During this time period, Chinese states were at war for control over the Zhou Dynasty, this led to Han Fei raising questions whether or not complying with Confucian ideals that state proper behavior could create a stable and peaceful society (Han, 1939). Both societies relied on harsh punishments to keep their community orderly. As stated by Han Fei, developing laws with unambiguous punishments and rewards was the one and only way to attain a powerful society. For example, “people caught opposing the government would instantly be disciplined by being burned alive, boiled to death in pots, or have their hands cut off.” These ideas were very similar to the ones stated in Hammurabi’s Code, “If a man breaks into a house,
Erick Romero 10/19/14 2A Explain the origin(s) of the Chinese Civil War, and to what extent was the Communist victory due to the use of guerrilla warfare In the early 20th century, China ran into political turmoil. With the revolution in 1911, in which the last dynasty, the Manchu dynasty was overthrown. The new Republic failed to set hold on China and warlord era would start. But China continued to be oppressed by many foreign powers because it lacked a strong central government. The Chinese Civil War was caused by two opposed political parties, the communists and the nationalists, to see who would be able to restore order and regain central power over China to bring it back to its glory.
It should be recognised that before Chiang became ruler, there were many domestic problems which overshadowed China which created an unstable society. China was in desperate need for reform, democracy and strong leadership after the torment of the warlord era. China’s most major domestic problem was undoubtedly the warlords which had shattered and fragmented China and had led to political unrest. Chiang was able to launch an offensive called the Northern Expedition to remove the warlords and their hold over China with an alliance with the CCP. This had a massive impact on the country as it had successfully stopped civil and political unrest which had previously been threating the harmony of the country.
Mao adapted Communist ideas to China and he followed in Joseph Stalin’s footsteps by abusing his power and crippling the Chinese in fear with his totalitarian rule. In this essay I will be exploring the factors contributing to one of the biggest disputes in historical knowledge. Was Mao Zedong’s role in achieving communism genuine or has it been exaggerated and morphed by the Asian populations living under absolute despotism. “Idealism is no panacea in a totalitarian regime.” 1 - Quoted by a 20th century philosopher. It wasn’t said about Mao however it adapts to his ideas and aspirations.
Gandhi struggled to fight against British colonizing power and the Western models of society brought with it. In China, Mao shared the same struggle against an invading power. While not a Western nation, Japan invaded China and brought what Mao considered Western systems: imperialism, colonialism, and capitalism. The historical context in which these two leaders fought an invading power was, of course, a national issue, independent of one another. However, what they fought against and the goals they made for their national struggles were global and holistic.
However, China's revolution differed because the initial democratic establishment led to opposition from the Communist party while the formation of the U.S.S.R faced minimal opposition. In China, the Qing dynasty was ineffective, instead of trying to modernized as early as possible, it squandered what remained of its wealth and in doing so led to heavy losses in influence and power. Similarly, in Russia, The Tsars became ineffective, the decision to enter World War I had brought Russia to its knees socially, politically and economically. The Tsars also faced many scandals that would deface their influence in Russian cities. It was due to these reasons that both China and Russia were seeking to replace the government in power with new ones that would appeal to the population's demands.
However, by the time of his graduation, Sun believed that whilst the Manchu dynasty still existed, China would remain corrupt and backwards. His experiences abroad shaped his political ideas as at the beginning of the 20th century, the West were advancing and modernising their countries quicker than Sun’s own country of China. He toured Europe and America in hope to raise funds for the “Save China League” and made attempts to start a revolution against the Qing for example, the unsuccessful uprising in Canton, 1895. Sun worked hard travelling around to different countries, gaining more foreign funds and support. Sun Yatsen influenced the Chinese with his Three Principles – Nationalism, Democracy and Socialism and later in 1905; he formed the United League which was a revolutionary
The United States was an alley with Russia so therefore, they wanted to protect China as well. The U.S. was upset at the threat to their allies but they also realized that the Japanese were violating the Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1928. Resulting from this, the U.S. threatens that if Japan does not leave China, they will have no choice but to stop trading oil with them. Japan declined the threat and continued to take over
China’s response to this was to implement their prohibition against import of this drug by destroying a lot of opium on the ships arriving at the Port of Canton. Their anger and actions towards the Europeans caused the first Opium War. Frustrated, the British brought in their gunboats to open up the trade doors of China again (Macartney). China lost the war and was forced to sign the unequal Treaty of Nanjing, which included many conditions, like opening up several treaty ports, giving away Hong Kong, and giving Britain “favored nation status”. This all weakened the country even more.
To what extent were Chiang Kai Shek’s Domestic Policies Successful? The intriguing question at hand undoubtedly questions the tangible integrity of Chiang Kai Shek’s domestic policies, and serves to answer whether all, some or none of his strategies were successful, partially successful or infact completely ineffective. The probing question is vitally important, as Chiang Kai Shek, the leader of the GMD, was essentially China’s key figurehead in the allocated timeframe (1928-1938), thus his domestic policies affected the whole of China; hypothetically if he had not implemented these, China might not be what was, and infact is today. Chiang’s domestic policies are best explained and analysed by splitting them into three well defined and virtually all compassing strands: social, economic and political,(below, I will explore all three in great depth) of which I think social policies was the most successful due to the reunification of China. Most of Chiang’s policies were relatively successful, if not extremely promising, but it is the moral low ground of these schemes that could prove unsuccessful in hindsight.