IB Topics
- Tokugawa Shogunate’s rule in Japan and challenges to it
- Tokugawa economic and social structure; social changes and discontent
- Commodore Perry’s expedition and the crisis of the Bakumatsu period, 1853‑1868.
- Japan: Meiji Restoration (1868) in Japan
- the 1889 Constitution
- Japan: Social, cultural and economic developments in Meiji Japan
- Japan: Commitment to military power
- Victory in the Sino–Japanese War (1894‑5)
- Victory in the Russo–Japanese War (1904‑5
IB Questions
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Compare and contrast the attitudes of China and Japan to reform and change during the period 1861 to 1894.
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Compare and contrast Chinese (1861–94) and Japanese (1868–94) attempts at self-strengthening and modernization in the second half of the nineteenth century. (N08)
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To what extent did the emergence of “Dutch Learning” (rangaku) and of “National Learning” (kokugaku) contribute to the decline of the Tokugawa shogunate (Bakufu) in Japan?
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Compare and contrast the kokugaku (National Learning) and rangaku (Dutch Learning) movements in Japan and their impact upon the Tokugawa Shogunate. (N09)
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Analyse the role of the Satsuma and Chōshū clans in bringing about the collapse of the Tokugawa Shoganate (Bakufu) in Japan between 1850 and 1868.
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To what extent do you agree with the view that the Tokugawa Shogunate was facing collapse before the arrival of Commodore Perry’s mission in 1853? (M09)
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“By 1853 the isolation policy of the Tokugawa had already failed.” To what extent do you agree with this statement?
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“Commodore Perry knocked on an open door.” To what extent do you agree with this assessment of the Japanese response to Commodore Perry’s arrival in Japan in 1853? (M07)
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To what extent did social and economic change threaten Tokugawa rule in Japan in the early nineteenth century? (M08)
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To what extent by 1890 had the Meiji Restoration (1868) in Japan created a “modern late-nineteenth century state”? (N09)
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To what extent had the changes introduced under the Meiji Restoration (1868) transformed Japan by 1890? (N08)
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Assess the role of the genro in Meiji Japan, 1868 to 1912.
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To what extent were changes in Japanese society between 1868 and 1889 reflected in the Meiji Constitution?
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To what extent had Japan become industrialized by 1912, the end of the Meiji period? (M08)
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“During the Meiji period, Japan changed its clothes but not its soul.” Is this a fair assessment of the modernization and westernization which took place over that period?
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Why did Japan experience rapid modernisation in the second half of the nineteenth century? (M09)
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“Between 1894 and 1905 Japan emerged as the most powerful military presence in North East Asia.” (M09)
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To what extent do you agree with this statement?
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Account for the rise of Japan to international importance in the region between 1855 and 1905. (N08)
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To what extent did the Sino-Japanese war (1894-5) and the Russo-Japanese war (1904-5) change the balance of power in East Asia?
Related articles
- Historian raised US awareness of Asia-Pacific region (theage.com.au)
