Matt Sullivan Mrs.Riggio

During the long nineteenth century a number of nations were trying to find their identities and industrialize, in the midst of it all was Japan. Throughout this time period Japan changed through westernization and imperialism but also continued to practice and keep the Japanese culture intact mainly with religion. Japan prior to the nineteenth century had a policy of isolationism and lacked technology and a strong military. With the impact of outside nations, Great Britain and the United States, japan changed its identity through industrialization and prioritized imperialism going forward in the late nineteenth century. The long nineteenth century was mainly about change for Japan. Up until the middle of the nineteenth century japan was mainly in a period of isolationism. This all changed when commodore Perry arrived in japan in 1853 with a United States armada far superior to the feeble Japanese military. Perry wanted to set up trade with the United States and the Japanese, because the strength of the United States was overwhelming to the Japanese they had no other choice but to join them and industrialize. Following this other foreign nations made their mark in japan including Great Britain. The Meiji Restoration in 1868 was the start of a world power in the making, an industrialized and a military lead nation, japan. The Meiji Restoration returned the power in japan to Emperor Meiji and he accelerated the process of industrializing and the growing of the Japanese