History of Japan III March 1, 2000

Steele

Final Examination

You may use your notes and the various handouts if necessary, but if you quote directly from a text be sure to indicate source of information. Be analytical and not simply descriptive.

Part I: Short Essay Questions -- Choose three from the following six questions (25 minutes each/ 25 points each)

1. Do you think the Tokugawa bakufu would have collapsed if the American “black ships” did not appear in 1853? Was the bakufu experiencing “decline” in the first half of the 19^th century?

2. Explain the process by which Japan was able to “catch up” with the advanced countries in areas of industrial technology and military might? Give specific examples.

3. The Imperial Rescript on Education (Kyoiku chokugo) was issued in 1890. Describe both the negative and positive effects this document has had on Japan society in the pre-1945 period. Give specific examples.

4. Was the militarism of the 1930s an outgrowth of the "forced development" policies of the Meiji leaders? In answering the question, provide at least three points supporting your argument one way or the other.

5. What were some of the specific causes of the Pacific War? How did Japan's political, economic, and intellectual elite justify the war? Explain why there was little effective resistance to militarism in prewar Japan.

6. "The development of postwar Japan did not take place in a vacuum nor was it simply the result of American policy during the Occupation period. It rested on trends already evident before 1945." Do you agree with this statement? Support your argument with specific examples.

Part II Question relating to the reading assignments (25 minutes/ 25 points)

You have read the autobiographies of four individuals who were active in Japanese society between the 1840s and the 1940s. Choose any two of these individuals and compare their attitudes toward the changes taking place in their lives and in Japanese society.