Imperialism in Asia: British India, China's Opium Wars and Meiji Japan

Grade 10 Social Studies Worksheet - Challenge Me

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Use this

   Cards A to E. Card A, a summary in our words, written today, from the State Department's Office of the Historian: On July 8, 1853, Commodore Matthew Perry led four ships into Tokyo Bay seeking regular trade for the first time in over 200 years. Card B, a summary in our words, written today, from Columbia University's Asia for Educators: After the Meiji emperor was restored in 1868, domains were abolished in 1871, samurai lost their class privileges, a national army was raised by universal conscription in 1872, national schools opened, and railways, telegraphs and factories were built. The constitution of 1889 was given by the emperor. A parliament, the Diet, was elected from 1890, but only the wealthiest 1 percent could vote. Card C, a summary in our words, written today: Unequal treaties signed in the 1850s were revised in 1894. War with China in 1894 and 1895 gave Japan Taiwan as its first colony. The Treaty of Portsmouth of 1905, after a war with Russia in 1904 and 1905, affirmed Japan's presence in south Manchuria and Korea and gave Japan the southern half of Sakhalin. Card D, a summary in our words, written today: Korea became a Japanese protectorate in 1905 and was annexed in 1910. Colonial rule from 1910 to 1945 was often harsh: military rule for the first ten years, with dissent crushed. A nationwide protest began on March 1, 1919. During World War II Japan's military forced women, many of them from Korea, into sexual slavery, and in 1993 Japan's government apologized in the Kono statement. Card E, two readings written for this sheet, not quotations from any historian. Reading X: Japan modernized to escape imperialism and then copied it. Reading Y: Japan's empire grew from fears for its own security, not from imitation.

2. 1.

   Card B lists the Meiji reforms; card C dates the revision of the treaties to 1894. Bo says the reforms caused the revision. What is the careful reply?

   • The reforms had nothing to do with it, since the treaties were revised by the other powers
   • The reforms caused it, since a stronger state could demand better terms from the other powers
   • The war with China caused it, since card C mentions the war in the same line as the revision
   • It fits the order of events, but the cards state no cause, and other pressures could matter
3. 2.

   Card A is 1853; card D says Korea was annexed in 1910. Esme asks what the 57 years between them show.

   • That Japan had planned empire from 1853, since 57 years from Perry to annexation is one plan
   • That nothing changed, since Japan sought trade in 1853 and trade continued under colonial rule in 1910
   • A reversal of position the cards describe but do not explain: from receiving Perry to annexing Korea
   • That Japan copied Britain exactly, since both ruled colonies after signing unequal treaties
4. 3.

   Card B: a Diet was elected from 1890, but only the wealthiest 1 percent could vote. Jun says Japan became a democracy in 1890. What fits?

   • Nothing democratic began, since the constitution was given by the emperor and not demanded
   • An elected parliament began, but a vote for 1 percent was narrow, so democracy overstates it
   • Japan became a democracy, since an elected parliament is what defines a democracy to historians
   • The wealthiest 1 percent ruled Japan, since they alone elected the parliament and so held power
5. 4.

   Card B says the constitution of 1889 was given by the emperor. Kira says it shows the people won rights. What does the card support?

   • It shows the people won rights, since a constitution lists rights that people had asked for
   • It shows nothing about rights, since a constitution is a technical document and not evidence
   • It shows the emperor lost power, since a constitution limits those who give it to the people
   • A constitution given from above shows a ruler granting terms; people's demands are not mentioned
6. 5.

   Luz asks which pair of facts in card B best shows reform from above.

   • A state-built army, schools and railways, plus an emperor's constitution and a 1 percent vote
   • Samurai lost privileges and a national army was raised, since both ended the old order in 1871
   • Domains were abolished in 1871 and the Diet was elected in 1890, since both came from the people
   • Telegraphs and factories were built and railways laid, since these show modern technology arriving
7. 6.

   Card C: Taiwan in 1895, southern Sakhalin and a presence in Korea in 1905; card D: annexation in 1910. Milo asks what the timing shows.

   • They were added in a single war, since each followed a Japanese victory in 1894 and 1895
   • They were added before the Meiji reforms, since Taiwan came first in the list of colonies
   • Korea came first and Taiwan last, since annexation in 1910 followed a protectorate in 1905
   • Colonies were added in steps over fifteen years, from Taiwan in 1895 to Korea in 1910
8. 7.

   Card D: dissent was crushed in the first ten years; a nationwide protest began March 1, 1919. Pia says Koreans accepted rule because few protested. What do the cards show?

   • Dissent was crushed, so quiet does not show acceptance; the 1919 protest shows resistance remained
   • Koreans accepted, since the first protest in the cards comes after ten years of calm under Japanese rule
   • Koreans resisted daily, since a nationwide protest needs ten years of organizing beforehand
   • The protest of 1919 was the first resistance, since the card lists nothing earlier than that
9. 8.

   Reading X: Japan modernized to escape imperialism, then copied it. Reading Y: its empire grew from security fears, not imitation. Ren asks which fact favors X.

   • The Treaty of Portsmouth followed a war with Russia, which shows Japan wanted a border buffer
   • Korea was annexed in 1910, which shows security was Japan's sole aim in building an empire
   • Japan reformed after Perry and the unequal treaties, then took colonies as the powers had
   • The Diet was elected from 1890, which shows Japan imitated Western institutions of government
10. 9.

    Card C says the Treaty of Portsmouth followed war with Russia and affirmed Japan's presence in Korea and Manchuria. Tala asks whether that favors reading Y.

    • It fits a security story about borders, but the cards give no motives, so it does not decide
    • It supports Y, since a treaty after a war shows that security was the aim of the empire
    • It favors X, since the treaty shows Japan copied the powers' settlements after their wars
    • It is irrelevant, since both readings accept that Japan built an empire and so ignore this
11. 10.

    Zee wants to decide between readings X and Y. Which new evidence would help most?

    • Perry's log of 1853, since it shows how Japan first met the Western powers and their aims
    • Japanese government papers from the 1880s to 1900s stating why leaders sought colonies
    • Meiji school enrollment numbers, since schools show how modern and capable Japan had become
    • Korean protest leaflets of 1919, since they show how colonial rule was seen by those under it