Why Did Japan Succeed in Modernising and Industrialising in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries While China and Korea Failed to Do so?
Why did Japan succeed in modernising and industrialising in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries while China and Korea failed to do so?
During the late nineteenth century, China, Japan and Korea all had the opportunity to modernise and industrialise. The leaders of each country had died which provided a fresh start for new leaders and new ideas of reform but it was only Japan who succeeded to successfully modernise and industrialise due to a number of factors, leaving its neighbours China and Korea behind. In this essay I am going to discuss the reasons why Japan was able to modernise and why China and Korea’s attempts failed.
First I shall discuss the reasons why China’s attempts at modernising and industrialising failed. During the 1860s, China had faced challenges such as the Opium and Arrow wars and the continuing encroachment of Russia. Internal crises lead to the emergence of regional authorities and consequently, the weakening of central authority. Plus, China’s sheer size and scale compared to Japan made any attempts to carry out reform and modernise the country even harder; Japan was a smaller island and could respond to situations faster.
After the death of the emperor Xianfeng the appointment of a new emperor, Tongzhi, meant for an opportunity for a new start and an attempt at modernising and industrialising China; the ‘Tongzhi Restoration’. Part of the restoration included the Self Strengthening Movement to modernise military technology and restore China’s political strength, however the “the absence of central direction proved to be the fatal flaw in the Qing modernization program” (Cohen, 2000, 285). China’s attempt at self strengthening to modernise failed due to a number of reasons. Cohen (2000, 285-286) argues that it was the strong conservative opposition who wanted to preserve China and the fact that the scholar-gentry bureaucracy remained in place which slowed down China’s progress. China’s modernisation was “inspired by
During the late nineteenth century, China, Japan and Korea all had the opportunity to modernise and industrialise. The leaders of each country had died which provided a fresh start for new leaders and new ideas of reform but it was only Japan who succeeded to successfully modernise and industrialise due to a number of factors, leaving its neighbours China and Korea behind. In this essay I am going to discuss the reasons why Japan was able to modernise and why China and Korea’s attempts failed.
First I shall discuss the reasons why China’s attempts at modernising and industrialising failed. During the 1860s, China had faced challenges such as the Opium and Arrow wars and the continuing encroachment of Russia. Internal crises lead to the emergence of regional authorities and consequently, the weakening of central authority. Plus, China’s sheer size and scale compared to Japan made any attempts to carry out reform and modernise the country even harder; Japan was a smaller island and could respond to situations faster.
After the death of the emperor Xianfeng the appointment of a new emperor, Tongzhi, meant for an opportunity for a new start and an attempt at modernising and industrialising China; the ‘Tongzhi Restoration’. Part of the restoration included the Self Strengthening Movement to modernise military technology and restore China’s political strength, however the “the absence of central direction proved to be the fatal flaw in the Qing modernization program” (Cohen, 2000, 285). China’s attempt at self strengthening to modernise failed due to a number of reasons. Cohen (2000, 285-286) argues that it was the strong conservative opposition who wanted to preserve China and the fact that the scholar-gentry bureaucracy remained in place which slowed down China’s progress. China’s modernisation was “inspired by
References: Schirokauer, Conrad (1993), A Brief History of Japanese Civilisation, Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich College Publishers. Yoda, Yoshiie (1996), The Foundations of Japan 's Modernization : a Comparison with China 's Path Towards Modernization, Leiden: E.J.Brill. Cohen, Warren I (2000), East Asia at the Center: Four Thousand Years of Engagement with the World, New York: Columbia University Press. Pyle, K.B. (1978), The Making of Modern Japan, Lexington: D.C Heath. Fairbank, Reischauer and Craig (1973), East Asia: Tradition and Transformation, London: Allen and Unwin.