PATHS TO MODERNISATION

Q1. “China and Japan have had a long tradition of historical writings, as history was an important guide
for the rulers”. With reference to this, list some sources to know about their histories.
Ans. The rulers established official departments to maintain records and write dynastic histories.
● Sima Qian (145-90 BCE) is considered the greatest historian of early China.
● In Japan, Chinese cultural influence led to history being given a similar importance.
● In 1869, a bureau to collect records and write about the Meiji Restoration was carried out.
● There was great respect for the written word and literary ability was highly valued.
● A wide range of written materials – official histories, scholarly writings, popular literature,
religious tracts – are available.
● Liang Qichao or Kume Kunitake (1839- 1931), one of the pioneers of modern history in Japan, as
well as earlier writings by European travellers, such as the Italian Marco Polo (1254-1324, in
China from 1274 to 1290), the Jesuit priests Mateo Ricci (1552-1610) in China and Luis Frois
(1532- 97), in Japan, left rich accounts of these countries.
● The writings of Christian missionaries in the nineteenth century provides valuable material for our
understanding of these countries.

Q2. State the contrasting difference between China and Japan’s geography.
Ans.
China Japan

1. China is a vast continental country that 1. Japan, by contrast, is a string of islands,

spans many climatic zones. the four largest being Honshu, Kyushu,
2. The core is dominated by three major river Shikoku and Hokkaido.
systems: the Yellow River (Huang He), the 2. The Okinawan chain is the southernmost.
Yangtze River (Chang Jiang – the third 3. More than 50 per cent of the land area of
longest river in the world) and the Pearl the main islands is mountainous and Japan
River. is situated in a very active earthquake
3. A large part of the country is mountainous. zone.
4. The dominant ethnic group are the Han 4. The population is largely Japanese but
and the major language is Chinese there are a small Ainu minority and
(Putonghua) but there are many other Koreans who were forcibly brought as
nationalities, such as the Uighur, Hui, labour when Korea was a Japanese colony.
Manchu and Tibetan. 5. Japan lacks a tradition of animal rearing.
5. Dialects such as Cantonese (Yue) and 6. Rice is the staple crop and fish the major
Shanghainese (Wu), and other minority source of protein.
languages are spoken as well. 7. Raw fish (sashimi or sushi) has now
6. Chinese food has regional diversity. The become a widely popular dish around the
best known is southern or Cantonese world as it is considered very healthy.
cuisine- which includes dim sum (literally
touch your heart), an assortment of pastries
and dumplings.
7. In the north, wheat is the staple food,
Szechuan spices brought by Buddhist
monks in the ancient period, along the silk
route, and chillies by Portuguese traders in
the fifteenth century, are part of their
cuisine.
8. In eastern China, both rice and wheat are
eaten.
Q3. Explain the political system of Japan.
Ans. The political system of Japan consists of-
1. The Emperor- who had ruled Japan from Kyoto.
2. Shoguns- by the twelfth century the imperial court lost power to shoguns, who in theory ruled in
the name of the emperor.
● From 1603 to 1867, members of the Tokugawa family held the position of shogun.
3. The country was divided into over 250 domains under the rule of lords called daimyo.
● The shogun exercised power over the domainal lords, ordering them to stay at the capital
Edo (modern Tokyo) for long periods so that they would not pose a threat. He also
controlled the major cities and mines.
4. The samurai (the warrior class) were the ruling elite and served the shoguns and daimyo.

Q4. What were the major developments before the Meiji restoration that made it possible for Japan to
modernise rapidly?
Ans-The following developments helped in the modernization of Japan before the Meiji restoration:
● Peasants were not allowed to carry arms, only Samurai could carry swords now. This
ensured peace and order, ending the frequent wars of the previous century.
● The daimyo were ordered to live in the capitals of their domains, each with a large degree
of autonomy.
● Land surveys were carried out to identify owners and taxpayers and graded land
productivity to ensure a stable revenue base.
● Growth of population led to the growth of the commercial economy.
● People developed reading habits and the scale of printing increased. It became possible for
gifted writers to earn a living solely by writing.
● The export of precious metals like gold and silver for the payment of silk from China and
textiles from India was restricted.
● The silk industry in Nishijin in Kyoto was developed to reduce imports from China. Later
the silk from Nishijin came to be known as the best in the world.
● There was an increased use of money and the creation of a stock market in rice.
● Theatre and arts were patronised in towns.

Q5. Discuss the role of Mao Zedong in the CCP.

Ans-Mao Zedong emerged as a major CCP leader and took a path by focusing on launching a
revolutionary programme on the peasantry.
● Mao Zedong’s radical approach can be seen in Jiangxi, in the mountains, where they camped from
1928 to 1934, secure from Guomindang attacks.
● A strong Peasants Council (Soviet) was organised, united through confiscation and redistribution
of land.
● Mao, unlike other leaders, stressed the need for an independent government and army.
● He was quite aware of women’s problems and supported the emergence of rural women’s
associations. He also promulgated a new marriage law that forbade arranged marriage, stopped
purchase or sale of marriage contracts and simplified divorce.
● He also advocated ways of solving social problems by examining the different levels of
exploitation by looking at everyday commodities such as salt and soya beans, at the relative
strengths of local organisations, at petty traders and craftsmen, ironsmiths and prostitutes, and the
strength of religious organisations.
● He gathered statistics of the number of peasants who had sold their children and found out what
price they received. It was on the basis of these studies that he advocated ways of solving social
problems.
Q6. What do you mean by “The Great Leap Forward Movement” ?
Ans-“The Great Leap Forward Movement” was a five-year economic plan executed by Mao Zedong and
the Chinese Communist Party, launched in 1958.
● It was a policy to galvanise the country for rapid Industrialisation.
● People were encouraged to set up steel furnaces in their backyards. In the rural areas, people’s
communes (where land would be collectively owned and cultivated) were started.
● Mao was concerned about creating a ‘socialist man’ who would have five loves: fatherland,
people, labour, science and public property.
● Mass organisations were created for farmers, women, students and other groups.
● The All-China Democratic Women’s Federation and the All-China Students Federation were
created.

Q7. Discuss how daily life was transformed as Japan developed ?

Ans-
● Earlier in Japan, the patriarchal household system prevailed. In it, many generations lived
together under the control of the head of the family.
● New ideas of the family spread. People became more affluent. Homu, the new home was a
nuclear family where husband and wife lived together.
● The new concept of domesticity generated demands for new types of domestic goods such as a
rice cooker, an American grill and toaster etc.
● New forms of housing emerged. In the 1920s, construction companies made cheap housing
available for a down payment of 200 yen and a monthly instalment of 12 yen for ten years.

Q8. How did the Qing dynasty try to meet the challenge posed by the Western powers?
Ans-
● Qing reformers such as Kang Youwei and Liang Qichao realised the need to strengthen the system
and initiated policies to build a modern administrative system, a new army and an educational
system, and set up local assemblies to establish constitutional government.
● The negative example of colonised countries worked powerfully on Chinese thinkers. Indians
were criticised for being cruel to their own people and subservient to the British. Such arguments
carried a powerful appeal as ordinary Chinese could see that the British used Indian soldiers in
their wars on China.
● The partition of Poland in the eighteenth century was a much-discussed example.
● Many felt that traditional ways of thinking had to be changed.
● To train people in modern subjects students were sent to study in Japan, Britain and France and
bring back new ideas.
● Many Chinese students went to Japan in the 1890s and many became leading republicans in
future.
● The Chinese borrowed even Japanese translations of European words such as justice, rights, and
revolution because they used the same ideographic script.
● The centuries-old Chinese examination system that gave candidates entry into the elite ruling
class was abolished as it had no relevance for the modern world.

Q12. Did Japan’s policy of rapid industrialization lead to wars with its neighbours and destruction of
the environment?
Ans- The rapid industrialization of Japan led to wars and destruction of the environment due to the
following reasons:
● The development of industries affected the environment in many ways.
● With the increase in the number of factories the demand for natural resources like timber
grew which led to deforestation.
● It led to the exploitation of natural resources and environmental destruction.
● The industrialisation programme had been pushed with utter disregard to its effect on health
and the environment.
● Cadmium poisoning, which led to a painful disease, followed by mercury poisoning in
 Minamata in the 1960s and problems caused by air pollution in the early 1970s were the
signs of environmental destruction.
● To obtain raw material and for the consumption of furnished products, the need of colonies
was felt. For this they attacked countries like China, Russia, Korea, Taiwan and the USA.

Q13. Do you think that Mao Zedong and the Communist Party of China were successful in liberating
China and laying the basis for its current success?
Ans- Mao Zedong and Communist Party of China were successful in liberating China.
● Unlike the traditional Marxist idea of revolution of the workers, Mao Zedong brought a revolution
based on peasantry.
● Unlike the dictatorship of the proletariat of the Soviet Union, he established a new democracy in
China, where all social classes were considered equal.
● He stressed on the need for an independent government and army.
● He was aware of women’s problems and supported the emergence of rural women’s associations,
promulgated a new marriage law that forbade arranged marriages, stopped purchase or sale of
marriage contracts and simplified divorce.
● Emphasis on central control over key areas of economy and private enterprise and private
ownership were gradually abolished.
● To galvanise industrial development, the Great Leap Forward Movement was launched in which
households were encouraged to build steel furnaces in their backyard.
● Agriculture was organised in the form of communes. This raised productivity.
● Emphasis was placed on ideology and cultural revolution was brought under which students and
professionals were sent to the countryside to learn.

Q17. The rebuilding of the Japanese economy after its defeat was considered to be a post-war
‘miracle’. Why?
Ans- The rebuilding of the Japanese economy after its defeat was considered to be a post-war ‘miracle’
due to the following reasons:
● Under the US-led Occupation (1945-47) Japan was demilitarised and a new constitution
introduced.
● The ‘no war clause’ that renounced the use of war as an instrument of state policy was
imposed.
● Agrarian reforms, the reestablishment of trade unions and an attempt to dismantle the
zaibatsu or large monopoly houses that dominated the Japanese economy were also carried
out.
● The Japanese had a historic tradition of popular struggles and intellectual engagement on
how to broaden political participation. Political parties were revived and the first post-war
elections were held in 1946 where women voted for the first time.
● The social cohesion of the previous years was strengthened. It allowed for a close working
of the government, bureaucracy and industry.
● US support, as well as the demand created by the Korean and the Vietnamese wars also
helped the Japanese economy.
● The 1964 Olympics were held in Tokyo which marked a symbolic coming of age.
● In much the same way the network of high-speed Shinkansen or bullet trains, started in
1964, have come to represent the ability of the Japanese to use advanced technologies to
produce better and cheaper goods.
● To conserve the environment, Japan enacted some of the strictest environmental controls in
the world.