The Bolshevik revolution in Russia in 1917 and the Rice Riots of 1918 energized radical thought, and there were movements calling for universal male suffrage1, the social, economic and political liberation of women, and the end of the existing social order entirely. Why then, by the end of the decade, had the tide of democratic process receded, and how had Japan's conservative and authoritarian elements reined back power from the hands of the people? This essay will attempt to answer these questions by looking at the respective movements trying to attain democratic rule, and on the oppo...

• Word Count: 2458
• Approx Pages: 10
• Grade Level: Graduate