Meiji Restoration

Revolution in Japan in 1866/8 that 'restored' the Emperor's rule by ending the 250 year feudal rule of Tokugawa shoguns, opening Japanese ports to the West. It was a direct result of Commodore Matthew Perry's visit to Japan in 1853 which forced the Japanese to allow American trade, ending a two-century Dutch monopoly. It created a highly centralized bureaucracy that was directly responsible for Japan's industrialization.