China Case Study

• What are the key themes investigated in the study guide?

  • Civil conflict
  • External influences on China
  • Economic transformation
  • Social transformation
  • Role of leadership
• What are the key individuals studied in the course?

  • Empress Dowager Cixi
  • Sun Yat-sen
  • Chiang Kai-shek
  • Mao Zedong
  • Jiang Qing
  • Deng Xiaoping
• What are some key events and developments covered in the course?

  • The Boxer Uprising
  • The 1911 Revolution
  • China under the Warlords
  • The development of the United Front
  • The Long March
  • War with Japan
  • Civil War
  • The Great Famine
  • The Great Leap Forward
  • The Hundred Flowers Campaign
  • The Cultural Revolution
  • Tiananmen Square

  
• What are the key events in the timeline of China from 1900 to 1989?


  • Boxer Uprising
  • Self-Strengthening Reforms begin
  • Death of Empress Cixi, accession of Emperor Puyi
  • Revolution occurs, Republic of China established
  • Beginning of warlord era
  • May Fourth Movement
  • United Front formation
  • The Northern Expedition begins
  • Shanghai Massacres
  • Chiang Kai-shek becomes president of the new central government
  • The first Extermination Campaign begins
  • Japanese invasion of Manchuria
  • The Jiangxi Soviet established
  • Long March begins
  • The Zunyi Conference
  • The Long March ends
  • The Yanan Soviet is established
  • Start of Sino-Japanese War
  • End of Sino-Japanese War, Beginning of Civil War
  • People's Republic of China established
  • Agrarian Reform Law and Marriage Law introduced
  • Thought Reform
  • First Five Year Plan

  
• What was China's position in the mid-19th century?

  One of the most powerful countries in the world
• Who ruled China in 1900?

  Zaitian, the 11th and penultimate emperor of the Qing dynasty
• What were the borders of China in 1900?

  From Manchuria in the northeast to Burma and Laos in the south, and across to Tibet and Xinjiang in the west
• What were the three reasons for China's decline in the early 1900s?

  Defeats in the Opium Wars, the war with Japan, and territorial losses to France
• What was the consequence of China's defeat in the Opium Wars?

  Britain took valuable resources from China
• What did China lose control of as a result of the 1894 war with Japan?

  Korea
• What territory did France gain during the Sino-French War of 1884-85?

  Vietnam
• What was the system of ruling in China?

  An imperial system with one person having complete control
• What belief supported the rule of emperors in China?

  The 'Mandate of Heaven'
• When did the Boxer Uprising take place?

  Between 2nd November 1899 and 7th September 1901
• What was the Boxer Uprising?

  An anti-foreigner attack led by Chinese peasants
• Who led the Boxer Uprising?

  The Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists
• What were the three main causes of the Boxer Uprising?

  Emperor Guangxu's overthrow, hatred towards foreigners, and Cixi's scapegoating of foreigners
• What was one of the key consequences of the failed Boxer Uprising?

  The Qing dynasty suffered damage to its reputation
• How much reparations did China have to pay after the Boxer Uprising?

  $330 million
• What did the self-strengthening reforms aim to achieve?

  Modernizing China through learning and copying Western methods
• Who introduced the self-strengthening reforms?

  Empress Dowager Cixi
• When were the self-strengthening reforms introduced?

  Between 1902 and 1911
• What were the three main reasons for introducing the self-strengthening reforms?

  To secure her dynasty, to use foreign knowledge, and to improve China's reputation
• What was one of the key changes introduced during the self-strengthening reforms in 1902?

  Foot binding was banned
• What was established in 1908 as part of the self-strengthening reforms?

  A new army
• What was introduced in 1905 to improve diversity in civil service positions?

  Traditional examinations were removed
• What was established in 1910-11 to help advise the government?

  National Consultative Council
• What was nationalized during the self-strengthening reforms?

  The railways
• What are some key terms related to the study material?

  • Abolish: to stop something, or get rid of it.
  • Agriculture: relating to farming, growing crops or raising animals.
  • Allies: parties working together for a common objective.
  • Communism: belief in equality without government or private property.
  • Conscription: mandatory enlistment into military service.

  
• What are the key changes introduced during the self-strengthening reforms?

  1. 1902: Foot binding was banned.
  2. 1905: Traditional examinations for civil service positions were removed.
  3. 1908: A new army was established.
  4. 1909: Provisional assemblies were introduced.
  5. 1910-11: National Consultative Council established.
  6. Educational reforms were introduced.
  7. Railways were nationalized.

  
• What is a commune?


  A place where a group of people live and work together and share resources.
• What is the belief of communism based on?

  It is based on the ideas of Karl Marx that all people should be equal in society.
• What does a communist believe in?

  A communist believes in the idea that everything should be owned by the people.
• What is a conference?

  A formal meeting to discuss common issues of interest or concern.
• What is conscription?


  Mandatory enlistment of people into a state service, usually the military.
• How would you define a conservative?

  A conservative is someone who dislikes change and prefers traditional values.
• What does it mean to consolidate?

  To strengthen a position by bringing several things together into a more effective whole.
• What does conventional refer to?

  It refers to what is considered normal or generally accepted.
• What does cooperation mean?

  To work together to achieve a common aim.
• What is a council?

  An advisory or administrative body set up to manage the affairs of a place or organization.