Text 1: Historian Aoki argues that the Meiji Restoration of 1868 was a revolution from above. A reform-minded coalition of samurai overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate, abolished feudal privileges, and rapidly industrialized Japan — all without a popular uprising. Few transformations of comparable scale, Aoki notes, have been so elite-driven.
Text 2: Historian Park accepts that elites led the Meiji transformation but argues that popular pressure shaped its direction. Peasant uprisings before and after 1868, urban riots over rice prices, and the popular rights movement of the 1870s pushed the government toward concessions it would not otherwise have made. The "revolution from above" narrative, Park contends, understates the role of pressure from below.
The authors most clearly disagree about
- A
whether Japan industrialized.
- B
whether elites played a leading role.
- Ccheck_circle
the relative importance of popular pressure in shaping Meiji reforms.
- D
whether the Meiji Restoration occurred.
Explanation
Both accept the event, elite leadership, and industrialization. They differ on how much popular pressure mattered. C captures the dispute.