Which nations could've plausibly undergone rapid modernization, as Japan did?

I'm sure that this has been done before but since I found nothing, I decided I would pose the question again. I'm really interested in other "proofs against social supremacy" occurring in unlikely places (from the POV of the European colonial empires, that is!:D) and other such restorations like the one that occurred in Japan, and how/where else they could've happened. I know Japan is a very unique location, but surely other avenues to restoration can be discovered- that the Japanese did it proves the fact.

So I'm asking the experts here: which regions, people, or polities were plausibly able to undergo massive modernization projects in much the same way and I suppose around the same time as the Japanese did, barring a few decades in either direction?
 
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Perhaps Ethiopia? The Japanese liked them and they were seen as one of the more 'advanced' African nations.

Ah, Selassie. I hope so but I don't know enough about His Imperial Majesty or about the Ethiopian Empire.
If the Japanese liked them, maybe some helpful divergences can occur. Also they were one of . . . What, two African nations that remained independent after the Scramble? I consider that a hell of an achievement.

Is it plausible? What can divergences be? Is there a timeline! There's probably a timeline, although maybe the divergences won't be so late in the empire's history.
 
Spain was looked down upon by most of the European powers, and its empire is full of mestizos and natives, so great powers emerging from it would be surprising to them.

So, an Empire of the East Indies, perhaps?
 
So is it supposed to be along the lines of "restoring dynastic/imperial power" or "modernisation"?
If the first, I can easily see the Qing dynasty going through such a phase with a pro-Han Chinese emperor; maybe for the Ottomans, but not sure.
If the latter, I propose the Russian or Austria-Hungarian empires as easier targets for sustained modernisation. Other countries either need a complete refurbishment of the government system or are too large to change quickly enough.
 
So is it supposed to be along the lines of "restoring dynastic/imperial power" or "modernisation"?
If the first, I can easily see the Qing dynasty going through such a phase with a pro-Han Chinese emperor; maybe for the Ottomans, but not sure.
If the latter, I propose the Russian or Austria-Hungarian empires as easier targets for sustained modernisation. Other countries either need a complete refurbishment of the government system or are too large to change quickly enough.

I think maybe I need to explicitly state that European powers should be exempt from this. I would rather polities who'd not been global superpowers before in their current form to be subject to it.

Edit: Also, in this case, the emphasis is more on the latter, modernisation, but the former can be fine as well.
 
Spain was looked down upon by most of the European powers, and its empire is full of mestizos and natives, so great powers emerging from it would be surprising to them.

So, an Empire of the East Indies, perhaps?

I dare to suggest, despite my ignorance of the subject . . . . Haiti?
 
I'm sure that this has been done before but since I found nothing, I decided I would pose the question again.

So I'm asking the experts here: which regions, people, or polities were plausibly able to undergo massive "restorations" in much the same way and I suppose around the same time as the Japanese did, barring a few decades in either direction?

I think your misinterpreting the Meiji restoration, it wasn't so much modernization as it was the emperor finally regaining political power that had been lost since the Shoguns.
 
I think your misinterpreting the Meiji restoration, it wasn't so much modernization as it was the emperor finally regaining political power that had been lost since the Shoguns.

I did not mean the Meiji restoration so much as I meant Japan's modernization. Granted, I was vague, so I'll rewrite the title.
 
The Ottoman's actually made a fairly credible go of it, better luck or different Sultans or staying out of WW1 and they're quite likely to have succeeded.

The Pahlavi Shahs in Iran basically did succeed, just past the time period most people are looking at. So Iran's obviously capable ot it, more competent/less corrupt Qajar Shahs might do it. Maybe an earlier/more successful Constitutional Revolution?
 
The Ottoman's actually made a fairly credible go of it, better luck or different Sultans or staying out of WW1 and they're quite likely to have succeeded.

The Pahlavi Shahs in Iran basically did succeed, just past the time period most people are looking at. So Iran's obviously capable ot it, more competent/less corrupt Qajar Shahs might do it. Maybe an earlier/more successful Constitutional Revolution?

Could this Revolution possibly create a similar dynamic between the monarchy and the government that Japan had? Maybe Iran could possibly go through a very similar modernization process as Japan! Come to think of it, there are some similarities in their situation.

EDIT: Ottomans too easy in too many different ways. You can even plausibly wank them to the point where they're a modern day superpower, which baffled me to no end when I saw it on this site.

If that is the case, then this would help greatly. :D

Can Korea do it!? Oh my that may put a dent in Japan's own modernization...
 

Deleted member 67076

Shameless plugin for Male Rising admittedly, but Nigeria.

I dare to suggest, despite my ignorance of the subject . . . . Haiti?
Haiti's in a really bad spot, particularly after the 1840s. They can easily do better than OTL, maybe punch above their weight, but it won't be an easy road due to the sheer amount of international hostility from the great powers.

But since we're talking New World, this opens far greater possibilities. Places like Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic can all be 'modern' nations that keep up with the West. I won't say Brazil and the rest of the Southern Cone since they were one of the most developed countries at the turn of the century; they just lagged behind.
 
If that is the case, then this would help greatly. :D

I'm still wondering if the Philippines was merchant-oriented enough (or at least could become merchant-oriented enough) to industrialize at the same rate as Japan did, if not sooner. Or if the Philippines has any of the other factors necessary to do so. (I mean, aside from the resources, which can be taken by annexing parts of the Dutch East Indies.)
 
Shameless plugin for Male Rising admittedly, but Nigeria.
I've been meaning to read Malê rising!

Haiti's in a really bad spot, particularly after the 1840s. They can easily do better than OTL, maybe punch above their weight, but it won't be an easy road due to the sheer amount of international hostility from the great powers.

But since we're talking New World, this opens far greater possibilities. Places like Mexico, Peru, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic can all be 'modern' nations that keep up with the West. I won't say Brazil and the rest of the Southern Cone since they were one of the most developed countries at the turn of the century; they just lagged behind.

Which South American country that is likely is the least European in its customs?
Also, I think that whichever nation manages it first may do the colonialism bit on its neighbours, as ironic as that may sound, citing some Pan- South American identity. Bonus points if the leader is of native descent. Yikes, a great South American power raging across the continent...

I'm still wondering if the Philippines was merchant-oriented enough (or at least could become merchant-oriented enough) to industrialize at the same rate as Japan did, if not sooner. Or if the Philippines has any of the other factors necessary to do so. (I mean, aside from the resources, which can be taken by annexing parts of the Dutch East Indies.)

Are there any Malay countries that could possibly rise to prominence as well? Probably after bloody rebellion considering the looks of the land at the time...

So, so far we can confirm Iran, the Osmanli, and at least someone in Latin America could do it easily. From Malê rising we know that Nigeria can be done at all (which delights me to no end!)

Ones that I personally really want proven are Ethiopia and Haiti, because I admire those two nations greatly and would love to see them rise to prominence or even colonial power.

Korea and the Philippines remain distinct possibilities. We need to discuss these.

Which nations can actually become superpowers though? Not just modernize but actually start doing crazy imperialism like the Japanese did?
 

Perkeo

Banned
Why not India. They kind of are IOTL, but not nearly up to their full potential. Perhaps a small part of India seperates and becomes more agile?
 
I'd love to see Oman, Thailand, or Tamil Nadu pull it off.

Missed this! So would I! I would normally say "Especially <blank>" but all of those would be wonderful!

Oman, Thailand, or Tamil Nadu becoming modern powers would drag the surrounding nations with them, which pleases me greatly!
 
Why not India. They kind of are IOTL, but not nearly up to their full potential. Perhaps a small part of India seperates and becomes more agile?

Like, say, Tamil Nadu?:D

Goodness, can we focus on this? Is this possible? Can India break free and become a superpower?

(If I can now have both my parent nations become 19th century major powers, it would make me so happy!)
 
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