Responses of China and Japan to the Challenges Posed by the Modern Western World
The essay questions are relatively broad. A good answer will consider and explain clearly the important factors in a way that is grounded in clear reasoning supported by relevant facts and source notes and/or references using course materials; and if you wish or deem it necessary, other sources. The writing will be clear and avoid raising unanswered questions or other diversions or distractions including awkward word choices, poor grammar, misspellings, etc.
There are 3 questions—please answer ONE of the three.
1. Our class has spent of good deal of time discussing how and why China and Japan responded to the challenges posed by the modern Western world in different ways during the 19th century and the first decades of the 20th century prior to World War II. Choose and explain fully what you view as 2 or 3 of the most important differences between China and Japan in their responses to the challenges posed by the modern Western world.
2. China’s national experience from the first Opium War to the establishment of the People’s Republic of China is commonly seen in China today as a “century of humiliation” caused by unrelenting ruthless foreign exploitation of Chinese weaknesses. Based on your understanding of how and why China responded the way it did to the challenges posed by modern world powers, explain why you agree or disagree with the above noted Chinese depiction of the century of humiliation.
3. Choose a country within the scope of our class other than China or Japan and explain three or four important examples of the influence of that country’s history on developments impacting that country today.
East Asia Past and Present
Student’s Course
Course
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In the 19th and early 20th centuries, China and Japan contrasted sharply in various aspects, despite being next-door neighbors. The conspicuously distinct elements included political, social, and economic formations. On one hand, relative stability characterized the political landscape of Japan, which helped the country to make significant steps towards modernization and industrialization. The Meiji ruled the country for four and a half decades, introducing modernization into society, politics, and economy. One cannot say the same about China under the Qing dynasty. The dynasty faced mounting pressure from internal and external forces, dramatically declining its legitimacy. The imperial rulers, for one, failed to increase taxes as they focused more on keeping internal stability intact. This inevitably resulted in limited resources, which slowed economic reforms considerably. Granted the profound disparities between the two neighbors, they responded differently to the challenges posed by the modern Western world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.[Milton W. Meyer Japan: Politics. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2012, 1.] [Karina Moxon. From dynasty to decay: an analysis of 19th century changes to the Chinese political economy. March 28, 2019. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/lseupr/2019/03/28/from-dynasty-to-decay-an-analysis-of-19th-century-changes-to-the-chinese-political-economy/, par. 7.]
Awareness of the Crisis Caused by the West
From the early 19th century, Japan was keenly conscious of the crisis portended by Western intrusion. Since the country was not yet fully developed, it appreciated that standing up against Western countries would be counterproductive. As such, the country sought alternative mechanisms to placate the West. One of the strategies Japan employed in this respect was negotiations. For instance, when the Japanese administration deemed it appropriate to terminate the unequal treaties with the West, it sent Iwakura Tomomi, a court noble, to negotiate treaty revision. As a result, the country earned reciprocal rights for travel, navigation, religion, and residence. It also became the first Asian country to break free of juridical aspects of extraterritoriality. In the same light, when Japan landed and encountered Russian presence and rivalry in Kuriles and Sakhalin, the Japanese leader, Tokugawa, sought a compromise. In the end, Japan surrendered its claim to Sakhalin while Russia reciprocated by ceding southern Kuriles. In short, in cognizance of its military and economic inferiority at the time, Japan sought peaceful means to resolve standoffs with Western countries. Consequently, the readiness and willingness of the Japanese leaders to solve feuds amicably won the admiration of the West, which spurred its economic growth significantly. This culminated in more meaningful relationships, which saw the economy grow exponentially.[Meyer Japan: Foreign Relations. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2012, 2.]
On the flip side, China seemed less aware of the crisis presented by the West and inclined towards using combative means to respond to Western interference. One of the reasons why they adopted the hard-line stance was because of the limited knowledge of the West they had. This happened because the Chinese administration preferred that people align themselves with orthodox texts instead of scholarly dissent. The limited knowledge of the West drove China to adopt a combative stance when dealing with Western adversity since they failed to recognize the threat posed by the British. For instance, in the early 19th century, China got embroiled in a war with Britain known as the opium war. The war broke out after the Chinese government tried to crack down on the opium trade in 1939. The government seized private opium stocks from British merchants and threatened to impose the death penalty on future offenders. At the time, opium was Britain’s most profitable commodity, and the country insisted that China observe the principles of free trade. Tensions escalated between the two countries, which degenerated into a full-scale war with far-reaching ramifications, especially on the Chinese side. For instance, having been considerably weakened by the war, China was arm-twisted into a treaty with Britain. In one of the demands contained in the treaty, Britain forced China to perpetually cede the Island of Hong Kong to Great Britain. Additionally, for failing to negotiate with the West, the country lost more ground through increased concessions. Ultimately, the dynasty became weakened at the expense of the people’s prosperity.[Giulia Valentini. China and Japan’s Responses to the West in the 19th Century. November 4, 2013. -ir.info/2013/11/04/chinese-and-japanese-responses-to-the-west-during-the-19th-century/, 7.] [Elizabeth Freund Larus. Society in Contemporary China. Lynne Rienner, 2020, 26.] [Office of the Historian. The Opening to China Part I: the First Opium War, the United States, and the Treaty of Wangxia, 1839–1844. n.d. https://history.state.gov/milestones/1830-1860/china-1, par. 3.]
Elite Pragmatism and Adaptability
Japan
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, when Western intrusion intensified in east Asia, Japanese leaders exhibited enormous pragmatism an...