Social Aspects of Military Elites in Japan in the  Early Twentieth Century

Authors

  • Norifumi Takeishi

Keywords:

officers, social background, civilian officials, selection

Abstract

This paper focuses on army officers known as the military elite, with the aim of discussing their social aspects by comparing them with those of civilian officials from the perspective of their social background and selection process. On this basis, one of the causes of the destabilization of harmonious relations between military and civilian elites from the late-1920s onwards is examined. Since educational opportunities and professional employment opportunities became more inclusive and disassociated with specific groups, both elites began emerging from the same social base. The theory in previous studies, which states that this resulted in a gap between the social backgrounds of the two elites, causing instability in their relationship, lacks accuracy. In fact, attention must be paid to the examination-based system in elite circles instead. Both, the military elite and bureaucrats, were recruited from a wide range of people socially characterized as survivors of intense competition. Both elites enhanced their pride, and the groups became composed of those worthy of their status in 1920. As a result, the degree of compromise between the two declined and became one of the factors of the conflict.

 

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2019-12-27

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