Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration Paper

Paper objective: The goal of the paper is to analyze Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration by Marius Jansen within the framework of the class. This is based on the history studied, Sun Tsu, Machiavelli, and addressing some of the moral questions we asked. This paper is not a summary. Students are encouraged to focus on major themes of the book and how the themes of the fall of the Tokugawa Bakufu (and feudalism), the strategies used to bring about this change, the external factor of foreign intervention in terms of trade, successful ability to resist, the reform that can come from thatresistance, and the human stories involved in these conflicts.Questions to answer (not exhaustive, not all required): What are the major themes of the book?How does it approach the subject matter? What is the written quality? What are some of the ethicalquestions covered? How well do the ideas of Machiavelli and Sun Tsu apply to analyzing thishistorical period? What strategies are acceptable when trying to save one’s people from foreigndomination? How are these methods to gain political reform relevant to the 21st century?Directions:3-6 Pages, 975 words minimum (325 a page)Double spacedHeader and page numberTitleTimes New Roman12’ font1’ MarginsDirect examples from Sakamoto Ryoma and the Meiji Restoration.Submit as a .doc or .docx file