bicameral parliament based along Western models.
Japanese social and political changes were accompanied by rapid industrialization. Banks were set
up, and the Japanese army and navy were modernized. Key to the success of Japanese industry was
strong government support. State-sponsored railroads, steamships, and factories were built. Heavy
taxes imposed on Japanese citizens supported industry. By the 1890s, many of the textile mills and
other factories were sold off to private investors who formed conglomerates called zaibatsu.
In spite of Japan’s rapid industrialization, the islands were not fully equipped for industrialization.
Japan lacked significant coal and iron ore deposits essential to carry on an industrial economy. By the
beginnings of the twentieth century, Japan remained dependent on the West for raw materials and
technology.
In the 1890s, Japan’s need for raw materials for its industries prompted a quest for empire. In
1895, Japan defeated China in the Sino-Japanese War , which was fought over control of Korea.
Japan’s influence in Korea also led to the Russo-Japanese War of 1904 to 1905, in which Japan
defeated Russia. In 1910, Japan annexed Korea.
Social Changes in Industrial Japan
The influence of industrialization introduced a number of Western practices to Japan. Public primary
education was offered to all children. The Japanese adopted the metric system, clocks, and the
Western calendar. Western haircuts became the fashion for Japanese men. In spite of these adaptations
to Western ways, however, few Japanese adopted Christianity, and Shinto and Confucianism became
even more popular. Family life also maintained its traditions; Japanese women retained their
traditional roles of wives and mothers in a patriarchal family.
Industrialization in Egypt
Under the leadership of its ruler Muhammad Ali, Egypt began to industrialize in the early nineteenth
century. In order to lessen Egypt’s dependence on the Ottomans, Muhammad Ali built up the Egyptian
military. He also brought in European advisers to build up industries. To fund the new industries,
Egyptian peasants were required to grow cotton and wheat to export to industrialized nations. When
Muhammad Ali levied high tariffs on imported goods, the British objected and forced him to
discontinue the duties. Egypt’s new industries were unable to compete with British manufacturers, and
became dependent on lower-priced manufactured goods from Great Britain.
Rapid Review
Beginning in Great Britain, the Industrial Revolution spread throughout Western Europe and the
United States, altering society and family life. After abolishing serfdom in 1861, Russia began to
industrialize, constructing a trans-Siberian railroad to link European Russia to the Pacific coast. The
Perry expedition to Japan in 1854 prompted Japan to open its doors to industrialization. Japan ended
feudalism and established a centralized empire that built up an industrial sector by the end of the
nineteenth century. Japan, however, remained poor in natural resources, a situation that furthered its
quest for an empire to acquire resources to run its industries. In Egypt, attempts at industrialization
met with limited success because of the intervention of Great Britain.