HOW DID THE GOVERNMENTS OF CHINA AND JAPAN MODERNIZE THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES ECONOMICALLY FROM THE 1860s TO 1912? HOW SUCCESSFUL WERE THEY?

During 1861 - 1912, both China and Japan made attempts to strengthen themselves.
In China, there were the Self-Strengthening Movement of 1861 -94, the Hundred Days¡¦ Reform of 1898 and the Late Qing Reform of 1901-11. These attempts to strengthen China were mainly caused by China¡¦s defeats in wars, the anti-government movements, foreign aggression and natural disasters. On the other hand, in Japan, there was the Meiji reforms with the aim of turning Japan into a modern state, so that the Japanese were able to meet the challenge posed by their enemies and the aggressive West.

The primary aim of the Self-Strengthening Movement was to build up China¡¦s military strength, therefore, economic changes were only to provide the foundations to build up China¡¦s military power. As a result, economic development mainly included building arsenals and shipyards, developing coal mines, and producing firearms.

Next, unlike the former movement, the Hundred Days¡¦ Reform was a ...