Background+to+the+Charter+of+Oath+1868

The success of the Meiji Restoration in 1868 would be useless if the nation fell under the influence of the western powers that seemed to menace the nation. The leaders of the new government, almost all of them low and middle ranking samurai from the domains of Satsuma and Chōshū, determined that the new nation would have to be thoroughly modernized along western lines to keep its independence. That meant finding a new symbol around which Japanese people could rally (the Meiji Emperor), a new sense of investment in the modern society being built (the opportunity to make a “success” of oneself) and the dismantling of the old feudal order. Over the course of this period the old feudal domains were abolished in favor of a modern centralized government, and the old feudal class distinctions were done away with, most notably the samurai class. Not all samurai were prepared to go quietly, and it was necessary to suppress a serious rebellion led by Saigō Takamori in 1878. However, after the Meiji government had proved itself, the Japanese people threw themselves vigorously into creating a modern society. They eagerly pursued the new opportunities open to them to gain education and make something of themselves in the new society. As the Japanese people threw themselves into making the new modern Japan, many began to ask why the Meiji Oligarchs, the half dozen or so leaders who controlled Japan, should be the only people with a meaningful political role. Many felt that a modern society required a modern constitution and the chance for all Japanese to participate. The Oligarchs were reluctant to allow for true political participation but were forced to draft a constitution. Seeking models from abroad they fastened on Imperial Germany (like Japan a new nation, formed two years after their own). This gave the people the trappings of a modern state, with a popularly elected parliament, but supposedly no real role in decision-making.
 * Background Information.**