Political and Social Events in Japan and China - Research Paper Example

Society The society of a nation is largely manipulated by and directed toward a particular notion in consideration of the political, social and cultural events that take shape in over the years. The influence of the military and war have always played an important role in the shaping of the society. China and Japan have both seen their share of militarization and share through a considerable period of time. This paper discusses and compares the changes that the Japanese society went through during the period of war to the changes that the Chinese society witnessed. In the period 1930 to 1945 there were drastic changes in the Japanese society and how the people conceived things, owing to the changes that were brought in by militarization and war. Prior to this period, the Japanese society began to see changes in the political arena. The young politically active members of the society were beginning to voice their opinions and objections. During the period of 1930 to 1945 the Japanese society began to realize that Japan’s military, known as the Imperial Army and Navy was becoming more and more powerful, holding an important place in the political scene of Japan. The military and the state government were almost interconnected and the people also showed support to this idea. Through the years that followed, military was given so much importance and the society began to trust the military more than the government itself. The status quo which was prevalent in the Japanese society began to dissolve with militarization and education. The Japanese society was being given comforts and equality. The military provided people with education and further gave them equal rewards and punishments regardless of their status. This idea made it a form of liberation for the members of the society. This made them trust the military more. The society came to believe that they were the ultimate power and that they could not be defeated or destroyed under any circumstances. This thought and confidence received a very hard blow when they were facing the Second World War. The faith that the Japanese put in their military was shattered after their defeat in the Second World War. On the whole, during the period of war, the society saw changes that defined the differences between members of higher and lower status. Further, the international incidents were bringing western influences into the society; people were adopting new fashions and forming unions and groups for better administration. The period of war caused much confusion in the society, especially after the important figure of the military faced death. The effects of militarization and war on the Chinese society can be seen to be very different from the effects that militarization had on Japan. From the year 1911 there has been unrest within China. Even the establishment of a republican government in 1911 did not settle the unrest among the Chinese society. The Chinese society was seen to be in the midst of a confused political situation, where oppositions were aiming at forming a dictatorial government. However, even after the republican government was established there was no social rest. The situation in the Chinese society was rather weak as they were being bullied by most western countries after the world war one. The Chinese society was being subject to a weak government and a weak military as they could not quite face the stronger powers that they were begin subject to. During the period of 1938, much of China was taken up by Japan and the government was weak. In places where the Japanese had formed territory, they appointed an acting official, making the society lose hopes on the government and the military. Militarization and war caused a lot of changes in the society and feeling of nationalism was being fueled by the events. The society began to feel that there was a need for a revolution. The formation of the nationalist party and the communist party caused changes in the views of the society and eventually led to the republican era, which was a major change that was brought upon the society with the militarization and war. During the period that the Japanese took most parts of China, the society was subject to aggression and wished to come to terms with their powers and territory once again. Further, the establishment of the nationalist government which was hoped to bring rest to the society did not reach its goals and the attempt to rebuild China was falling apart. After the invasion of Japan, which ended in 1945, the communist party led to the communist era. On the whole, we see that the society of China has undergone several changes and stages of confusion in terms of political and social development. Apart from the political and social unrest, the society also went through a great deal of stress with the disastrous famine that hit the society. On comparing the effect of militarization and war in China and Japan, we see that the differences are large. While Japan had a very strong army, the failed in the final stages, their hopes being shattered, the Chinese had very weak military but finally had a peaceful environment to rebuild their nation. Japanese militarization and war had mixed effects on the society, bringing education and equality to them but finally was forced to forego their idea of being the ultimate power. China, on the other hand had a society that was confused with the rule that they were subject to and war made the situation worse. Economy after war Economic planning is an important part of post war planning and it is necessary that the government direct its attention toward economic planning to help the country regain its position in the global market. Both China and Japan were terribly affected in terms of economic position due to the war. Both Japan and China had to take efforts to regain economic stability as soon as they could. The role that the government played in the economic planning of Japan has always been a subject of interest, while the government of China is seen to have handled a small percentage of the economic planning, leaving a large percentage to the private sector, however, succeeding in bringing down poverty rates drastically, improving the overall condition. The Japanese economic growth is perhaps one of the most interesting economic policies for study as it is well known as the Japanese post war economic miracle, having attained economic stability in a very short period of time. The government interventions in the planning certainly played an important role in the economic miracle. The retailers, distributors, suppliers, manufacturers and banks all worked in a very cooperative environment, contributing greatly to the steady improvement in the economic sector. The war time expenses could have crushed the economic state of Japan if not for the support that was extended by the American government. The initial improvement was due to the support they received, although the post war developments were mainly due to the plans and strategies that the Japanese government took up to improve the condition. The role that the government played in the economic planning of Japan can be clearly seen in terms of the protectionism and regulations that were to be followed by the private sectors and all industries. The economic crisis was managed effectively by the government as they paid attention the expansion of trade. The ministry of international trade and industry played an important role in the economic planning. Over the years, the industrial sector has been greatly boosted, enabling them to be one of the global leaders in technology and sciences. The pooling of savings and encouragement of export trade were all part of the economic plan and greatly helped with the economic condition. However, the growth period say its end in 2000. Japan saw severe inflation in estate prices during the period between 1990 and 2000, causing the economic growth to come to a halt. However, the economy has regained its position once again and it is believed that the individuals who may be categorized as millionaires will go up rapidly in the years to come. China has seen its share of difficulties through the years of war and has regained its economic stability over the years. The period through the years 1949 to 1946 is known as the Mao era and did not show much of a development in regard of the economic position. During this era, the main problem faced by the government was to encourage the production of surplus to offset the economic imbalances. However, after the Mao era there was a considerable difference in the economic growth. From 1978 to 1985, the economic growth in rural areas were seeing rapid growth, the poverty rates dropping from about 30% to less than 15%. Following this phase was an even more economically sound phase, the economic growth continuing steadily, and the poverty rates lowering further to only 9%. This was a good direction that the economic planning of the nation was taking and they continued to develop, slowly reducing poverty rates. The economic conditions have since changed for the better, current poverty rates being only a mere 3%. After the war, the relaxations on the economic activities of china helped in giving them a lift from the economic crisis. The first phase of the economic planning was about giving agriculturists the provisions to make surplus from individual lands. Further, the international trade reforms and the policies helped alleviate the economic situation. The second phase revolved around creating markets and the government played an important role in this phase with the implementation of the dual price track system. After this phase, the economic condition began to steadily improve. During the year 1984, the changes were very much visible and there was considerable increase in the food productions and other sectors as well. However, in sectors apart from agriculture, the government was showing little intervention and the managers were given better decision making capabilities. The Chinese economy is different from other economies in the fact that it had a central planning system that dealt with the economic condition of the country. Through the years 1990 to 2000, the country has struggled through the shift from central planning to a market based system. However, the overall economic condition of the nation has improved on the whole due to improvements in different sectors. When the economic planning of the two countries are compared, we see that the Japanese have moved rapidly towards improving the economic growth, encouraging various sectors including technology to take the lead, a considerable number of millionaires having risen from the advancement. In the case of China, we see that the development was aimed at reducing poverty, the overall standard still being comparatively low. The number of people living just above the poverty line and in low income groups is a dominant part of the society, while Japan has seen overall growth, the importance having been given to the industrial sector. Read More