Chinese History and Politics

These flashcards cover key vocabulary and concepts from the lecture on Chinese history and politics, focusing on significant events and figures.

Taiwan

An island that has caused disruption in U.S.-China relations since the early 1950s.

People's Republic of China

The country that encompasses Hong Kong and Macau, which were previously British and Portuguese colonies respectively.

Mao Tsinghong

Commonly referred to as Mao Zedong, he was the leader who implemented the Great Leap Forward, leading to a horrific famine.

Great Leap Forward

Mao's second five-year plan aiming for rapid industrialization and agricultural productivity, which resulted in widespread famine.

Maoism

A variant of Marxism, adapted by Mao, focused on rural agricultural development rather than industrialization.

Red Guards

Youth groups mobilized by Mao during the Cultural Revolution to challenge authority and promote revolutionary ideas.

Little Red Book

A collection of quotations from Mao Zedong that served to guide and inspire members of the Communist Party.

Cultural Revolution

A socio-political movement in China from 1966 to 1976 initiated by Mao to enforce communism by removing capitalist and traditional elements from society.

Tiananmen Square

The location of the 1989 student-led protests advocating for democracy, which were brutally suppressed by the government.

Deng Xiaoping

The leader who succeeded Mao and was instrumental in China's economic reforms and opening up of the country to the global market.

Four Modernizations

Deng Xiaoping's initiatives aimed at modernizing China's agriculture, industry, national defense, and science and technology.

Belt and Road Initiative

China's global development strategy aimed at enhancing regional connectivity and embracing a brighter economic future.

Hong Kong's One Country, Two Systems policy

The framework intended to maintain Hong Kong's separate legal and economic systems for 50 years after the handover from the UK to China.

Xi Jinping

The current paramount leader of China, known for consolidating power and asserting China's global ambitions.

Human Rights Violations

Serious abuses against ethnic and religious minorities in China, notably in regions like Xinjiang.

Ping Pong Diplomacy

A series of exchanges between the U.S. and China in the early 1970s that marked the thawing of relations between the two nations.

The Velvet Revolution

This term refers to the peaceful transition from communism to democracy in some Eastern European countries, in contrast to China's Tiananmen Square crackdown.

One Child Policy

A former population control measure that limited couples in China to one child, discontinued in 2017.

Demographic Crisis

A significant challenge China faces due to an aging population and low birth rates, exacerbated the one-child policy.