe and America were able to properly exploit. This western influence that they exhibited was one that gleamed of new technologies and modernization, expecting the eastern world to quickly adopt their version of idealistic treasures. In the 19th century, after an extended age of separation, China, Japan and Korea were burdened from the West to open to foreign trade and relations. Because of the Industrial Revolution in Europe and the United…

    • 803 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the 1930’s Japanese military forces conducted many large invasions in the bigger parts of China. It didn’t take long for Japan to have almost full control of Indochina which was a federation of French colonies and protectorates in South East Asia. By 1941 they had almost full control. Japan entered the Second World War with a bang,…

    • 952 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ap World History Dbq Essay

    • 1523 Words
    • 7 Pages

    This, however, is a nationalistic perspective, which preserves China’s dignity by suggesting that the European states were inferior because of their need to expand. However, the revisionists are correct in identifying that the political will of the state was key to increasing influence. Europeans were able to extend their influence by lending support to overseas trading expeditions. The British navy gained funding from the profits of their commercial endeavours, feeding back into the expansion of influence.…

    • 1523 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Japan's production increased more than 2.5 times more than what the US produced from 1895- 1915 (Gordon 96) Japan adopted Western ways of increasing their industry: Production Japan was opened to world trade Military Every male had to serve at least 5 years Abolished samurai Political organization Moved away from…

    • 661 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Through industrialization and colonization, Japan became an economically established participant of global competition over trade. To withstand Western pressure, Japan felt the need to industrialize because “Japan as an agricultural country cannot stand against Russia, Australia, Canada, or America.” (Doc 7) However, since Japan consists of numerous disconnected smaller islands, and it lacks valuable resources, except silk and coal, Japan struggled to meet the high demands of the Western consumers. As a result, Japan utilized its exceptional army to gain resourceful puppet states Manchuria and Korea, where gold, coal, iron ore, petroleum, copper and bauxite were abundant.…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Great Britain Dbq

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages

    While Great Britain had been an imperial power for years, Japan would struggle to compete unless they modernized. Because of its secluded position, Japan did not become more modern until the late nineteenth century. At this point they received firearms, and the shogunate was disbanded in favor of an imperial government. Both Great Britain and Japan are island nations and rely on imports for goods that are not found in their borders, while Japan maintained an isolationist policy, Great Britain traded and colonized around the globe.…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Matthew perry forced Japan to become more modern in 1853 a d 1854 Japan was becoming westernized The 1871 changes were made in Japan, and the resembled those of western ideas Meiji reforms Akin Japanese did not support the changes made to the government Students were sent away to get a western education and learn about western government The ancient values of the people were still enforced Foreign success Meiji Japan was aggressive and became stronger over time Japan was the first Asian nation to trade with Europeans as equals The Russo-Japanese War Of 1904-1905 ended in Asian victory…

    • 1390 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the 19th and early 20th Century, industrialization became the main cause for the development of new industries, as well as the expansion of many nations around the world. With the discovery of new ways to use the raw materials found during the First Industrial Revolution, in addition to the finding and creation of new resources such as electricity, steel, and chemicals in the Second Industrial Revolution, major countries around the world set their sights on having spheres of influence in other nations that served as the most opportune sites and destinations for the trading world and industrialization. This led to the transformation of several nations, as the world powers at the time became imperial powers when they began to dominate other countries not just in an economical sense, but socially and politically as well. Although countries such as the United States and Japan engaged in part of these imperialistic tactics, the majority of the countries that exemplified imperialism were located in Europe. Nations like Great Britain, Germany and Russia began to flex their regal muscle over most of the other the countries in the Eastern Hemisphere through the use of the manipulation of the newly found…

    • 988 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Causes Of Ww2

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages

    This shows that after World War I, Japan had been influenced by the ideas of imperialism and was attempting to separate itself from the world and form trade routes solely within the boundaries of its self developed “Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere”. Japan was trying to colonize and dominate the pacific seas. Using methods of industrialism and militarism, they were doing very well. Japan trying to prove its global imperial presence is an example of how the original problems of imperialism and industrialization during World War I were present in the second world…

    • 1400 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Introduction Japan, in the nineteenth century, has gone through much reform. Prior to the Meiji Period, much of what the citizens knew was based around farming and agriculture . Japan had not yet explored trade with other countries, aside from China, which happened during the Taika Reform. The Taika Reform, happening in mid-sixth century, “opened Japan to the incorporation of new ideas and institutions from China .” Many scholars associate the Meiji Reform to the Taika Reform, although the Taika Reform was thought out, and carefully executed .…

    • 1855 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    China’s power was especially weakened after the Opium Wars with Great Britain, the aftermath of which resulted in British control of Hong Kong and several unfair treaties. China, in its weakened state, soon became known as the “sick man of Asia” and several Eurasian countries, including France, Germany, Russia, and Japan, took advantage of this opportunity to increase their own power. These countries soon established settlements and spheres of influence within China, allowing them to possess certain rights and privileges within their region. It wasn’t long before China’s Imperial Court had lost the majority of its power to foreign influence. This newfound power allowed foreign countries to essentially control all Chinese trade; a reality that made foreigners wealthy, but deeply worried…

    • 896 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    East Asia in the 19th to the early 20th century was a time period of change, new approaches and constant pressures. After a lengthy era of isolationism East Asia was experiencing pressure from outside forces. The West approached with strong intentions and new ideas and unique cultural traditions. The Eastern Asian countries were finding themselves behind in advances in several different realms, such as, the military and in technology. Japan and China were suffering under the pressures to surrender to outside forces and open up trade with foreign merchants.…

    • 1496 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Country Analysis Of Japan

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Many industrial structures were destroyed, innocent people were killed, and wounded. Consequence, Japan suffered in decades of civil war which derailed the country in the worse conditions. Fortunately, the Tokugawa shogunate government was able to end the civil war by implemented difference political policies (CIA, 2016). Additionally, this government provided and developed Japan in better conditions by signing the Treaty of Kangawa with the US in 1854 (CIA,…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays