65438+ In the 1960s and 1990s, China and Japan, two big Asian countries, embarked on the road of reform and self-help.
In China, it is the Westernization Movement; In Japan, it was the Meiji Restoration.
It should be said that both China and Japan made great efforts to carry out the Westernization Movement and the Meiji Restoration. But an obvious fact is that the Westernization Movement in China, which was marked by the total annihilation of the Beiyang Navy in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895, went bankrupt. The Meiji Restoration in Japan started the modernization process, becoming the first country in Asia to embark on the road of industrialization, and gradually becoming one of the world powers.
Westernization Movement in Qing Dynasty
The Westernization Movement (186 1 to 1894), also known as the self-improvement movement, was an improved movement initiated by the Qing government all over the country to "learn from foreigners and master their skills to control foreigners".
After the British and French allied forces were defeated twice and the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom Uprising, the upper level of the Qing court formed two camps, the "Westernization School" and the "Old School", in response to domestic troubles and foreign invasion. Officials of the Westernization School, represented by Li Hongzhang, Zeng Guofan and Zuo, advocated imitating the industrial technology and business model of the great powers, and developing modern industries by means of government-run, government-supervised business-run, and government-business joint ventures, so as to acquire powerful military equipment, increase the revenue of the national treasury and enhance national strength. The Westernization Movement came to an abrupt end because the Northern Navy of the Qing army was completely annihilated in the Sino-Japanese War, which dealt a heavy blow to the confidence of the Qing court.
Meiji Restoration in Japan (1868)
Meiji Restoration refers to Japan's national unification and westernization reform movement with the new government established by the reformists as the core from1860s to1880s. It was a political revolution in Japanese history, which overthrew the Tokugawa shogunate, returned the major policies to the emperor, carried out major political, economic and social reforms, and promoted Japan's modernization and westernization. The main leaders of Meiji Restoration were some young warriors who tried to build a country that could keep pace with the West under the slogan of "Rich Qiang Bing". This reform is the beginning of Japan's modernization, but it also puts Japan on the militaristic road of foreign aggression and expansion, causing heavy disasters to its Asian neighbors.
Empress Dowager Cixi and the Emperor of Japan
The first short story:
1In July, 892, the Northern Navy of Qing Dynasty led two ships, Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, to visit Yokohama, Japan.
Dingyuan and Zhenyuan were relatively advanced warships in the world at that time. Japanese society had a great panic about these two warships. Emperor Meiji decided to build advanced warships.
The second short story:
Although Empress Dowager Cixi supported the Westernization Movement, she had different emphases, lacked understanding of the Westernization Movement and modernization, and blindly lived in the dream of going to China. 1894, the 60th birthday of Empress Dowager Cixi. Allocate 6 million yuan for naval military expenses to hold a birthday party.
The third short story:
Since 1892, the royal family has taken the initiative to cut back on food and clothing, spending 300,000 yen on naval construction every year. At the same time, civil and military officials must pay one-tenth of their salary to make up for the shortage of warships.
Even crazier, Emperor Meiji was hungry in order to boost morale ―― he only ate one meal a day. The remaining expenses are all used to buy and build warships!
Comparison of results
Japan: On the eve of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894, the Japanese navy had 3/KLOC-0 warships and 24 torpedo boats. The comprehensive strength of its naval fleet has surpassed that of China, ranking first in Asia.
Qing Dynasty: On the eve of the Sino-Japanese War, China owned 78 large and small ships and 24 torpedo boats. Although it has an absolute advantage in the number and quantity of ships, the lack of military expenditure leads to the disrepair and backwardness of Dingyuan and Zhenyuan, and the combat effectiveness (tonnage, speed and ammunition) and various equipment of a single ship are greatly backward.
I am writing this article out of respect for the soldiers killed in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894-1895. They are all China people with iron and blood. Unfortunately, the upper echelons of the Qing Dynasty lacked wisdom and strategic vision, which led to defeat. The second is to alert our compatriots, and we must not be blindly arrogant, learn modestly, and strengthen the country and the people.