Comparing Industrialization in Egypt and Japan
Teacher Resources
Driving Question: How were Japan’s experiences with industrialization similar to and different from Egypt’s experiences?
While the Industrial Revolution started in the late eighteenth century, not all societies industrialized at once. All around the world, different factors such as access to resources and colonialism enabled some societies to industrialize faster and more efficiently than others. In this lesson, you will compare two societies that began the process of industrialization in the late nineteenth century.
- Evaluate how the Industrial Revolution changed human communities and societies during this historical era.
- Describe how innovations made possible by the Industrial Revolution changed the movement of goods and people.
- Use the historical thinking skill of comparison to evaluate industrialization in Egypt and Japan.
- Use a graphic biography as a microhistory to support, extend, or challenge the overarching narratives from this time period.
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- What were three key features of Japanese society before 1868?
- What was the economic problem that Japan faced when American warships sailed into Tokyo Bay?
- Who were the Meiji, and what role did they play in the industrialization of Japan?
- What is defensive modernization, and how is it different from other industrialization processes we have read about?
- Explain one aspect of industrialization in Japan that was similar to industrialization in Europe and the United States.
Evaluate
- What does the author mean when he states that, “while Japan fits into the wider model of changes to production and distribution brought in by the Industrial Revolution, its particular place within this system is unique?”
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads – Introduction activity.
Skim
Before you read, you should quickly skim the article, by looking at the headings of each section and the charts. Read the questions below as well, so you know what to look for when you read!
Key Ideas
- Who was Muhammad Ali, and how did he try to industrialize Egypt?
- How did these economic changes affect the lives and labor practices of Egyptian peasants?
- What were the three main reasons industrialization failed in Egypt?
- How did Egypt’s economic decline reshape ideas about industrialization and modernization? What were some of the solutions Egyptian scholars and leaders proposed for modernizing Egypt more effectively?
- What role did foreign powers play in the aftermath of Egypt’s industrial collapse? How did these global forces impact Egyptian society?
Evaluate
- According to the author of this article, “Egypt’s industrialization and actual independence had both been ended by 1882.” Comparing Egypt’s experience to that of Japan, how do you think industrialization changed political power across the world?
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Guiding Questions
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Note: For more detailed directions on completing the three close reads below, refer to the Three Close Reads for Graphic Bios – Introduction activity.
Observe
Skim the full comic, paying attention to things like prominent colors, shapes, and types of text and fonts. How do you know where to start and which direction to read? What’s in the gutters (the space between panels)? Who is the focus of the comic? What big questions do you have?
Understand
- What were Iwasaki Yatarō’s origins?
- Why did many in Japan want to industrialize in the late nineteenth century?
- What did Iwasaki Yatarō himself do, and how was he regarded by people in Nagasaki?
- What do you think is the meaning of the quote from Isawaki’s biographer?
- How does the artist represent changes in both Japan and Isawaki using art in this biography?
Connect
- How does this biography of Iwasaki Yatarō support, extend, or challenge what you have learned about industrialization in Japan? About the impact of industrialization on people and societies more generally?