The reasons for the beginning of the Meiji period and the fall of the Tokugawa shogunate, as well as the impact of this process on the Japanese political system, are covered. After the Meiji Restoration began, the new government embarked on a radical reform of Japan. State centralization was strengthened, all hans were abolished and the prefecture system was introduced instead. The hereditary privileges of the samurai were abolished, and a law was passed to force the people into military service. The main goal of the Meiji era was to transform Japan into a modern country. As a result of economic, political and cultural reforms, Japan became one of the most developed countries in the world.

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