East Modern Asia Final

Article 9 (Japan)

Time: Post-WWII (1947, Constitution of Japan)
Significance: After WWII, Japan’s new U.S.-imposed constitution included Article 9, which renounced war as a sovereign right and prohibited Japan from maintaining a traditional military. This was meant to keep Japan from becoming militaristic again. Over time, Japan created the Self-Defense Forces (SDF), blurring the line between defense and military. Article 9 has shaped Japan’s pacifist identity, limited its military interventions, and remains central to debates about Japan’s global role

Canton System of Trade (China)

Time: 1757–1842 (Qing Dynasty)
Significance: The Canton System was a Chinese trade policy where foreign merchants (especially Europeans) were restricted to trade only through the port of Canton (Guangzhou), under strict government control and through licensed Chinese merchants. It reflected China's desire to control foreign influence and trade. It led to tension with Western powers, especially Britain, and contributed to the Opium Wars, ending with the Treaty of Nanjing (1842), which dismantled the system and opened more ports.

Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi)

Time: 1920s–1975 (most active in 1928–1949 in mainland China)
Significance: Leader of the Kuomintang (KMT) and head of the Republic of China, Chiang was a nationalist who fought both Japanese invaders and Chinese Communists. After losing the Chinese Civil War, he fled to Taiwan in 1949, establishing a separate government there. He's key to understanding the split between Communist China (PRC) and Nationalist Taiwan (ROC), which still affects East Asian geopolitics today.

Chinese Civil War (1946–49)

Time: 1946–1949
Significance: A civil war between Communist forces (Mao Zedong) and Nationalists (Chiang Kai-shek) following WWII. The Communists won and established the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949c, while the Nationalists retreated to Taiwan, claiming to still be China’s legitimate government. This war shaped modern China’s communist state and the continuing cross-strait tensions between China and Taiwan.

Cixi (Tz’u-hsi)

Time: Late Qing Dynasty (ruled behind the scenes 1861–1908)
Significance: The Empress Dowager Cixi was a powerful regent during the late Qing era. She supported traditional values and resisted many Western-style reforms, which contributed to China’s weakening in the face of foreign pressure and internal strife. Though often blamed for China’s decline, she also tried late in life to modernize the empire. Her reign symbolizes the struggle between tradition and modernization in late imperial China.

Danwei (China)

Time: 1950s–1980s (Maoist period)
Significance: A Danwei was a work unit in Maoist China that was more than a job—it controlled housing, food, healthcare, marriage, and even political thought. It was how the Communist Party organized society and ensured political loyalty. As China modernized and privatized, the Danwei system was phased out, but it’s a key symbol of how deeply the state penetrated daily life under Mao.

Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam)

Time: 1945–1976
Significance: Declared by Ho Chi Minh in 1945 after Japan’s WWII defeat, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was the communist North Vietnam, fighting first against the French (First Indochina War), then against South Vietnam and the U.S. (Vietnam War). It won the war in 1975, leading to reunification in 1976 as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. It’s a major example of Cold War-era communist revolution in Asia.

Deng Xiaoping (Têng Hsiao-p’ing)

Time: 1978–1992 (China’s top leader after Mao)
Significance: Deng was the architect of China’s economic reforms. He opened China to the global market with "Socialism with Chinese characteristics"—basically, capitalism within a communist framework. Under Deng, China saw massive growth and modernization. Famous for saying, “It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white, as long as it catches mice.” He represents China’s shift from Maoist ideology to pragmatism.

Douglas MacArthur

Time: WWII and post-WWII (Japan, 1945–1951)
Significance: U.S. General MacArthur led the Allied occupation of Japan after WWII. He helped rebuild Japan, demilitarize it, and implement democratic reforms—including the 1947 Constitution with Article 9. He was also the commander during the early Korean War, but was fired by President Truman for insubordination. In East Asia, he symbolizes U.S. influence and Cold War-era intervention.

DPRK (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea / North Korea)

Time: Founded 1948
Significance: The DPRK is North Korea, founded by Kim Il-sung as a communist state supported by the USSR after Korea was divided post-WWII. The Korean War (1950–53) cemented this split. North Korea became a totalitarian regime, now ruled by Kim Jong-un (Kim Il-sung’s grandson). The DPRK is significant for its isolationism, nuclear weapons program, and as a lingering Cold War flashpoint.

First Opium War (1839–1842)

Where: China
Significance: Britain and China clashed when the Qing Dynasty tried to stop British merchants from selling opium in China. Britain, with superior naval power, won easily. The resulting Treaty of Nanjing forced China to open up ports, give Hong Kong to Britain, and grant extraterritorial rights to foreigners. This war marks the beginning of China’s “Century of Humiliation” and the start of Western imperialism in East Asia.

First Sino-Japanese War (1894–1895)

Where: China and Korea
Significance: This war between Qing China and Meiji Japan was mainly over control of Korea. Japan’s victory shocked the world and revealed how modernized Japan had become, while China was seen as weak and outdated. The Treaty of Shimonoseki gave Taiwan and Korea to Japan and marked Japan's rise as an imperial power in Asia. For China, it was a major wake-up call and led to internal reform efforts.

French Indochina

Time: 1887–1954
Where: Modern-day Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
Significance: A French colonial empire in Southeast Asia, French Indochina heavily exploited local people and resources. In Vietnam, this sparked nationalist and communist resistance, especially led by Hồ Chí Minh. After WWII, growing Vietnamese resistance led to the First Indochina War, ending with French defeat in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu, and the division of Vietnam. It's a big part of the story of anti-colonial movements in Asia.