Chinese History and Politics Notes

Dynastic Cycle

  • A pattern in Chinese history.
  • Dynasties rise, exhibit effective rule, decline, and are eventually replaced.
  • Justified by the Mandate of Heaven.

Dynasty

  • A ruling family.
  • Governs a region for multiple generations.

Mandate of Heaven

  • Ancient Chinese belief.
  • Heaven grants emperors the right to rule.
  • Based on their virtue and ability to govern justly.

Buddhism

  • Religion originating from India.
  • Focuses on:
    • Suffering
    • Rebirth
    • Achieving enlightenment
  • Achieved through moral and meditative living.

Qing Dynasty: Rise & Fall

  • Rose in 1644 through Manchu conquest.
  • Fell in 1912 due to:
    • Corruption
    • Rebellions
    • Foreign influence

Sun Yat-sen: Beliefs & Goals

  • Supported:
    • Democracy
    • Nationalism
    • People's livelihood
  • Aimed to modernize China.
  • Sought to end imperial rule.

Chiang Kai-shek: Beliefs & Goals

  • Nationalist leader.
  • Anti-communist.
  • Aimed to unify China under the KMT (Kuomintang).
  • Sought to resist foreign powers.

Mao Zedong: Beliefs & Goals

  • Focused on peasant-based communism (Maoism).
  • Aimed to create a classless society.
  • Achieved through revolution and reform.

Deng Xiaoping: Beliefs & Goals

  • Promoted economic reform and pragmatism.
  • Introduced market elements into the Chinese economy.
  • Maintained Communist Party control.

Long March: Reasons, Results, Impact

  • Communist retreat from KMT forces.
  • Resulted in heavy losses for the Communists.
  • Saved the Communist leadership.
  • Became a symbol of CCP endurance and resilience.

Great Leap Forward: Reasons, Results, Impact

  • Mao's push for rapid industrial and agricultural growth.
  • Caused mass famine due to unrealistic goals and mismanagement.
  • Weakened Mao's influence within the party.

Cultural Revolution: Reasons, Results, Impact

  • Mao's purge of perceived capitalist elements within Chinese society.
  • Led to widespread chaos, violence, and persecution of intellectuals and political opponents.
  • Destabilized Chinese society.

Tiananmen Square: Reasons, Results, Impact

  • 1989 student protests calling for democratic reform.
  • Ended in a violent crackdown by the government.
  • Became a symbol of state repression.

Boxer Rebellion: Reasons, Results, Impact

  • Anti-foreign uprising in China.
  • Crushed by foreign powers.
  • Weakened the Qing Dynasty.
  • Increased foreign control over China.

Taiping Rebellion: Reasons, Results, Impact

  • Civil war against the Qing Dynasty.
  • Millions died during the conflict.
  • Weakened the Qing government.
  • Increased instability in China.

Opium War: Reasons, Results, Impact

  • China opposed British opium trade.
  • Britain won the war.
  • Led to the Treaty of Nanking.
  • Marked the beginning of unequal treaties and loss of Chinese sovereignty.

Revolution of 1911: Reasons, Results, Impact

  • Ended Qing Dynasty rule in China.
  • Established the Republic of China.
  • Led by Sun Yat-sen and the KMT.

Treaty of Nanking (1842): Unequal Treaties

  • Ended the First Opium War.
  • Gave Britain:
    • Hong Kong
    • Trade rights
  • Marked the start of unequal treaties imposed on China by foreign powers.

Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

  • Founded in 1921.
  • Ruling party of China since 1949.
  • Led by Mao Zedong and subsequent leaders.

Kuomintang (KMT/Nationalist Party)

  • Founded by Sun Yat-sen.
  • Ruled China before the CCP takeover.
  • Retreated to Taiwan after 1949.

Sino-Japanese War: Reasons, Results, Impact

  • Japan invaded China in 1937.
  • Caused widespread devastation in China.
  • Weakened the KMT.
  • Strengthened the CCP.

Four Modernizations

  • Deng Xiaoping's reforms to modernize China in:
    • Agriculture
    • Industry
    • Science and Technology
    • Military

Status of Women: Imperial vs. Modern

  • Imperial China:
    • Subordinate roles.
    • Foot-binding (a practice that physically constrained women).
  • Modern China:
    • More rights.
    • Inequality persists despite progress.

Communism

  • Economic and political system.
  • Advocates for collective ownership of the means of production.
  • Aims for a classless society.
  • Promoted by the CCP.

Marxism

  • Political and economic theory by Karl Marx.
  • Emphasizes class struggle.
  • Advocates for revolution by the working class.

Capitalism

  • Economic system with private ownership of the means of production.
  • Competition among businesses.
  • Profit-driven markets.

China & Taiwan

  • China views Taiwan as a province.
  • Taiwan operates as a separate, democratic government.

China & Tibet

  • China controls Tibet.
  • Disputes over autonomy and human rights continue.

China & Hong Kong

  • "One Country, Two Systems" policy.
  • Freedoms eroded since the 1997 handover to China.

People's Republic of China

  • Communist state founded in 1949.
  • Established after the CCP victory in the Chinese Civil War.

People's Liberation Army (PLA)

  • Military force of the CCP.
  • Founded during the Chinese Revolution.
  • Now China's official armed forces.

China & Russia (USSR): Similarities & Differences

  • Similarities: Both communist states.
  • Differences:
    • China focused on peasants in its revolution.
    • USSR focused on workers.
    • Relations were tense at times due to ideological differences and geopolitical competition.

Bolshevik vs. Chinese Communist Revolutions

  • Both were Marxist-inspired revolutions.
  • Russian Revolution was urban and worker-based.
  • Chinese Revolution was rural and peasant-based.

Formation of Chinese Republic

  • Established in 1912 after the fall of the Qing Dynasty.
  • Led by Sun Yat-sen and the KMT.

Maoism: Political Views

  • Emphasized peasant-led revolution.
  • Advocated self-reliance.
  • Promoted continuous class struggle.

Market Economy Opening Up

  • Deng Xiaoping's reforms introduced elements of capitalism into China's socialist system.
  • Aimed to boost economic growth.

One Country, Two Systems Policy

  • China's promise to allow Hong Kong and Macau to maintain their capitalist systems under Chinese sovereignty.

Social Classes of Imperial China

  • Gentry: Elite class (landowners, scholars).
  • Peasants: Farmers, the majority of the population.
  • Artisans: Skilled workers.
  • Merchants: Held a low social rank despite their wealth.

Three Gorges Dam

  • Hydroelectric dam on the Yangtze River.
  • Provides energy for China.
  • Displaced many people and negatively impacted ecosystems.

Huang He (Yellow River)

  • Cradle of Chinese civilization.
  • Prone to floods.
  • Crucial for farming and irrigation.

Special Economic Zones (SEZ)

  • Areas in China with relaxed regulations.
  • Designed to attract foreign investment.
  • Promote capitalism.

The Red Guards

  • Radical youth organizations during the Cultural Revolution.
  • Enforced Mao's ideology through violence and intimidation.

Spheres of Influence

  • Areas in China dominated by foreign powers in the 19th century.
  • Foreign powers held special trade and privilege rights.

Chinese Civil War

  • Conflict between the CCP and the KMT (1927-1949).
  • Ended with CCP victory.
  • KMT retreated to Taiwan.