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The revolution of china
Social and economic reforms in china 1949-53
The revolution of china
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Foreign Intervention did play a pivotal role in transforming China during this period. Throughout this essay I will be assessing the impact of foreign intervention through each of the leaders of China. Deng modernised the Chinese economy in a way that had never been seen making it one of the leading economies of the 20th century through the use of foreign influence but he made little political impact. Mao, on the other hand, damaged the economy greatly and his political reform means that his legacy still lives and he is still celebrated as one of the greatest leaders to date. Although not as prominent a figure, the political impact of Chiang cannot be ignored. The downfall of the Qing Dynasty cannot be ignored as well as the 1911 revolution was a huge factor during this time in changing China. Having considered all the factors, it is to a large extent that I suggest Deng Xiaoping had the greatest impact on China because if it wasn’t for him and the way he encountered foreign influence during his time in charge, China would be stuck in Confucianism. Thus, although for much of this period it seemed foreign interference especially in the time of Mao seemed limited much of Chinas change was as a result of foreign influence.
Although they were many short term events that brought about the revolution in 1911 such as nationalising the railways, leaving Pu Yi as Emperor of China and then using Yuan Shikai to crush the local rebellions. Sun Yatsen and the Nationalists was another short term influence in the transformation in China in the early twentieth century as Sun Yatsen formed the Guomindang in Tokyo 1905 where it wanted to bring an end to the imperial system and believing that a republic was the only way to bring real reform as wel...
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...test political and economic impact through the use of working with foreign powers in order to modernize China.
To conclude, although for much of the 20th century in China foreign influence was limited, the most change occurred when foreign influence was involved. Politically, it was revolutionised through leaders such as Chiang Kai-shek and Mao who were influenced by foreign powers such as USSR and France. Chiang Kai-shek and Mao both emphasised that the use of Confucian ideas clearly would not work in order to transform China. Economically China was unstable. Deng was the only leader to recognise the only way to modernize China was through the use of foreign influence, for instance the ‘open door policy’ which improved the economy through international trade. Overall, foreign influence was the most significant factor in transforming China during the 20th centu
The Political Turmoil of China From 1911 to 1927 There were many reasons why China slipped into political instability or turmoil between 1911 and 19287. There reasons include the questionable leadership of Yuan Shih Kai, the presence of the warlords, the One of the reasons was that questionable leadership of Yuan Shih Kai. When Yuan took over control from Sun Yat Sen as the President, he tried to revert to the monarchical system of rule. From 1912 until 1915, he ruled as a military dictator with the support of the army. His rule was already blemished with resistance and that demonstrated that the people did not quite accept him as the leader of China.
Throughout, 1900- 1950 there were a number of changes and continuities in China. From the fall of the dynasties to the rise of the Communist Party, these changes shaped China’s government and society. Although, many political changes were made multiple continuities were held constant such as, consistent rebellions and the lack of democracy.
...ntly influenced more than just the expansion of the Chinese economy, it has brought in new ideas and cultures from foreign countries that have an everlasting impact on China as a whole.
Most of China was ruled by Chiang Kaishek, a military dictator. The rest of China was ruled under communism by Mao Zedong. Chiang Kaishek aimed to modernise the railways, the postal services. and the telecommunications industry. In addition, powerful foreign companies.
In the middle of the 19th century, despite a few similarities between the initial responses of China and Japan to the West, they later diverged; which ultimately affected and influenced the modernizing development of both countries. At first, both of the Asian nations rejected the ideas which the West had brought upon them, and therefore went through a time period of self-imposed isolation. However, the demands that were soon set by Western imperialism forced them, though in different ways, to reconsider. And, by the end of the 19th century both China and Japan had introduced ‘westernizing’ reforms. China’s aim was to use modern means to retain and preserve their traditional Confucian culture. Whereas Japan, on the other hand, began to successfully mimic Western technology as it pursued modernization, and thus underwent an astounding social upheaval. Hence, by the year 1920, Japan was recognized as one of the world’s superpowers, whereas China was on the edge of anarchy.
China was plagued by famine, natural disasters and economic problems which the government failed to recover from in the nineteenth century. Empress Dowager Cixi was a reluctant reformist and made sure China remained a monarchy till her last breath in 1908 which created anti-Qing feeling. Although the fall of the Qing Dynasty can argued as a result of its failure to reform and modernize China to keep its people content, perhaps the most significant factor was due to foreign intervention. A loser of the Opium War of 1842, the Qing government fully exposed its weakness and inefficiency when fighting against the foreign powers and signing the ‘Unequal Treaties’ afterwards. The Sino-Japanese War of 1895 and the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 further humiliated the imperial government. Defeat from the Japanese was followed by a period where foreign powers scrambled for privileges in China, exacting lease territories, railroad concessions and mining rights, and carving out their respective ‘spheres of influence.’ Therefore, it is important to understand whether foreign intervention in China was the most significant factor in exposing the Qing governments’ weaknesses which led to anti-foreign sentiment and would spark revolutionary ideas from key figures such as Sun Yat Sen to overthrow the dynasty. The revolt that toppled the world’s longest lasting empire had been developing for decades but, when it finally came in October 1911, it was sparked by accident when a bomb exploded in the office of a group of revolutionary soldiers in the Russian concession of the city of Hankou on the river Yangtze in central China. The events led to the abdication of the last emperor, Puyi, four months later on February 12th, 1912 and marked the end of the Qing Dy...
China's transition from the leadership under the iron fist of Mao Zedong to the more liberal Deng Xiao Ping gave the People's Republic a gradual increase in economic freedom while maintaining political stability. During Mao's regime, the country focused on bolstering and serving the community, while subsequently encumbering individual growth and prosperity. Deng advocated a more capitalist economic ideology, which established China as an economic force in the global community while endowing its citizens with more liberties and luxuries than previously granted.
The Qing Dynasty prospered well into the 20th century despite the numerous problems the administration faced. However, during the early days of the 20th century, civil disorders continued to grow in such unmanageable factions that the administration was pushed to do something about it. The high living standards of the previous century had contributed to a sharp increase in China’s population, there was approximately 400 million people living in China around the nineteenth century. This spike increased population density, it also created a surplus of labour shortages, land shortages, inadequate food production and several famines. As an attempt for a solution, Empress Dowager Cixi proclaimed a call for proposals for reform from the generals and governors. There were three reform movements between 1860-1911, “ the Qing court and Chinese provincial officials had tried to adapt a wide range of Western techniques and ideas to China’s proven needs: artillery, ships, the telegraph, new schools, factories, chambers of commerce and international law” (Spence, 234). The first reform being the Self-strengthening Movement the second was the Hundred Days Reform and the last is regarded as the Late Qing reform. These three reforms were similar in the fact that the main objective was to strengthen China. However, there were multiple reasons for the failed plans of the reforms. Analyzing certain individuals and events during the late Qing dynasty will help determine if the Manchus would have been viable leaders for modern China.
China today – powerful and ever-growing – wasn’t always like this. One major event in history around the mid 1800s that we all seem to have forgotten was the Opium Wars. What really caused the opium war was when China wanted to halt all trade in opium with the British. The geography of China is something like a fence. This isolation made the people of China feel like their country was prestigious and secluded from the rest of the world.
In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party won the civil war and established People Republic of China. The new communist government, led by chairman Mao Zedong, launched the Communist Revolution to reform the country that had suffered wars and social turbulence for decades. China was reborn and changed in many aspects during these years of revolution, and the communist party also gradually consoled its control in these years.
King, John (2006). China: A New History. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2006. Karl, Rebecca E. (2010) Mao Zedong and China in the Twentieth Century World: A Concise History. Durham and London: Duke University Press Lieberthal, Kenneth (2003).
Zheng, Y., (1999), ‘Political Incrementalism: Political lessons from China’s 20 years of reform’ Third World Quarterly, 20(6): 1157-1177.
He Lian Bo Bo Da Wang (Mei Yi), Yi Jiu Yi Yi, Ge Ming Yu Su Ming (Hong Kong, Hong Kong Open Page Publishing Co, Ltd., pp.1-35, 138-157. Hsueh, Chun- tu, The Chinese Revolution of 1911: New Perspectives (Hong Kong: Joint _____Publishing Co., 1986), pp.1-15, 119-131, 139-171. Lin Jiayou, Xin Hai Ge, Ming Yu, Zhong Hua Min, Zu De Jue Xing (Guangzhou, Guangdong _____Ren Min Chu Ban She, 2011), pp.
China is one of the main viable candidates as this century’s new world power. Today, it maintains a strong economic stance within the international market, and is expanding at a rapid pace. The United States cannot maintain its position as hegemon for the rest of humanity; just as how ...
In the summer of 1989, the Tiananmen Square protests threatened the legitimacy and power of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In response to the protests, the Party declared martial law and brutally decimated the defenseless demonstrators. This event caused international commotion, but more importantly, resulted in major internal change within the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Progressive reforms were halted and some were even rescinded. Then, in December of 1991 the Soviet Union officially dissolved and the United States emerged as the lone superpower. Seeing the decline of communism, and further rise of Western states, the PRC had to reinforce its internal power and structure. The source of the PRC’s power has always come from within.