EAST ASIA FINAL

Treaty of Portsmouth

a peace treaty that ended the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, showing Japan’s rise as a powerful modern empire with influence equal to Western nations

Ito Hirobumi

 A key figure in Japan’s modernization during the late 1800s to early 1900s, he helped write the Meiji Constitution and led Japan as Prime Minister several times.

The Treaty of Shimonoseki

signed on April 17, 1895, concluded the First Sino-Japanese War. It was a peace treaty between the Qing Dynasty of China and Meiji Japan. The treaty's terms significantly impacted China, including the cession of territory, payment of a large indemnity, and the recognition of Korea's independence. 

Peace Preservation Law

 Passed in 1925, this law was used to silence critics of the government, especially communists and socialists, during Japan’s growing authoritarianism.

March 1 movement

 In 1919, Koreans held mass protests demanding independence from Japanese colonial rule. It was violently suppressed but became a major symbol of Korean nationalism.

“Cultural government”

 In the 1920s, Japan changed its colonial approach in Korea after the March 1 Movement, allowing limited cultural expression to reduce unrest—though real power stayed in Japanese hands.

New Culture Movement

 Started in China in the 1910s and 1920s but influenced Korea too, this movement promoted science, democracy, and women’s rights, and rejected old Confucian traditions.

Comfort Women

 During the 1930s and World War II, the Japanese military forced women, mostly Korean, into sexual slavery. It's still a major issue in Japan-Korea relations today.

Sun Yat-Sen

 A revolutionary leader in the early 1900s, he helped end imperial rule in China and founded the Republic of China, promoting nationalism, democracy, and people’s welfare.

Yuan Shikai

 After the Qing dynasty collapsed in 1912, he became president but tried to make himself emperor, which caused political chaos and undermined China’s new republic.

May Fourth Movement

in 1919, students protested China’s weak response to the Treaty of Versailles. It led to a rise in Chinese nationalism and support for modernization and reform.

First United Front

Between 1924 and 1926, the Nationalists and Communists in China briefly teamed up to defeat warlords and unify the country before their alliance fell apart.

The Long March

a strategic military retreat undertaken by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its Red Army in 1934-1935, during the Chinese Civil War. They traversed thousands of miles to escape encirclement by the Nationalist Kuomintang forces led by Chiang Kai-shek. 

Nanjing

In the 1930s, it was the Nationalist capital of China and the site of the 1937 massacre, when Japanese troops killed and raped civilians during their invasion.

Yakyū

Though introduced earlier, this became deeply rooted in Japanese culture after World War II, as part of U.S. influence and postwar rebuilding.

Reverse Course

 In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the U.S. changed its approach in occupied Japan, shifting from democratization to strengthening Japan against communism during the Cold War.

US-Japan Security Treaty

 Signed in 1951, this treaty allowed the U.S. to keep military bases in Japan, shaping Japan’s foreign policy and military role throughout the Cold War.

Nanjing

 In 1937, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japanese soldiers committed mass killings and sexual violence in this place, an atrocity known as

Qipao

 A modern dress popular among Chinese women in cities like Shanghai during the 1920s and 1930s, it symbolized fashion, femininity, and social change in Republican China.

the long march

 In 1934–1935, Communist forces fled across China to escape Nationalist attacks. Though a retreat, it became a symbol of Communist perseverance and helped Mao gain power.

Danwei

 Starting in the 1950s, these were work units in Maoist China that controlled jobs, housing, and daily life, keeping people closely tied to the state.

Hundred Flowers Bloom

 In 1956, Mao encouraged people to speak freely about the government—but soon after, he punished many of those who criticized the party.

The Great Leap Forward

 Launched in 1958, this campaign aimed to quickly industrialize China but caused a massive famine and millions of deaths due to unrealistic policies and poor planning.

destroy the four old things

 During the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Mao urged youth to attack old customs, culture, habits, and ideas to push his revolutionary agenda.

the four modernizations

 Introduced in 1978 by Deng Xiaoping, these reforms focused on modernizing agriculture, industry, science/tech, and defense to rebuild China's economy after Mao.

Tiananmen Square

 In 1989, students led pro-democracy protests in Beijing. The government responded with military force, killing many and crushing the movement.

Chinese new cinema

 Starting in the 1980s and 1990s, Chinese filmmakers explored history, politics, and society with new styles, often reflecting on past trauma and challenging censorship.

One-child

 Started in 1979, this policy aimed to slow population growth by limiting most families to one child. It led to major demographic and social effects.

Syngman Rhee

 The U.S.-backed first president of South Korea from 1948 to 1960, he ruled as a strong anti-communist until he was ousted by protests.

DMZ

 Established in 1953 after the Korean War armistice, this is the tense border between North and South Korea.

Chuch’e

 Developed in the 1950s, this North Korean ideology of self-reliance was promoted by Kim Il-sung to justify independence from foreign influence and tight state control.

chaebol

Starting in the 1960s, these large, family-run business groups like Samsung and Hyundai played a central role in South Korea’s rapid economic development.

the lost decade

 In the 1990s, Japan faced economic stagnation and recession after a financial bubble burst, leading to long-term economic and social struggles.