What was Japan like during the Taisho era?
>>18465776A relatively prosperous and optimistic era for urban Japan but still shit for rural people, who were hit especially hard by inflation and the rice crisis. And of course the earthquake thoroughly fucked things up. People in general had more freedom than they did before or after under the empire. Also it was probably the best time for Koreans, pre-earthquake at least, during their time under Japanese rule, as things only for worse for them after.
Time of flourishing arts, visual and written, but also political turmoil. Was an excellent time to be a student or writer in an urban setting. Life was still pretty old fashioned in a lot of the country, but Tokyo, Osaka, a few other places were pretty modern and bustling with economic opportunity. There was so much cross-cultural exchange going on that Japan's port towns would've been utterly fascinating to roam around cause you could find almost anything in them, from all over the world. But behind all this you had the political instability stirred up by emperor Meiji's death, and the power struggle between the military and the Diet. There were protests, even riots, by highly politically motivated citizens. It was a rare time in Japan where you saw real democratic energy and fervor, but it unfortunately got stamped down hard.
>>18465776Very interesting blend of western trends and traditional Japanese culture. Very different from modern Japan in that a lot of old values and social structures were still intact.
>>18465792>Was an excellent time to be a student or writer in an urban setting>Life was still pretty old fashioned in a lot of the country, but Tokyo, Osaka, a few other places were pretty modern and bustling with economic opportunity>so much cross-cultural exchange going on that Japan's port towns would've been utterly fascinating to roam around cause you could find almost anything in them, from all over the world.>were protests, even riots, by highly politically motivated citizens. It was a rare time in Japan where you saw real democratic energy and fervorI hate you faggots so much and I hope Trump sends tanks to your campuses
>>18466081>Ruralfag retard seethes impotently at the mention of educated people and a democracy
>>18466081this you?
5.0 fertility rate, everyone was having sex
>>18465792>Tokyo, Osaka, a few other places were pretty modern and bustling with economic opportunit-ACK
>>18466081>I hate you faggots so much and I hope Trump sends tanks to your campuses
>>18466169>This post from a poor country
>>18466115that's actually rather low by early 20th century standards
>>18465776Average Income was 1/10th that of the USA. The urban and rural divide was high. Rural areas were miserable. The state was strong and could field a modern fleet and infrastructure. Pretty much like China today.The extreme poverty in rural areas in particular was a direct cause in the rise of ultranationalism and expansionism in Japan, as the army absorbed many discontented rural recruits.
>>18466341Also the slow expansion of universal suffrage.People talk about "Taisho democracy" but downplay how much more oligarchic and unequal it really was compared to modern Japan, and universal suffrage when it finally came did so hand-in-hand with a "peace preservation law" that criminalized the left.So people's first experience with mass politics wound up being with the army (especially with conscription) not the political parties, to predictable results.
>>18466082Pol. Pot.
