Peasant Unrest and Economic Hardship

The Meiji government’s drastic economic reforms, such as the 1873 Land Tax Reform, stabilized state revenue but placed severe burdens on the rural population, leading to widespread debt and rural dissent. Moreover, the Meiji transition saw the abolition of feudal status and the elimination of hereditary stipends, stripping the samurai class of their traditional privileges and income. This led to a series of rebellions by former samurai against the government they had helped to create.

Part of the full scheme of work on the Meiji Restoration