JAP100 Historie

This lecture will begin with a look at the political turmoil and unrest in Japan during the 1950s and 1960s that were resolved—or at least sublimated—by the 1970 paradigm. The early 1970s, just as this paradigm was taking root, witnessed major politi... more

We will start off by looking at the road to surrender, and continue on to the road to reform and recovery. Along the way, we will consider the place of the atomic bombings in Japan’s defeat and surrender, and the radical reconstruction of Japan’s leg... more

This lecture will consist of four distinct parts, arranged only partially in chronological order. The first will consist of a look at some of the less positive reaction to Japan’s rise and its victory over Russia. As we are reaching the end of the Me... more

This lecture will examine the so-called “reverse course” taken by the American occupiers after 1947; the “1955 system” of rule by the Liberal Democratic Party and the related “iron triangle” of conservative politicians, bureaucrats, and big business;... more

The Manchurian Incident (1931), the establishment of a puppet state in Manchuria (19329, and the decision to leave the League of Nations (1933) changed Japan’s international trajectory. In the 1920s, Japan had been a pillar of international collabora... more

In this episode, we will be looking first at developments in Japanese society, starting with the murders and coup attempts of the period of “government by assassination.” Next, we will cover the transformation of Japan’s unofficial, undeclared China ... more

A bonus episode about gender roles and politics from Meiji to the 1930s, with a peek into the 1940s.

This class will look at the ups and downs of Japanese history in the first decades of the twentieth century. Japan enjoyed military triumphs, a booming and industrializing economy, international prestige, and a lively cosmopolitan culture in its citi... more