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Introduction
In 1868, the long rule of the Tokugawa regime came to an end and full
sovereign powers were restored to the new Meiji Emperor. Opposition to
Tokugawa rule had been growing for a long time, but it was not until the 19th
century that several lines, ideological, of attack on the Shogun were
available. From these various lines of attack, the Restoration leaders
emphasized the theory that in ancient days, the Emperor had enjoyed great
power and prestige and that the Shogun was a usurper who had taken all real
authority away from the Emperor. Such a line of attack on the Shogun
became more and more effective as Tokugawa power progressively declined.
The Theories accounting for the Downfall of the Shogunate
Among historians, there have been two main schools of opinion on what
really caused the downfall of the Shogunate.
The first school believed that the Tokugawa system of government might
have continued essentially unchanged had it not been for the forcible opening
of the closed door by the United States and other countries. It had been
customary for these historians to refer to the primitive nature of Japan's
economy before 1867 and to treat the Tokugawa period as though it were an
era of almost stagnation. Therefore, the school of opinion argued that it was
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