East Asia Republics and Democracies Final Exam Identifications

The Korean War

Who: North Korea (supported by the Soviet Union and later China) and South Korea (supported by the United States and the UN forces)

What: A war between North and South Korea after North Korea invaded South Korea in an attempt to unify the peninsula under a communist government

When: 1950-1953

Where: The Korean peninsula

Why significant: First major armed conflict of the Cold War, cemented the division of Korea into North and South Korea

Deng Xiaoping

Who: Chinese revolutionary and statesman, leader of the People’s Republic of China after Mao Zedong

What: Led major economic and social reforms that shifted China from a strict communist, state-controlled economy to a “socialist market economy.”

When: Rose to power around 1978, leading China through the 1980s and early 1990s

Where: China

Why significant: Transformed China into one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, shifted China toward globalization and modern industry

Japan’s MITI

Who: The Ministry of International Trade and Industry of Japan

What: A powerful government ministry that guided Japan’s post–World War II economic development, coordinated industrial policy, directed resources into priority sectors, protected young industries, and promoted exports.

When: Established in 1949, reorganized in 2001 into the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry

Where: Tokyo, Japan

Why significant: Played a major role in Japan’s transformation from a war-torn nation to a global economic powerhouse,

The Great Leap Forward

Who: Mao Zedong (leader of the People’s Republic of China and the Communist Party)

What: A massive, state-led campaign intended to rapidly transform China from an agrarian society into an industrialized, socialist nation, focused on collectivizing agriculture and increasing steel production

When: 1958-1962

Where: Across all of China

Why significant: One of the worst man-made disasters in history, causing a famine that led to tens of millions of deaths, severely weakened China’s economy, and undermined Mao’s political authority for several years, its failure reshaped Chinese policy, paving the way for more pragmatic economic approaches later under leaders like Deng Xiaoping

Kim Il-sung

Who: Revolutionary leader, founder of North Korea, and its authoritarian ruler, leader of the Korean Workers’ Party, and supreme authority in the DPRK

What: Led the creation of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) in 1948, initiated the Korean War by invading South Korea in 1950, established a rigid, centrally planned government, and developed the ideology of Juche (self-reliance).

When: Ruled North Korea from 1948 until his death in 1994

Where: North Korea

Why significant: Founder of the North Korean state and the ideological, political, and military systems it still follows, established the Kim Dynasty

Japan’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP)

Who: Japan’s dominant conservative political party

What: A center-right political party that has governed Japan for most of the period since its founding, promotes economic growth, close ties with the United States, incremental reforms, and political stability

When: Founded in 1955 through the merger of two conservative parties (Anti-Yoshida Faction and the Democratic Party), dominant almost continuously from 1955 to today

Where: Active throughout Japan, especially influential in rural areas due to strong voter bases and interest-group ties, with headquarters located in Tokyo

Why significant: Has shaped post–World War II Japanese politics, driving economic planning and Japan’s “economic miracle”, ensuring political continuity, which has contributed to Japan’s stability but also raised critiques about political stagnation and lack of competition

The Cultural Revolution

Who: Chairman of the CCP (Mao Zedong), Red Guards, and other CCP leaders

What: A radical sociopolitical movement launched to reassert Mao’s control over the Communist Party and eliminate “bourgeois” and perceived capitalist influences, involved mass mobilization of students, attacks on perceived “enemies,” destruction of cultural heritage, and widespread political persecution

When: 1966-1976, continued in waves until Mao’s death in 1976 and the arrest of the Gang of Four, which ended the movement.

Where: Across all of China

Why significant: Caused massive social upheaval, widespread violence, famine in some regions, and the persecution of tens of millions of people, severely disrupted education and economic progress; created a “lost generation”, led to major political changes after Mao’s death, paving the way for Deng Xiaoping’s reforms and a more pragmatic, economically focused China

Kim Dae-jung

Who: Kim Dae-jung — South Korean politician, democracy activist, and president of South Korea (1998–2003)

What: Led democratic reforms and economic recovery during and after the Asian Financial Crisis, implemented the Sunshine Policy, an approach of engagement and reconciliation with North Korea

When: Born in 1924, died in 2009, Active politically from the 1950s onward, elected president in 1997 and served from 1998 to 2003.

Where: South Korea

Why significant: Central figure in South Korea’s transition from military rule to a vibrant democracy, managed economic stabilization after a national financial crisis.