How Did Japan's Successful Adaptation to the Challenges of Western Imp Essay - 1

How Did Japan's Successful Adaptation to the Challenges of Western Imperialism and China's Failure Complete - Essay Example Similarly for China, to revive an economy that was devastated by the ravages of a long civil war, and turn it into one of the fastest growing economies by the end of the century was a truly laudable achievement. Japan moved from a limited democracy with a semi-divine monarch before world war II, to a thriving progressive one by the last decade of the twentieth century. China, on the other hand, transformed from a communist form of government at the end of the civil war, to a more modern form of socialism using reform and an opening of its markets by the end of the century. At the beginning of the twentieth century, western powers like Britain, France, Germany, and Belgium had grown rich and powerful through the acquisition of colonies in Asia and Africa. Japan sought to imitate western imperial powers by acquiring foreign territorial possessions because of the power and prestige associated them. The frequent provocation by western powers, their racial prejudices towards Asian people; as well as its own concerns for its territorial and economic security, led Japan into a series of wars in China as well as other South Asian countries. This was done mainly to increase its sphere of influence and to secure much-needed markets for its goods. The disastrous results of trying to imitate western imperialism saw Japan reduced from a dynamic Asian empire in the 1930s and 1940s to a small group of islands in a western dominated order by the end of WWII. The result of the second world war changed Japan’s fortunes. Devastated by the atomic bomb and over-populated due to the return of its people from   Manchuria and Korea, a starving Japan was forced to accept free food from America. The impact of this on the Japanese people was naturally profound and resulted in a steely determination to return to a position of power in the new world order. Japan had to begin over again the process of developing industry and self-sufficiency. One advantage it had was its talent pool in terms of educated people in the field of science and technology. Another was its strong belief in free enterprise and its expertise in managing industry in such an environment.