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History of the world economy - Polyak GB

24. Economic development of Japan XVIII-XIX centuries.

24.1. The economy of Japan in the XVIII century.

Shifts in the economy

In the XVIII century. Japan was an agrarian country. Its population consisted mainly of peasants (80% of the total population) and samurai. Artisans and merchants appeared. The state and military apparatus, as well as the intelligentsia, were formed from the ruling class - samurai.

The situation of the peasantry remained difficult, as the land received from the feudal lords as an "eternal" lease. Despite the fact that serfdom was not here, the peasants did not have the opportunity to change their place of residence, as well as their occupation. During this period, the main duty of the peasants was a natural quitrent. In addition, they were involved in the repair of roads, bridges, canals. There were laws in the country that strictly regulated the way of life and behavior of the Japanese peasantry.

Lower-class than the peasants, were considered townspeople, although their property status was much better. There was a union of artisans and merchants in unions such as shops and guilds. The construction of wealthy merchants in the rank of samurai was allowed.

However, the XVIII century. Brought about the beginning of the economic crisis. It consisted in the fact that the development of commodity-money relations, which penetrated the life of both the village and the city, into the economy of both the feudal lords and the peasants intensified. The economic role of citizens increased.

Agrarian reform Ieyasu in the XVI century, aimed at maintaining reproduction in the field of agriculture, delimiting the estates and consolidating the peasants for their lands, made possible the maximum collection of taxes from the peasantry.

This was a condition for the very existence of feudal society, the formation and development of which became possible due to the formation of large economic regions. At the same time, the very emergence of territorial specialization was a consequence of the development of the commodity economy. Such interdependence with the cessation of internecine wars feudal lords deepened.

With the retraction of commodity-economic relations, samurais and peasants, who depended on agriculture and its products, were poor. Most of the prince's houses (daimyo) began to decline, their wealth and power declined. Since the samurai institution was deprived of the necessary material support, it disintegrated. A very difficult situation forced the peasants to go to the cities. Some of the peasants were forced to join the city economy with the aid of the "scattered manufactory" system. In the XVIII century. In Japan, there were organized 90 manufactories, including cotton and silk-weaving.

Enhancing the role of cities

On the other hand, the role of the merchant class, which held trade capital in its hands, was growing. During this period, a layer of so-called "new landowners" began to form in the Japanese village , formed from among merchants, usurers, wealthy peasants, even samurais. Thus the capitalist way was gradually formed. Gradually, the economic and social status of cities was strengthened. The number of their inhabitants grew. Thus, at the beginning of the XVIII century. The number of Edo alone amounted to more than 500 thousand. With the development of culture, especially in cities, printed publications are increasingly becoming commodities, and works of applied art are in great demand on the market. Their list increased as the standard of living of the population and the level of consumption increased. Products made of varnish, porcelain, dyed fabrics were put on the market.

With the rise in the living standards of the urban population, the development of a sector of the economy, such as construction , is connected. In the XVIII century. In the cities are built two-story shops owned by wealthy merchants, and in order to prevent fires, the buildings were coated with clay and covered with tiles.

The development of the economy of cities, the emergence of many "sedentary" professions stimulated the development of sewing production, the creation of a costume for mass consumption, taking into account the nature of its activities.

At the same time, the ideology of the urban dweller was "the way of the townspeople", opposed to the "Samurai way": the conviction that it is necessary to defend the life ideal of a citizen who is busy with his business and who cares about making a profit. "Profit," "accumulation of wealth," "material interest," "their business" - these values ​​became increasingly important in the Japanese society of the XVIII century.

However, the Japanese who always professed the cult of harmony could not allow the impoverishment of the village, caused by the prosperity of cities and the development of commodity economy.

Shogun reforms

In 1716, the eighth shogun Tokugawa, in order to contain this process and strengthen the feudal system, began to carry out reforms continued after 1767 by the tenth shogun Iehar, who tried to adapt to the development of the commodity economy through cooperation with the merchant class close to the feudal government. But the power of money generated by the union of the shogunate with the merchants became the subject of harsh criticism, and the politician Tanuma, responsible for the reforms, was dismissed from his post. Since 1789, Matsudaira Sadanobu also started reforms, which in essence were a continuation of the previous reforms of 1716-1735. They were based on a policy of saving and reducing government spending. Officials were severely punished for bribes, rice traders were forced to lower the loan interest, under which they lent rice, large landowners were taxed and ordered to create reserves in the event of a crop failure. Simultaneously, the labor service of the peasants was alleviated and partially abolished, the irrigation system was improved, and so on.

Like many of his predecessors, Sadanobu saw a way out of the situation in returning to the customs of old Japan. In order to cleanse the administrative system and improve the finances, he carried out activities aimed at encouraging the economy, helping the samurai, stopping the process of ruining the village. With the retirement of Sadanobu in 1793, his policy of "purging" the social system, which he was carrying out, came to naught.