crisis of imperial democracy. era of party rule hara takashi (kei), first party cabinet 1918 hara...
TRANSCRIPT
Era of party ruleEra of party rule
Hara Takashi (Kei), Hara Takashi (Kei), first party cabinet first party cabinet 19181918
Regular alternation Regular alternation of Seiyūkai and of Seiyūkai and Kenseikai Kenseikai (Minseitō) from (Minseitō) from 1924-321924-32
Organizing from belowOrganizing from below
Working class Working class organizations in organizations in unions, considerable unions, considerable growth through 1920sgrowth through 1920s
Tenant farmers, Tenant farmers, likewiselikewise
Socialist and Socialist and communist party communist party organizingorganizing
Women act both Women act both within and outside within and outside these groupsthese groups
Response from above: two Response from above: two visions of “imperial democracy”visions of “imperial democracy”
1. The conservative vision (1918-22, 1927-29)
The Seiyūkai party, and bureaucrats inJustice and Agriculture/Commerce Ministries
•Stresses order and harmony, from above, with modest participation
•slight opening to participation, including women and wage workers (works councils)
•assertive foreign policy, re. China in particular
2. The liberal vision of imperial 2. The liberal vision of imperial democracy (1924-27, 29-31)democracy (1924-27, 29-31)
• universal manhood suffrage, 1925
• social programs-national health insurance, -stronger factory legislation,-unemployment insurance, -tenant dispute mediation law
Cooperative diplomacy in China,and in arms control (naval treaty, 1930)
Peak of the liberal visionPeak of the liberal vision
comes during second Minseitō administration(1929-31)
•proposed labor union bill, tenant farmer protection, civil rights for women
•1930-31 Diet session,passes lower house, killed in House of Peers
The view from the end of 1920sThe view from the end of 1920s
Unprecedented moves toward a democratic polity•universal male suffrage•party government routinized•gains for organized labor, farmers•greater participation for women
BUT: rising tide of criticism and unrest at home, resistance to empire in China, tensions with Westa fragile grounding for a liberal democratic system
Unintended developments, uncertain future:
Crisis of Imperial DemocracyCrisis of Imperial Democracy
•Causes: a multi-sided crisis sparked byglobal and domestic shocks
•Consequences:-A different sort of modern mass society
-repudiation of “imperial democratic”modernity;Elaboration of alternative “statist” modernity
Depression Crisis: at homeDepression Crisis: at home
Stagnant 1920s--> banking crisis--> world depression
Depression Crisis: at homeDepression Crisis: at home
Crisis in rural Japan: more daughters to brothels
Depression Crisis: at homeDepression Crisis: at home
Crisis in the cities
2. Small businessfailures skyrocket
1. Labor disputes surge
Depression Crisis AbroadDepression Crisis Abroad
Crisis abroad, two dimensions. (1) Tensions with West
(2) Tensions with China
Crisis of Imperial democracyCrisis of Imperial democracy
Perceptions of Japan at a dead end
Threats all around: abroad, at home, rural and urban, all connected
•diary of General Ugaki Kazushige: Fuehrer wannabe•A shared element in this critique, of left and right– common “radical” view of status quo
Breaking the ImpasseBreaking the Impasse
•takeover of Manchuria•Continuing politics of assassination, repudiating party rule
•Prime Minister Hamaguchi Osachi, 1930•Finance Minister Inoue Junnosuke, 1932•Mitsui Chairman, Dan Takuma, 1932•Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi, 1932•Finance Minister Takahashi Korekiyo
and several other cabinet ministers, 2/26/1936