1. Attempting to Catch Western Europe

2. Japan – Victims to Imperialists
Since sakoku, the Tokugawa shogunate had kept Japan and its trade
Closed Europe and the world, except for the Dutch at Deijima
While Japan remained closed since the 1630s, in 1853 Commodore
Matthew Perry of the United States Navy threatened Japan to open trade
Under the threat of gunboat bombardment, he gave
Japan a year to decide whether or not they agreed to open trade
After witnessing the humiliation of China to the British during the
Opium Wars, Japan agreed to open up to the US, Britain, and Russia
However, this move humiliated the Japanese, and they dedicated themselves
To industrializing, and ridding themselves of the failed Tokugawa gov.

3. Japan – Meiji (emperor) Restoration
In 1868, many Japanese leaders rebelled against the weak shogunate for its
humiliating surrender to the US and the West and its failure to industrialize
Restoring the emperor, Japanese leaders decided adopt and model as much of
their society on the West as possible: industrially, politically, and militaristically
They reconstructed their government to be more democratic
(emperor still at top), and wrote a constitution (rules for the gov)
Known as the Iwakura Mission, they also sent out officials and exchange
students to the West to learn Western science, manufacturing, and culture
Lastly, they hired Western military and economic advisors, and
began rapid industrial expansion and the modernization of their military

4. First Sino-Japanese War 1894-1895
Within 30 years of the Meiji Restoration, the Japanese looked to expand and
create an imperial empire like the West and Russia—focusing on China and Korea
Seeing China’s weakness in the Opium Wars, Japan went to war
with the Qing Dynasty for control of Korea and Taiwan (owned by China)
The war only lasted about 6-7 months, with the smaller, more
modern Japanese army and navy thwarting all Qing forces easily
and took Korea and Taiwan for themselves
The alarming success of Japan sent shockwaves through the world, as
China was humiliated by a loss of power, prestige, and influence to Japan
This also alerted Europeans not only to how strong Japan had becomSelf-Strengthening Movement had failede,
how weak China was, and how the

6. Qing Dynasty – Self-Strengthening Movement
In the first half of the 19th century, Chinese leaders and officials opposed
The idea of borrowing and learning from European science/military
China distinctly felt its methods and culture were superior, and
Desired to keep its current society and economy in tact
Much of the anti-foreign sentiment came from Empress Cixi,
while most of the advocating for change came from Prince Gong
After humiliation at the hands of Britain and France in the
Opium Wars, most supported the Self-Strengthening Movement
Not wanting to draw completely from another culture, the Chinese attempted to
industrialize themselves, without any aid or ideas from the West (except military)

8. Ottoman Empire
Like China, much of the Ottoman leadership was opposed to modernizing
their economy and military—most of which coming from the Janissaries
Like China, the Ottoman Empire had a long, proud history of success,
and many saw their losses to Europeans as a temporary setback
Selim III ( ) was the first sultan to realize the Ottoman
Empire needed to industrialize their military and economy
While he attempted to bring French military advisors, the
Janissaries staunchly opposed any foreign advice or change
They quickly imprisoned and killed Selim III, and hurt any chance of reform in the OE

9. Khedivate of Egypt –
In Egypt, a man named Muhammad Ali also recognized
the need for the Islamic world to industrialize
Seeing the failure of Selim III, Ali made sure to move to separate Egypt
from the Ottoman Empire and industrialize as a semi-autonomous state
To industrialize, he nationalized all the land held by the powerful Mamluk
(nobles) elites, and turned most of the land into cotton production
Next, he began a European-model centralized gov/bureaucracy
He also began state-driven industrial expansion, building
factories for arms production, and started a modern navy