To catch up with the Western powers, the Meiji government rapidly modernized the country under the slogan “rich country, strong army.” At the same time, people's lifestyles changed greatly.
Basic Knowledge
The government promoted industrial development(making the country wealthy) and a rich country and strong army(maintaining a powerful military). In 1872, it promulgated the Education System Order and made elementary education compulsory for boys and girls aged 6 and over. In 1873, the Conscription Ordinance imposed military service on men aged 20, and the land-tax reform changed the tax system so that landowners paid 3% of land value in cash. The Tomioka Silk Mill(Gunma, 1872) was established as a government model factory, and the silk industry developed. Modern infrastructure such as railways, telegraph lines, and postal services was built one facility after another.
1872 Education System Order; Tomioka Silk Mill began operation; Shimbashi-Yokohama railway
1873 Conscription Ordinance; Land-Tax Reform Ordinance
1871 Postal system began (Maeshima Hisoka)
1872 Solar calendar adopted
1877 First National Industrial Exposition
Further Study (Background and Effects)
Under the trend of civilization and enlightenment, brick buildings lined Ginza in Tokyo, and gas lamps, rickshaws, Western clothing, and beef hot pot became popular. Fukuzawa Yukichi taught in An Encouragement of Learning that “Heaven does not create one person above or below another,” while Nakae Chomin translated Rousseau and spread ideas of civil rights. Meanwhile, the land-tax reform placed a heavy burden on taxpayers, causing uprisings against the land-tax reform, and the rate was lowered to 2.5% in 1877. In 1871, the Iwakura Mission, led by plenipotentiary Iwakura Tomomi, inspected Europe and the United States and studied models of modern nations.
- Three major reforms: Education System Order(1872), Conscription Ordinance(1873), and Land-Tax Reform(1873)
- Land tax: 3%→2.5% of land value (paid in cash)
- Representative government model factory=Tomioka Silk Mill
- Fukuzawa Yukichi=An Encouragement of Learning; Nakae Chomin=Annotated Translation of the Social Contract
- Iwakura Mission (1871-73): Iwakura Tomomi, Okubo Toshimichi, Kido Takayoshi, and Ito Hirobumi
- New Currency Act (1871) introduced the currency units yen, sen, and rin
Points of Caution (Easily Confused)
① Industrial development(fostering industry) and rich country, strong army(military strengthening) were linked but had different meanings. ② The land tax was initially 3%(paid in cash and based on land value); distinguish it from the former rice tax (paid in rice). ③ The Tomioka Silk Mill was in Gunma Prefecture, while the Yawata Steel Works(1901) was in Fukuoka Prefecture and belonged to a different period. ④ Connect Fukuzawa Yukichi with Keio University and An Encouragement of Learning, and Okuma Shigenobu with Waseda University.
Practice
- What was the land-tax reform that began in 1873 called?
- What was the name of the government model factory established in Gunma Prefecture?
- Who was the thinker who wrote An Encouragement of Learning?