Asia & PacificPolitical Timelines
Empires reformed and dissolved, new nations founded, and some of the world's firsts in voting rights.
Turning points
- 1868Japan
The Meiji Restoration
Imperial rule was restored in Japan and the shogunate ended, beginning rapid reform; the Meiji Constitution followed in 1889.
- 1893New Zealand
Votes for women
New Zealand became the first self-governing country to grant women the vote in national elections.
- 1912China
The end of the Qing
The revolution that began in 1911 led to the abdication of the last emperor and the founding of the Republic of China.
- 1947August
Independence and Partition
British rule in India ended with the creation of two states, India and Pakistan, amid mass migration and violence.
- 1949October 1
The People's Republic of China
After the civil war, the People's Republic was proclaimed in Beijing; the Republic of China government moved to Taiwan.
- 1950January 26
India's Constitution
The Constitution of India came into force, making the country a republic with universal adult suffrage.
- 1967Bangkok
ASEAN founded
Five countries founded the Association of Southeast Asian Nations; it has since grown to cover most of the region.