Nationalism from Above: Japan and Thailand

A.

Western Imperialismrise of modern nationalism

Nationalism from the top down
Promoted through education and religion
The rise of ultranationalism
The Rise of Nationalism in Thailand
1. The only country in SE Asia never to have been taken over by outside
powers.
2. The rise of Thai nationalism as a struggle for sovereignty against Western
imperialism
3. Its fate in reality?
a. Encroachments on its sovereignty by the powerful Western Nations
b. The 1855 Bowring Treaty
I.
Signed by King Mongkut and Siam and Sir John Bowring,
Governor of Hong Kong
II.
Lost control of its rights to tax import and export goods at will
III.
Lost its judicial sovereignty (extraterritoriality)
B. Thai Nationalism and Its Effects
1. Thailand officially retained its sovereignty, yet lost a great portion of its
substance
2. Regarded as a second-rate nation
3. It was free to deal with all internal affairs
4. Thai sentiment against imperialism
5. The rise of a modern, centralized nation state under the leadership of Thai
royals/princes.
6. A formal court system
7. Resistance from within
8. The shortage of trained civil servants
9. Ban on polygamy
10.Compulsory primary education
11.The founding of Chulalongkorn University
12.From the absolute to constitutional monarchy
a. Reforms from aboveremarkable achievements in the 19th and early
20th centuries
b. Yet, the political core was unreformed
c. The need to curb the kings power
d. Some problems within the economy
I.
Cuts in official spending, including the military budget
II.
The king convened a meeting to explain why the cuts were
necessary
e. The Siamese revolution of 1932
C. Ultranationalism
1. Nationalism could be the most powerful political force in the world
2. Ultranationalisman extreme form of nationalism
a. One of the most destructive forces in the world
3. A strong sense of their own national identity
4. What about the national identity of others?
5. Us vs. Them

6. Promotion of national interests at the expense of other countries

7. It may inspire leaders of one country to invade other countries
8. Ex. Germany after World War I
D. The Rise of Japans Nationalism and Ultranationalism
1. Modernization undertaken from above
a. The Emperor Meiji as the symbol of national unity
2. Promotion of national unity to hedge against Western colonization and to
attain equality with other major powers
3. Internal struggle between liberals and leftists vs. ultraconservatives
a. Peace Preservation Law (1925).
4. Japan after World War I
a. The Great Depression
b. Domestic Crisis
c. The 1924 Japanese Exclusion Act
d. Asian unification against western imperialism under Japanese influence
e. Japanese imperial domination in the Far East
5. Japan at war with China
6. Traditional warrior values (Bushido).
7. Promotion of State Shintoism and emperor worship
a. The superiority of the Sun Goddess, Amaterasu
b. The emperordirect descent from Amaterasu
c. The creation of a cult around the emperor, Hirohito
8. The rise of ultranationalistsdamaged Japans bourgeoning democracy
and made he country a one party state ruled by the military
9. Japans full-scale invasion of China in 1937.
10.The Rape of Nanking
11.The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
12.The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki