Global Studies 9 Rise of China

Philosophy

A system of belief in which one seeks to understand fundamental questions about existence, knowledge, values, reason, and the nature of reality. The main three of China are Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism.

Legalism

A Chinese philosophy that emphasizes strict adherence to laws and a strong central authority, believing that order is achieved through discipline and harsh punishment. It prioritizes state control and the collective over individual freedoms. (had nothing to do with religion).

Daoism

A philosophy emphasizing harmony with the Dao, or the way of nature, advocating simplicity, humility, and compassion. It encourages individuals to align themselves with the natural flow of the universe and values balance in all aspects of life. It was created by Laozi in 500s BCE or 400s BCE, he was a old and wise record keeper.

The Dao/The Way

The invisible force that created the universe and connects life. Daoism believes in connecting with the Dao.

Confucianism

Believes in the 5 qualities - kindness, honor, good manners, Wisdom, and integrity, as well as the 5 constant relationships - Parent and child, husband and wife, older sibling and younger sibling, older friend and younger friend, and ruler and subjects. Teaching of confuses were write down by his disciples in The Analects.

Filial piety

A confusion belief to respect and obey your parents and elder family members.

Confucius (Kong Fuzi)

Creator of Confucianism. He was born to poverty in China in 551 BCE and had a very complete education. He saw dishonesty and rudeness and thought that everyone was capable of goodness, they just needed to act that way. He created his own school of thought.

Laozi

Lived in 500s BCE or 400s BCE. He was a old, wise, and unknown recordkeeper in the imperial palace of the Zhou Dynasty. He wrote down his beliefs and just handed it to a guard. He was never proven real and was often seen as a god.

Shang Yang

Prime minister of Qin. He believed in the creation of social order and strict laws.

Han Feizi

A prince of Han. He took the ideas of Yang and others who believed in Legalism and made a text calle “Han Feizi.”

Qing Dynasty

1644-1912 Largest dynasty

Dynasty

A sequence of leaders (emperors) from the same family over a period of time

Opium

A highly addictive drug that was smoked. It was traded by the British to China and in 1835 12 million Chinese people were addicted to opium.

Opium Wars

Qing emperor was angry about his subjects being addicted to opium so he appealed to the British crown and stopped the trade of opium so the British fought the Chinese and won and forced China to sign the Treaty of Nanking.

Treaty of Nanking (Unequal treaties)

A treaty between China and Britain where British people were allowed to live in China, China had to pay the British 6 million dollars, the British were allowed to trade with anyone with the port being opened.

Spheres of influence

Areas of China where foreign powers have special economic and political privileges, limiting Chinas sovereignty. The powers were Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and Russia.

Boxer Rebellion

Chinese nationalist (Boxers) wanted to expel foreign powers and protect Chinese sovereignty and culture. 100k boxers + Chinese people died and 2000 foreign soldiers died.

Communist

Peasants who wanted equality and wanted to put themselves out there. Wanted a government that would divide money equally among all the people.

Nationalist

Land owners and business people who were educated and wanted to make money through a capitalist government

Mao Zedong

leader of Communist he created the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution to try and build China’s economy. He won the Chinese Civil War.

Kuomintang (KMT)

The Nationalist party who lost the Chinese Civil war and retreated to Taiwan. They controlled most major cities at first and were winning until the Long March.

Chiank Kai-shek

A Chinese political and military leader who served as the leader of the Kuomintang (Nationalist Party) and played a significant role in the Chinese Civil War against the Communist Party. He became the leader of the Republic of China after the fall of the Qing Dynasty and retreated to Taiwan after the Nationalists were defeated by the Communists in 1949.

The Long March

Turning Point of the Chinese Civil War. Communist traveled 6000 miles in retreat and many died but it made the party more unified and organized.

Japanese Invasion Of China

1937 CCP and KMT had to cooperate but tension remained. KMT lost Nanjing (Capital), lost their best trained troops, faced corruption, had low moral, had difficulty providing basic necessities, and many people lost confidence in the government. CCP organized rural communities, built strong relations with peasants, established local forms of government, and encouraged cooperation among villagers. When Japan left (1945) there was a full scale civil war.

The Chinese Civil War

1927-1949 CCP used propaganda and KMT had weakened military and economy as well as low public trust due to the war with Japan. The Nationalist retreated to Taiwan under Chiang Kai-shek, CCP still under Mao Zedong.

Great Leap Forward

An economic policy created by Mao Zedong to industrialize China. It was a failure and caused the greatest famine in modern history.

Propaganda

False news or information spread to influence public opinion.

Cultural Revolution

A social policy created by Mao Zedong in order to ‘get rid of the old’. It put information into schools to make the younger generations like Mao Zedong so the citizens in the future will be loyal to him.

Authoritarian

A form of government characterized by absolute obedience to a central power, suppressing political opposition and individual freedoms.

Deng Xiaoping

Led the People's Republic of China from 1978 to 1992 after Mao’s death in September of 1976. Economically he changed China by adding a mix of government-planned decisions with capitalist features by: abolishing communes, allowing farmers to own their farms and decide what to grow, allowing people to sell goods they produce in local markets, and opening China to foreign trade.

Tiananmen Square

City square in Beijing. 1989 - students protested in Tiananmen Square for political reform in China. Government sent in the military to end the protests, leading to a violent crackdown.