Page:Sanzō Nosaka - A Brief Review of the Labour Movement in Japan (1921).pdf/9



The Revolution of 1867 («Meiji Ishin») saw the birth of «Modern“ or „Bourgeois“ Japan. Economic, consequently political, power transfered from the feudal-landlord to the rising commercial capitalist class, with the Emperor as their figurehead.

This was immediately (especially after the reactionary revolt of 1878) followed by „Industrial Revolution“. It should be remembered that the industrial slavery system was at the first step introduced into the textile industry which is still one of the main sources of Japanese bourgeois wealth, and also that the great majority of workers employed in this industry is composed of peasant girls. This is one of the reasons why we had a scanty existence of workers' organisations at the earlier stage of Industrial Revolution.

During a quarter of century since the BurgeoisBourgeois [sic] Revolution, therefore, there were, apart from friendly and trade societies, only a few Unions, of which the printers' and metal workers' were notable.

In the meantime, young Japanese capitalists challenged China in 1894; and after rwo years' fight succeeded in plundering Formosa and Korea from China, and in getting the right to share with European Countries in exploiting the vast commercial markets of China. This naturally caused a great economic prosperity, an important development