Japan
Mary Lange
Geography
Japan is located on an archipelago in Eastern Asia. Rugged terrain acted as a barrier to political unity. Japanese learned to use the sea for a source of food and transportation. The lack of natural resources led to a policy of imperialism.
Feudalism
The development of feudalism in both Japan and Western Europe were the same. Peasants farmed the land and the inheritance was passed on only through sons. Japan feudal society had district levels and powerful warrior nobles controlled the country. The feudalism in Japan was a fight for more land, more wealth and more power.
Meji Restoration
This was a cause of the fall of Tokugawa shogun. All feudal class privileges were destroyed. This made Japan modernize. They sent troops into other countries and took their ideas to make Japan more like the rest of the world. Japan did this because they were behind on military technology and they felt threatened by western imperialism.