In 1868, Japan underwent a political upheaval in which the old Shogunal government was overthrown and replaced by a new government loyal to the emperor, organized according to Western standards. Thus began a process of intensive modernization and the rise of industry, which led to major social shifts in society, including the emergence of a new working class. The latter was exposed to harsh conditions in the factories and was the victim of exploitation by the owners of production. The poor living conditions of the workers and the insistence of some socially-minded politicians and intellectuals led to the emergence of the first trade union movements towards the end of the 19th century.
In my thesis I first outline the conditions for industrialization, its course and its consequences for the state and the citizens. In doing so, I will present the rise of merchants and feudal lords to land and production owners, who became the main actors of modernization and industrialization. I will present the reforms and events that led to the emergence of the labor pool from which the working class developed, the conditions under which workers lived and the conditions for the emergence of trade unions. In describing trade unions, I will focus on the people who made the fundamental contributions to the formation of trade union federations, their ideologies and the legacy of their activities. These include Takano Fusatarō and Katayama Sen.
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