Essay On Russia And Japan Industrialization

Register to read the introduction… They both had prior experience of imitation. Japan had copied from China and Russia from Byzantium and the Mongols. They knew that learning from the West could be profitable and wouldn’t destroy their native cultures. In Japan, the Emperor Meiji sent out samurai to parts of the West to pick up ideas. Western style clothing such as ties, pants, and loafers replaced traditional samurai outfitting. Western hygiene including toothbrushes, vaccines and patent medicines were introduced and Western-style haircuts replaced the traditional samurai shaved head with topknot. The Western calendar, metric system and universal education system were all adopted. Politically, feudalism was ended and the government changed from a decentralized to a centralized system. Japan adopted a British style House of Peers and parliament called the Diet. A system of limited representation copied from the West was utilized as well as a drafting system to strengthen and modernize the army. With all the influx of Western ideas, Japan was able to maintain its culture. Traditional values of Neo-Confucianism and family stayed prominent. The Japanese citizens viewed the emperor as a god even in the midst of these new systems of a more democratic government. With the exception of the introduction of meat, the people of Japan kept their diet and cuisine …show more content…
They both decided to industrialize with the help of the government as a sponsor. The government provided capital for infrastructure projects, trade with the West, and manufacturing of goods. Russia and Japan both modernized with Westernizing. They kept the values and mindsets of their traditional cultures but were more advanced politically, socially, and economically. Russia’s society was rowdy and diverse while Japan was homogeneous and cooperative. Ultimately, Japan successfully industrialized and Russia did not. Russia’s massive agricultural population could not industrialize at the rate needed to compete with Japan and the West. The Russo-Japanese war will show Russia just how far behind they are and the rest of the world just how powerful Japan has