The thesis examines the causes and consequences of the decline of the samurai estate in the nineteenth century. It outlines the rise of the samurai from humble beginnings in the tenth century to the dominance of Japanese society during the Tokugawa shogunate period, and the changes that occurred in Japanese society, the military, and the ruling class. These were the changes that, combined with the inability of the samurai to adapt to them, led to the decline and collapse of the samurai estate. All years and dates mentioned in this thesis are written according to the Gregorian calendar. For Japanese names, I have kept the original writing style, so that the person's first name is written after their last name.
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