History Reaction

The Impact of the Paris 1919 Peace Conference on Japan and China During the late 1800’s, the continent of Asia was unstable and was experiencing turbulent change. Specifically, Japan and China had an ethnocentric view of their own civilizations, for they strived to remain isolated from Western culture, viewing themselves as far more superior than European societies. However, they were not able to remain isolated, as the British penetrated into China, while the U.S. was able to open trade with Japan. Thus, these countries became increasingly influenced by Western ideologies and technology. Japan was inspired by Otto Von Bismarck’s Reich of Germany and adopted it as their model for national growth. Meanwhile, the Qing dynasty of China became increasingly weak and on the verge of collapse, as it lost the Opium wars to Great Britain. As a result, it allowed the British and other European nations to carve up China, as each claimed their own territory for trading purposes. In order to understand the impact of the Paris 1919 Peace Conference on Japan and China, it is necessary to assess the relationship between the two countries and how each country developed with the influence of Western ideologies. Whether it is identifying the strength of Japanese military power or analyzing the clash of communism and democracy in China, the turbulent transformation in Asia was one that signified both countries abandoning their own ethnocentrism in replacement of Western ideologies that were fueled by Social Darwinism. Japan and China realized that it was crucial to adopt Western ideas in order to create and develop new societies that would survive and become the fittest among nations.
In regards to Japan becoming a major power in Asia, a letter from Theodore Roosevelt to Senator Knox in 1909 documents the concern of the threat of Japan. As Japan replaced the Tokugawa government of samurais with the Meiji authority that restored imperial power, they referred to Bismarck’s