Grade 7 - Unit 4 Student Handouts (1-9)

Year	Population	Churches	Schools	Houses	Public Buildings
1900
1910
1920
1930
1940
1950
1960
1970
1980
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Conclusion: The major changes that I have learned about our (town, city, reserve, rural community) are...

Student Handout #4: The Structure of Feudal Japan

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Student Handout #5: Changes Over Time in Japan

Complete the following chart by describing the social, political and economic structure of Japan for the two eras, then write a summary statement that explains the changes that have occurred over time in Japan.

	Feudal Japan (1800s)	Industrial Japan (1900s)
Social Structure
Political Structure
Economic Structure

The King	This is the most important piece. If the king is taken the whole army of chess pieces collapses and the game is over. The king can move one square in any direction. The king can never move into check; that is, onto a square that another piece is attacking. There is one king.
The Queen	This is the most powerful piece. She can move any number of squares in any direction. There is one queen.
The Rook	The rook is a kind of castle. It is also very powerful. It can move any number of squares vertically or horizontally. There are two rooks.
The Bishop	The bishop can move any number of squares diagonally. It can either move along the light squares or the dark squares depending on the starting point. There are two bishops.
The Knight	The knight has an unusual move. It hops from its first position to a new position. It can jump over other pieces. It moves in an "L": two squares in one direction, then one in another; or one square and then two in another direction. There are two knights.
The Pawn	This piece can only move straight ahead but it can capture diagonally. On the first move it can move two squares. If a pawn reaches the other end of the board it is promoted to another piece, usually a queen. A pawn cannot become a king. There are eight pawns.

Comparing the Game of Chess to Feudal Society

• How is chess a good example of feudal society? Consider the following questions:
  • What is the purpose of the game of chess?
  • What was the purpose of the "game of life" in feudal society?
  • What is power in the chess situation?
  • Who has power in the chess situation?
  • For what purpose is power being used?

• Write a summary paragraph describing how chess compares to feudal society. Some suggested topics include:
  • the feudal land-based society
  • the system of fixed land areas
  • a class system featuring specific roles
  • a society of rigid rules and customs
  • military service.

Student Handout #7: Periods of Change in Japan

Feudal Period--1192-1868

The Closing of Japan, 1639 -1853: Over 200 Years of Isolation

• The shogun closed Japan to the rest of the world in the effort to remain powerful. In 1639 all foreigners (European and Asian traders) were expelled; Christianity was banned and all missionaries were expelled.
• The people of Japan were forbidden to have contact with foreigners and were not allowed to travel outside of the country.
• Foreign trade was banned.
• The consequences of this isolation from the rest of the world included:
  • A distinctive way of life developed for the people of Japan.
  • A unique culture developed that combined the ideas from previously visiting cultures and traditional ideas. The people developed the distinct arts of haiku, kabuki, bunraku and ukiyoe.
  • The Japanese people did not hear about the Industrial Revolution that took place in Europe during this time period. They did not learn about the new inventions such as steam-driven machines that changed the products and the way in which those products were made.
  • Japan remained an agricultural society, which depended upon the peasants and the artisans to produce goods in small quantities at slow rates.

Opening of Japan, 1853-1867

• In 1853, Commodore Perry and his American fleet sailed into Japan, demanding that the shogun open Japan to foreign trade and interaction.
• Commodore Perry's fleet overpowered the small Japanese fleet, and the shogun was forced to agree to his demands.
• Treaties opened the door to Japanese ports and international trade.
• In 1867, the last shogun was forced to resign.

The Restoration--1868-1912 (Meiji Period)

• The samurai were angry that the shogun had signed a treaty with foreigners because they were afraid that foreigners would take over Japan as soon as they had the opportunity.
• The samurai forced the shogun to resign, and they supported the Meiji emperor as ruler. Other leaders also agreed to support the emperor.
• This was called the restoration because the emperor was restored to power. He had been only a figurehead while the shoguns were in power.
• New ideas and technologies began to enter Japan through contact and trade with foreigners.
• Experts from Europe and North America helped to build new industries in Japan; they taught the Japanese about factories, steam power, railroads, electricity and many other inventions.
• The Japanese began huge manufacturing industries to produce textiles, steel, locomotives and ships. They developed new communication and transportation systems.
• In order to provide the nation with educated people to work with the new technologies and in the new industries, the Japanese built a Western-style education system modelled on those in Europe and North America.
• The Japanese citizens were happy with the new technology, industry and education system. They were enthusiastic about anything Western.

Period of Expansion--1912-1945 (Meiji Period)

• In the 1930s, the worldwide depression affected Japanese industry. Unemployment and hunger were the norm. Japanese industries could not get raw material for production and they had no markets for their products.
• The leaders decided that, to change the situation, they had to expand Japan's territory. New territory would provide raw materials and markets for Japan’s goods. Japan began military expansion into the Asia-Pacific regions.
• World War II began in Europe in 1939. In 1941, the Japanese airforce attacked the American navy station at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii. This resulted in America and Japan being at war with each other.
• The Japanese withdrew from most of their recently-acquired territories in Indonesia, mainland Asia and the Pacific. Bombing had destroyed most of Japan's large cities.
• In 1945 (August 6^th), the American military dropped the world's first atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima (175,000 people were killed instantly or died later of radiation sickness). On August 9^th, 1945, a second atomic bomb was dropped on Japan, this time on the city of Nagasaki (70,000 people were killed).
• On August 15^th, 1945, Emperor Hirohito declared the war to be over, and made a plea to the Japanese people in a radio broadcast to give up their weapons.

• At the end of World War II, Japan was in ruins. Cities were ashes. Railroads, roads and industries were in ruins, over ten million people were unemployed, people were homeless, there were thousands of orphans in the streets and food production was barely half of what it had been.
• At the end of the war, the American armed forces occupied and controlled Japan. During occupation, the American forces disarmed Japan and had it written in their constitution that they would never again be a military threat. They set out to make Japan a democracy and everyone was given the right to vote. The new constitution contained a Bill of Rights to ensure human rights and freedoms for all, and equality for women who could now own land and vote. These changes in law encouraged changes in values, and traditional Japanese thinking changed (e.g., emperor no longer considered divine ruler, women's and men's roles more equal, land reform gave land ownership to individual farmers).
• Land Reform increased the productivity of the farms and meant that farmers had money to buy goods from industries.
• Through new technologies and industrial development, Japan began to recover from the devastation of the war. Between 1956 and 1973, Japanese industries grew rapidly, and by 1973 they produced 20% of the world's radios, television sets, ships and trucks. By 1980, Japan was the world's largest automobile manufacturer in the world.
• The Japanese government set up a special agency to develop industries. Over the years, different industries were chosen to receive government financial support. This cooperation between government and industry made Japan an industrial nation. Today it is the world's leading producer of numerous products including cameras, watches, motorcycles, microwave ovens, video recorders and automobiles.
• These changes in governmental structure and in industrialization caused changes in the lifestyle of the Japanese people. Incomes doubled. People could live in better quality housing and they could afford a refrigerator, television and washing machine. They usually could afford stereos, telephones, air conditioners and cars. People left the rural areas and moved to the cities to work in offices and industries. New highways and bullet trains (1964) were constructed to accommodate more travel across Japan.

Summary: Cultural change in Japan has been continuous, although it occurred unevenly because there were times when the country was closed to outsiders, their ideas, people and technologies. In times of no outside contact, changes happened slowly, but during times when external influences were present, change happened more rapidly. During times of contact with other nations, new ideas were combined with the traditional way of doing things, and a new Japanese culture developed.

Student Handout #8: Industrial and Technological Inventions

Stage of Development	Dates	Inventions	Impact/Consequences
Textile Revolution	1700-1780 (Approximate)	Flying Shuttle (Weaving Machine) Steam Engine Spinning Jenny (Spinning Machine)
First Industrial Revolution	1780-1840 (Approximate)	Iron Steamboats Electricity Farm Machines Railways
Second Industrial Revolution	1850-1930 (Approximate)	Explosives Steel Telephone Automobile Airplanes Radio
Third Industrial Revolution	1940-Present (Approximate)	Atomic Energy Plastic Television Micro-chips Computers Satellites Space Travel

Student Handout #9: The Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution transformed Britain from an agricultural country with a small population into an industrial giant. Because of the many new inventions and innovations the industrial production of the country increased enormously. One of the most important inventions was the use of steam to drive machinery. The manufacturing of textiles and the mining of iron and coal became major industries. There were dramatic changes in transportation because of the steam engine. Railways and steamships were invented. As for the population of Britain, many people were forced to leave the controls and obligations of feudalism and move to the emerging cities where they were freer but more responsible for themselves. The highly populated cities featured large factories using new power driven machinery to manufacture mass-produced goods for home and abroad. In 1750 most products were made in the home by hand, and by 1851 most products were made in the factory by power driven machines.

As a result of the Industrial Revolution, population in Britain rapidly shifted from the rural areas to the cities.

Population of Britain in 1750.........	6 million
Population in 1851.........................	21 million
Population of London in 1750..........	500,000
Population of London in 1851.........	3 million
Families in agriculture in 1750........	65% of population
Families in agriculture in 1851.........	25% of population