Meiji Restoration
The Meiji Restoration was a political revolution in 1868 which ended the rule of the Tokugawa Shogunate (military rule) and returned state power to the imperial government under Mutsuhito (Emperor Meiji) This restoration, which began in 1868, marked the turning point of Japanese history in the modern age. Many historians compare the event with the French Revolution of 1789 and the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917 in Russia. Restoration leaders took a series of quick steps to build national power under capitalist institutions and quickly push Japan towards regional and world powers. In its development the Meiji Restoration in 1868 was later identified as an era of major changes in Japan's political, economic, and social affairs. The Meiji period brought modernization and westernization in the country. Meiji Restoration Background Since 1603 Japan has been under the authority of the Tokugawa Shogunate. The Shogun holds the highest authority of the state, whose authority is given by the k...