Japan’s Meiji Revolution in Global History: Searching for Some Generalizations out of History

Abstract

The Meiji Revolution that abolished the samurai aristocracy was one of the significant revolutions in modern history. It created a sovereign by integrating the dual kingship of early modern Japan into the body of an emperor, reintegrated Japan by dismantling 260 daimyo states, and abolished the hereditary status system to open the path to modernization. This essay presents two generalizations for comparative history. The Meiji Revolution saw a death toll of about 30,000, much lower than the 1,550,000 lives lost in the French Revolution. This contrast invites us to think of how to minimize the sacrifices associated with revolutions. Another question is how to cope with long-term crises. Since the late eighteenth century some Japanese had anticipated a coming crisis with the West. Their efforts were rejected by contemporaries, but their proposals functioned as crisis simulations to provide ways to engage the Western demands to open Japan in the mid-nineteenth century.