Comparing and contrasting the modernisation efforts of nineteenthcentury China and Japan - Essay Example

Although China was considered the greater of the two nations between itself and Japan, a series of unlucky incidents turned the tables on them in thenineteenth century period. These problems were basically rooted in two major sources, i.e. the invasion of the country by Western powers from the mid 1800s, and the exponential population growth experienced over the period from the late 17th century to the mid 19th century. The reaction of china and Japan to invasion by western countries was vastly different.

While china was overwhelmed by Western imperial pressure, Japan learned from the example of the former and was quick to adapt. Theirs was a completely different response. The Japanese reform-minded Samurai, analyzed the situation and decided that the best way to beat the Western powers at their own game was to adapt to Western systems. This was done by launching a reform movement under the guise of restoring the emperor to power. In the process, they eliminated the power of the shogun, who was the military ruler of the Tokugawa period.

This effort, carried out in 1868, is referred to as the "Meiji Restoration", since the emperor's reign name at the time was Meiji.At around the same time, china was suffering a political crisis in the form of the Taiping Rebellion (1850-1864) which was directed against the Manchu Dynasty. Though China's imperial system had flourished under the same dynasty in the 1700's, the Qinq dynasty of the Manchu's came to be regarded as 'foreign'. Another rebellion (1898-1900), known as the 'Boxer Rebellion', which was also initially an anti-Qing uprising, was played on by the Qing Dowager Empress to her advantage by re-directing the people's anger towards the Westerners.

So, unlike the Japanese, the Chinese did not have the advantage of dynastic authority to serve as a focal point for national mobilization against the West. But it was not only a dissatisfaction with the ruling dynasty that led to the rebellions which so weakened the country. Because of the enormous and uncontrolled population explosion in the mid nineteenth century, there was a climactic increase in shortage of food experienced. This was accompanied by shortages in land to be cultivated. The immediate reaction was putting into practice more intense farming methods such as irrigation of land, and adapting 'new world' crops like corn and oats to cover up for the shortages.

These measures though, were not able to forestall the drought that wrecked havoc in the country between 1876 and 1879. China's weakened state was thus aggravated.China's belated attempt at adaptation to western invasion began in the 1860s. They put in place reformation efforts that were meant to counter military and political challenge of the West. They sought ways in which to adapt to Western styles of learning and technologies, without in any way undermining traditional Chinese values and learning.

The reformers also worked towards devising ways to protect the empire against foreign pressure. However, these attempts were not successful. Japan, on the other hand, learnt from China's mistakes. The Japanese did not hesitate to carry out very deliberate and bold steps towards modernization. They studied and were quick to adapt Western political, military, technological, economic and social reforms. Their strategy worked well, so much so that by 1868, the tables had almost completely turned on China.

Where china had once been considered the supreme power, with Japan being more of a sub-ordinate, the latter's victory in the Sino-Japanese war of 1894-5 over the control of Korea, marked the complete reversal of roles.The 19th century was not China's most glorious. Within a hundred years, an empire that had once been considered formidable was brought to its knees by a sequence of both human weaknesses and natural calamities. The various rebellions, weakening of its economy, famine and political and societal crises overwhelmed the empire.

On the other hand, Japan experienced a period of great modernization, being able to put into place a constitution, parliament, national compulsory education system, modern army and navy along with a comprehensive transport network, all in place within a period of fifty years. Thus, at the dawn of the twentieth century, japans was a rapidly becoming a major player in international politics, slowoly breaking away from its tradition of isolation. Their recognition as a superior force in East Asia was marked by their defeat of Russia in the Russo-Japanese war (1905-1906).

REFERENCE.Rhodes Murphey. East Asia: A New History. 4th Edition.