Question

Who was Tokugawa Ieyasu and how did his policies affect Japan politically and socially?

Answer 1

Tokugawa Ieyasu was the first shogun of the Tokugawa era, also known as the Edo period which lasted from 1603-1867. In terms of politics, the goal of the Tokugawa were to remove any threats that could lead to potential rebellion. The political rule of the Tokugawa was closest to authoritarian. Regarding the social changes, the Tokugawa policies lead to economic growth which disrupted the status hierarchy in their previous four class system. The population of commoners became more wealthy, improved their education and began to gain more status. This resulted in the samurai class to continuously decrease economically.