France and Japan, 1850-1885 : an assessment of French influence and diplomacy

Thesis

This thesis studies the encounter of France and Japan over a period of thirty-five years, during which Japanese influence on France was marginal, limited to artistic circles in Paris, whereas French influence in Japan was considerable.

By European standards Japan in the 1850s was a backward, feudal, and isolated country. Japan, unlike almost every other nation in Asia, was not colonised, Yet it would have seemed preposterous in the 1850s to imagine that Japan would become one of the world’s major powers. However, following the opening of the country in 1854, Japan experiences a major transformation that touches every aspect if its society.

The forces that propelled Japan into the modern world were indigenous, nonetheless in this transformation, Western influence and models were significant determining factors. Although the Japanese government at one time or another employed foreign instructors from numerous countries (including Holland, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Sweden, Austria, China, Korea and Canada), the four Western countries which were to have the greatest impact were Great Britain, France, Germany and the United States.

Continued in thesis ...

Authors: Lehmann, JP

• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English
• Keywords: diplomacy; nineteenth; relations; 19th; Japan; century; France; foreign; influence
• Subjects: France -- Foreign relations -- Japan; Japan -- Foreign relations -- France; France -- Foreign relations -- 19th century