IGNOU HISTORY NOTES : History Of China and Japan (1840-1949) - Society and Polity: Japan


IGNOU HISTORY Study Notes for IAS, UPSC Exams

History Of China and Japan (1840-1949)

Society and Polity: Japan


Structure

3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Background to the Establishment of Tokugawa Supremacy
3.3 The Tokugawa State
3.3.1 Mechanism of Political Control
3.3.2 Daimyo
3.3.3 Nature of the Tokugawa State
3.4 Tokugawa Social Structure
3.4.1 Emperor and Aristocracy
3.4.2 Samurai
3.4.3 Peasants, Artisans and Merchants
3.5 The Tokugawa Period : An Evaluation
3.6 Let Us Sum Up
3.7 Answers to Check Your Progress Exercises

3.0 OBJECITIVES

After reading this Unit you will be able to:

  • know &out the basic structure of pre-modem Japan and its main dal divisions,
  • understand the nature of political authority and the political institutions through which it was exercised,
  • know about the forces working for stability and change in this society, and
  • appreciate its strength and weakness at the time when Western powers came to this region.

3.1 INTRODUCTION

The pre-modern period of Japanese history, during which the Tokugapa.family
exercisd power from 1603-1868, was marked by a long period of political stability.
It was during this period, when Japan had very limited contact with outsiders, that a
transformation and growth of'a money economy sustained changes in social relations
and contributed to new th'inking which questioned established truths and accepted
norms. The 'great peace' of the Tokugawas witnessed the creation of modem
Japanese culture and it was on this basis that modern Japan was able to industrialize
and develop with great rapidity. During this period there were also tensions and
conflicts in the form of peasant rebellions and 1ater.urban riots. These also reflect the
manner in which society, far from being stagnant and unchanging, was being
transformed. It is necessary to understand both the limitations as well as the
dynamism of Tokugawa society to appreciate the creation and development of
modern' Japan. This Unit will consider the process by which the Tokugawa political
structure was-created and its society formed. 

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