The End of the Shoguns and the Birth of Modern Japan

by Cunningham, Mark E.; Zwier, Lawrence J.

• ISBN13: 9780822587477
• ISBN10: 0822587475
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-02-01
• Publisher: Twenty First Century Books

Summary

How did the end of the shoguns pave the way for modern Japan? Between the eighth and twelfth centuries, emperors ruled Japan. But powerful families gained the loyalty of the samurai - the emperors warriors. In 1185 one local lord took control as shogun, leader of the samurai armies. For the next seven hundred years, the emperors were ceremonial figures, and the shoguns ruled Japan, banning interaction with the Western world. In the nineteenth century, Westerners demanded that Japan open to trade under the threat of invasion. Japan s shogunate realized it didn t have the military technology to fight them. When the shogun government made concessions to the Westerners, Japanese lords were outraged and returned their support to the emperor. The shogunate crumbled. In 1868 Emperor Meiji became ruler of Japan. He opened Japan to modern technology, and his military advisers created a global fighting force. The end of the shoguns, which led to the birth of modern Japan, was one of the world s pivotal moments.

Table of Contents

Beginnings	p. 4
The Tokugawa Security State	p. 16
Opening Japan	p. 30
Violent Reactions	p. 46
On The Brink	p. 58
Japan In Crisis	p. 68
The End of the Shoguns	p. 82
The Emperor Restored	p. 94
Empire, Defeat, and Rebirth	p. 114
Primary Source Research	p. 128
Primary Source Images	p. 129
Timeline	p. 135
Glossary	p. 140
WhoÆs Who?	p. 142
Source Notes	p. 150
Selected Bibliography	p. 152
Fllrther Reading and Websites	p. 154
Index	p. 156
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.