Comparing Japan and Russias Response before 1914 Essay Example for Free

Comparing japan and Russias Response before 1914 Es put forwardIn the early 19th century Russian rulers did anything in their power to keep the french plague from infiltrating Russia. The French Plague was a gradual move towards freedom and a more influential say in government. Russia avoided the French Plague by a period of isolation and oppression of their people. lacquer too had a long period of isolation. The Nipponese believed in the Mandate of Heaven or that there culture was the best. Because of their ethnocentric culture, only one Japanese port, Nagasaki, was open to barterrs once a year. During the late 19th century, two Russia and Japan were pull upd to make reforms and modernize by industrialization. They both had to do so rapidly because of Western rub and the Wests increasing power in trade. During the early 20th century, Russia and Japan had managed to reform, industrialize, and make sufficient changes to build all-powerful nations, although they still cou ldnt compete with the Wests supreme military and technological strength.The industrialization process for both Russia and Japan began during the same(p) time period because of this they both sh ard many similar industrial responses, hardly also contrasted in many ways. Both Russia and Japan had some common characteristics, which explained how they kept independent from Western interference for such a long period of time. The two nations both freshly that l befooling from outsiders could profit them and not needs destroy their culture. Industrialization was easy for them because they followed a system of borrow and improve from other countries. Through Japans Tokugawa dictatorship and Russias tsarist empire, both nations improved their political success. Instead, they used the offer to pay for changes that in the West was indorse by private businesses. In both Russia and Japan their rulers received more power.By emancipating the Russian serfs and the fry class, both nations h ad a large poke force. Besides similarities there were also many differences in both nations responses to industrialization. Women were treated very differently in both Russian and Japanese societies, in society and in the scale. The education of their people was another contrast because in Japan the literacy levels were higher. In Japan, market forms were more lengthy going into peasant agriculture. As Russia possessed more land they automatically had more natural resources then(prenominal) did Japan. Japan and Russian responses to government reform was also a major factor of industrialization.The similarities betwixt Russia and Japan were many. Russia and Japan were able to industrialize so easily because of past imitation experience. Japan copied from China and Russia from the baffling Empire. Japan took the Confucian system from China and other scientific and medical knowledge. Russia borrowed its bureaucratic rule from Byzantium. They matte up that fetching from other c ultures would not destroy their own. During industrialization, both Japan and Russia managed to keep their own cultures and religions despite their change magnitude borrowing from the West. In the West private businesses backed entrepreneurs, where as in Russia and Japan the entrepreneurs were provided for by the state because of lack of applied science and resources. Russian landlords happily took advantage of Western markets for grain, they increased their exports by tightening the labor obligations of the serfs. Russias agricultural society was based on serf labor.The Crimean War fought on the Black Sea between the Ottoman Empire, Britain and France against Russia. The loss was a huge blow to Russia whom realized that they call for to drastically improve their technology and their military. Tsar Alexander II k sassy that the only way to develop a mobile labor force to industrialize was to free the serfs. The emancipitation of the serfs in 1861 fulfilled Russias need for cheap flexible labor. Japan similarly needed a larger labor force to industrialize. In Japan the peasants whom were kicked off their land moved to cities to contrive in factories. The samurai, who were replaced by technology and armies, became another part of the labor force when they were no longer provided for by the state. In both nations the political power was centralized.The tsar appointed zemstvoes, or local political councils that correct roads, schools and other regional policies. The zemstvoes undertook important inquiries into local problems. They owed the tsars complete and utter loyalty. In Japan in 1871 when the sunrise(prenominal) Meiji government took over they abolished feudalism, replacing the daimyos with a system of nationally appointed prefects. Prefects are district administrators who are picked from different regions. The prefects like the Russian zemstvoes owed complete loyalty to the emperor. The Meiji rulers began to widen the power of the state to effect br otherly and economic change.Another similarity was that both Russia and Japan improved their military.Russias officer corps was amend by promotion by merit and newly organized essential services. Peasants were able to be recruited and they learned new skills from their military service. In Japan a stronger military unit replaced the samurai with weapons, advanced technology, and a high virtuoso of organization.Industrialization was part of the greater process of change. The trans-Siberian railroad connected European Russia with the Pacific Ocean. The railroad at one time expanded Russias coal and iron sectors. The Railroad also fueled the export of grain to the West, which became prerequisite to earn foreign currency for advanced Western machinery. As a result of the railroad, Siberia was opened to development and brought Russia into a more active Asian role. Factories began to be built in all cities by the goods that were transported by the railroad. In Japan also there was att ention focused on making the conditions necessary for industrialization. State wide railroads were built across the country and rapid steamers connected the islands. Agricultural output was raised by new methods to feed the people of the growing cities.There were also many differences in Japan and Russias response to industrialization. The literacy rank in Japan were much higher then that of Russia. Japan followed the Confucian teachings. Commoner schools or terakoya provided reading, writing, and the canonical Confucianism to ordinary people. During the mid 19th century over 40% of all men were literate and around 15% of women were too. There were also Dutch study schools in all the major cities teaching the students to restrain out Chinese influence and to adapt the Wests. Where as Russias educational reforms werent as progressive and were very limited. Schools were spread head out unevenly although there were some attempts for a state sponsored education.Womens position both in the home and in society varied between the two nations greatly. Women in Russia had a chance to get a greater education and some even progressed far enough to get jobs in medicine. In Russia during the 1860s-1870s, women started taking more control over the home scene particularly in urban work areas. In Japan, womens position in society wasthe exact opposite. Women were treated as inferior while the men were honored. Women were also forced to work in sweatshops or were sold into service by farm families.Russian and Japanese reforms in government were also different. For Russia to reform the government against the tsars there were many revolts and in Japan it was largely agreed upon. Most high-class business people wanted to have a greater say in government in Russia, they wanted to enact liberal reforms. The intellects, or intelligentsia, became very active when the educated youth started some revolts. The anarchists of Russia wanted to destroy all forms of government, especi ally the tsarist autocracy. The anarchist radicals soon resorted to wild means of getting their point across, resulting in terrorism. . As a result, many revolts and acts of violence persisted in fix to gain reform and to abolish the czarist regime itself, Russia, as a nation was severely unstable.This resulted in the creation of the Duma, or known as the Russian national parliament. Japans approach to government reform was different. They reformed in a more or less gradual and peaceful way. Meiji rulers traveled to discover up to date political reforms. In the year 1884 they constructed a conservative nobility, with former nobles and Meiji leaders would run a House of Peers (modeled after Britain). The bureaucracy was opened to talent by civil service examinations. Finally in 1889, the constitution was passed allowing Japans emperor limited power in the Diet, the new parliament. Parliament could advise government but not directly control it.Finally, Russia and Japan responses to industrialization differed because of the natural resources they possessed. Russia contained abundant amounts of coal and iron, both necessary for industrialization such as trains of the time. Russia naturally had more resources because of the amount of land under Russian rule. By 1900, Russia hadsurged to fourth rank in the world in steel production and was second to the United States in the petroleum production and refining. Where as Japan and was dependent on the West for there industrialization needs. This was a disadvantage for Japan their success depended on the world trade market.The beginnings of industrialization in Russia and Japan, contributed greatly to the Worlds trade market and cultures. Both Russia and Japan modernized in there own unique way, Russia with revolutions and Japan with their patriotic reforms. Without their rapid industrialization and influence on world affairs, today as we know it wouldnt be the same.