Emperor Meiji was elected head
of Japan in 1868 and reigned during the Meiji restoration. Before his
rule, the nation was militarily weak, and was controlled by hundreds of
semi-independent feudal lords. He was influenced by how Otto Von Bismarck, Prime Minister of Germany, handled Germany during his time. Through nationalism, the
belief that people should be loyal mainly to their nation – that is, to the
people with whom they share a culture and history – rather than a king or
empire.
