Paths to Modernisation
At the start of the 19th century, China under the Qing dynasty was a dominant power, while Japan was a small, isolated island country under the Tokugawa shogunate.
In 1853, US Commodore Matthew Perry arrived in Japan, demanding it open for trade. This event ended Japan's period of isolation and triggered major political changes.
In 1868, a movement removed the shogun from power and restored the emperor. This event, known as the Meiji Restoration, marked the beginning of Japan's rapid modernization.
The Meiji government adopted the slogan 'fukoku kyohei' (rich country, strong army). They implemented reforms like compulsory education, a modern military, and industrial development.
Successful modernization led Japan to build a colonial empire. It defeated China in 1894-95 and Russia in 1904-05, and annexed Taiwan (1895) and Korea (1910).
Japan's economy was dominated by large family-controlled business organizations called 'zaibatsu', such as Mitsubishi and Sumitomo, which were helped by government subsidies.
China's Qing dynasty was severely weakened by the Opium Wars (1839-42) against Britain, which forcefully opened China to foreign trade and influence.
Sun Yat-sen, founder of modern China, proposed the Three Principles: Nationalism (overthrowing the Manchu and imperialists), Democracy, and Socialism (regulating capital and land).
In 1911, the Manchu empire was overthrown and a republic was established. However, the country fell into a period of turmoil with power struggles between warlords, the Guomindang (GMD), and the Communist Party (CCP).
Mao Zedong, a key leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), adapted Marxism by basing his revolutionary program on the peasantry instead of the urban working class.
The Long March was a 6,000-mile retreat by the CCP to escape the Guomindang. This grueling journey solidified Mao Zedong's leadership and helped the communists gain popular support.
In 1949, the CCP emerged victorious from the civil war, and Mao Zedong established the People's Republic of China. The defeated Guomindang, led by Chiang Kai-shek, fled to Taiwan.
This was Mao's policy to rapidly industrialize China by encouraging backyard steel furnaces and creating large rural communes. The policy was a massive failure and led to widespread famine.
Launched by Mao to reassert his authority, the Cultural Revolution was a campaign against old culture and ideas. It caused immense social turmoil, weakened the Party, and disrupted the economy.
After Mao's death, Deng Xiaoping initiated reforms from 1978. His goal was the 'Four Modernisations' (science, industry, agriculture, defense), which introduced market-based policies and led to rapid economic growth.
After its defeat in World War II, Japan was demilitarized under US occupation. It adopted a new constitution and rebuilt its economy, emerging as a major global economic power by the 1970s.
After 35 years of Japanese colonial rule ended in 1945, Korea was divided. The Korean War (1950-53) solidified this division, and South Korea later achieved rapid economic growth and transitioned to democracy.
After being defeated by the CCP in 1949, Chiang Kai-shek's GMD established the Republic of China in Taiwan. It underwent land reforms and economic modernization, eventually transitioning into a democracy.