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I. Rise of Communist China:
A. Mao Tse-Tung promised
people equality and justice; many poor Chinese welcomed the idea of change
B. 100,000 Chinese
Communists led by Mao Zedong escaped Chiang Kai Shek’s forces in the Long March
to the north (1934)
1. Won the support of many peasants by treating them respectfully and
promising them land
B. During World War
II Mao's forces fought the Japanese invaders while the Nationalist Party
concentrated on fighting against Chinese Communists
C. Following end of
WWII, Mao defeated Nationalists (who fled to Taiwan) and declared the
"People's Republic of China" (1949)
I. Establishment of the People's Republic of China (1949):
A. Supported by peasants eager for land reform
B. Supported by women eager for equal rights
C. Supported by Chinese of all classes who were disgusted with corruption under the Guomindang (Nationalist) Party
II. Domestic policy:
A. Successes:
1. Educational reforms - literacy improved; Chinese characters simplified; schools opened
2. Medical reforms - "barefoot" doctors improved health care in rural China
3. Reforms for women - Women granted equal rights; footbinding outlawed
B. Failures:
1. Totalitarian rule - Communist-led government did not allow dissent
2. Great Leap Forward (1958-1961) - agriculture "collectivized" - large communes created to produce food and industrial products
a. Failed because they were very inefficient - millions of Chinese died of starvation
3. Cultural Revolution (1966-1971) - created by Mao because he feared loss of control to government bureaucrats
a. Party leaders, factory managers, teachers, and other educated people forced to move to farms and work with their hands
b. Young people left schools and factories to join the "Red Guards"; result was chaos and starvation & a generation of uneducated people
III. Foreign policy:
A. Failures:
1. China rejected Soviet advisors
2. Quarreled over borders between China and the USSR
3. Result - China became isolated, even from other Communist countries
B. Successes:
1. Détente (lowered tensions with the West and especially with the U.S.)
2. China admitted to the United Nations (1971)
3. President Nixon traveled to China; U.S. later "recognized" China's communist government (1979)
I. Economic reforms:
A. Deng Xiaoping became new leader of China (after death of Mao in 1976)
B. Deng introduced the "Four Modernizations":
1. Agriculture - farmers could lease their own land and sell their surplus for a profit
2. Industry - factories were encouraged to find ways to become more efficient and make a profit
3. Science and technology - supported by the government
4. Defense systems - improved by the government
C. China's economy continues to grow; prosperity aided by foreign investment and foreign exports
II. Political repression:
A. China continues to be a totalitarian state - no dissent is allowed
B. Tiananmen Square (1989) - college students demonstrated for more political freedom
1. Gov't sent in troops and tanks to kill thousands of demonstrators as they slept
C. Human rights abuses -prisoners forced to work in factories without pay; executed prisoners are forced to become "organ donors"
III. Social / ethnic conflicts:
A. People pressured to have "one child only" to limit China's population explosion
B. People required to get permits to move - to try to limit overcrowding of cities
C. Minority groups (Tibetans and Muslims in Western China) seek greater independence
IV. Threats to world peace:
A. China is a nuclear power with many nuclear weapons
B. "One China policy" - China claims the right to all areas occupied by Chinese
1. China negotiated to take back control of Hong Kong and Macao (former colonies)
2. China wants to seize Taiwan as well - U.S. has committed to help protect Taiwan's independence
I. Division between North Korea and South Korea:
A. Korea divided at end of WWII (Japan lost war and lost control over Korea):
1. USSR set up a communist-led government in North Korea
2. US set up an independent government in South Korea
B. Korean War - North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950
1. UN forces (led by US forces) successfully defended South Korea
2. Armistice (peace plan) signed in 1953 left country divided; US troops continue to be stationed in South Korea
II. Threat posed by North Korea's communist government:
A. South Korea prospered economically; has slowly introduced democratic reforms
B. North Korea under dictatorial rule of Kim Il Sung remained isolated and economically backward
C. North Korea's program to build nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons was seen as a threat to world peace:
1. UN and US negotiated to sell Korea cheap oil if it would shut down its nuclear program
2. American negotiators told in 2002 that North Korea had "cheated" by continuing to work on its nuclear program
3. North Korea has just announced that it will restart its nuclear reactors
I. Rise of post-war Japan:
A. Democratic government - post-war Constitution (written by Americans) gave Japan a modern democratic government which guaranteed:
1. Right to vote for a representative government
2. Freedom of religion, press and assembly
3. Equality for women
4. Right to a free public education
5. Right to join labor unions
B. Strong economy - post-war "economic miracle" created by :
1. Strong companies ("zaibatsu") (which promised lifetime employment for loyal workers)
2. High levels of education and high levels of savings
3. High tariffs (which protected Japanese industries by limiting foreign imports)
4. New, efficient industrial plants and strong work ethic of Japanese workers
5. Low spending on military (Japan forbidden to have strong military by post-war Constitution)
II. Modern problems facing Japan:
A. Economic - inflation (high oil prices make goods more expensive to produce)
B. Social - low morale of workers who no longer get "life-time" guarantees of employment
C. Political - low morale of voters who see the political parties as corrupt
D. Military - pressure to spend more on military by the US who wants Japan to pay more of the cost for its defense (including perhaps building nuclear weapons to protect itself from attack by North Korea)
I. Vietnam:
A. Geneva Conference (1954) divided Vietnam into communist North and non-communist South:
1. North Vietnam under Ho Chi Minh tried to conquer the South and supported communist rebels (Viet Cong) in the South
2. U.S. supported an independent South Vietnam:
a. President Kennedy sent 15,000 "advisors"
b. President Johnson sent American 500,00 soldiers
B. “Vietnamization” begun under President Nixon (who decided South Vietnam should defend itself)
1. Under pressure from U.S. bombs, North Vietnam agreed to peace treaty
2. U.S. withdrew all troops (1973)
3. Two years later North Vietnam invaded and conquered all of South Vietnam
C. Result:
1. Vietnam remains a communist nation but has adopted some "free market" economic reforms
2. Vietnam is trying to improve relations with the U.S.
II. Cambodia:
A. U.S. bombed Cambodian supply routes from North Vietnam to South during Vietnam War years
1. Bombing led to unrest in countryside as angry peasants began to believe their government could not protect them and did not care about them
B. Cambodian government overthrown by "Khmer Rouge" (ultra-nationalist fanatic communist group) led by Pol Pot
C. Khmer Rouge under Pol Pot committed genocide against Cambodian people
1. People were forced to march out of the cities to work in the countryside
2. Millions were starved to death or executed as suspected traitors (1/3 of people died)
D. Result:
1. Cambodia nearly destroyed by Khmer Rouge; genocide only ended when Vietnam invaded Cambodia to drive out the Khmer Rouge
2. Cambodia is slowly trying to rebuild its society today with the help of the U.N.