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Ten Short Answer Questions

The Truman doctrine: This was American foreign policy structured to counterattack the Soviet

Union spread of communism. It was announced first by president Truman in 1947.

Long March: The march involved the communists retreat as they marched towards western and

northern regions of chain, this gave them the isolation they needed to recover from the loss and

build their army back.

The domino theory: First proposed in 1947 by George Kennan, who worked in the Truman

administration stated that the spread of communism, even when democratically elected, was a

threat to the United States’ national security.

The opium war: This was Anglo Chinese war that involved UK and the Qing dynasty. The war

was fought over trade, the state of justice in china, diplomatic relationship issues.

Meiji Period Restoration: This period started in 1868 to 1912, after the Edo Period, where

Japan started to develop economically and politically. This revolutionary period allowed Japan to

modernize.

Russo Japanese War: This war involved the japan and Russian empires, and the war started

from 1904 to 1905. The rivalry here was the imperial ambitions in Korea and Manchuria.

Treaty of Nanjing: This is the treaty that brought to an end the first opium war between the

Qing dynasty and the United Kingdom.

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The Three Peoples principles: This was a philosophy developed by Sun Yat-Sen, and its aim

was to make China a prosperous, free and powerful country through its major principles

(democracy, livelihood of the citizens and nationalism).

Taiping Rebellion: This was a huge rebellion by the Qing dynasty led by Machu and Taiping

Heavenly Kingdom, and that took place from 1850 to 1864.

The great leap forward: This was a socioeconomic campaign steered by the Communist Party

of China, and it was started in 1958. Led by Mao Zedong, its objective was to engage in

transformation of the country through collectivization and industrialization.

Essay 1

The Korean War was likely the first real contest of the Cold War between two opposing

international camps. Given the history of European and Russian intervention in Chinese affairs

like the Boxer Rebellion, Sino-Russian border disputes and foreign mercenaries involved in the

suppression of the Taiping Uprising, it does seem surprising that there was not more

international involvement in the Chinese Civil War. There was even a precedent for intervention

against a nascent Communist state in the Russian Civil War where the ‘white’' Russians had

received heavy support from European powers and Japan. However, we should not completely

ignore foreign influences. The Chinese Communist Party was heavily inspired and funded by the

Soviet Union while the Americans favoured Chiang Kai-shek. The policies of both the Allies and

the Japanese occupiers from 1931 onward clearly impacted on the relative strength of the

Guomindang and Communists and both sides had to consider the pros and cons of antagonizing

the European ‘settlements’ that had been established in Chinese cities.

Nevertheless, it is clear that foreign intervention was less significant than in previous

internal Chinese conflicts. Three major factors in foreign inaction are as follows: First, The
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Japanese invasion of Manchuria, tensions between the communists and Guomindang were at

boiling point in the late 1920s when the breakdown of relations at the end of the First United

front saw a widescale purge of Communists. This period of conflict would prevail through the

1930s as evidenced by the Communist 'Long March' North to avoid extinction. Only with their

common enmity towards the invading Japanese would the Communists and Guomindang

temporarily suspend hostilities. This delayed the final conflict in the Civil War until after the

defeat of Japan by the Allies. Secondly, league of nations inaction against Japan, the League of

Nations was discredited by its inaction in China. It condemned Japanese aggression but had no

response when Japan withdrew from the League. This ensured that when the Chinese Civil War

reached its final stages there would be few international or foreign troops on hand to intervene.

Finally, War weariness after WW2, the World War 2 was the most destructive conflict in history.

Following the war, the major European powers all had to priorities rebuilding their economies

and societies. Simultaneously many Imperial nations opted to attempt to regain formal foreign

colonies that had broken away during the War (E.g. Dutch Indonesia and British India). The

USA was left in a stronger position but also had significant global interests such as the

occupation of Germany and Japan and providing economic assistance for Western European

reconstruction. The cumulative effect was that few of the major powers had the funds or energy

to intervene in China's conflict.

The Korean War began only five years after the end of WW2 but in the meantime the

political climate had changed considerably. Tensions between the USSR and the other victorious

Allies had increased greatly as it became clear that the USSR would impose communism on its

military conquests while America and Britain would resume their traditional opposition to

communist movements in Western Europe. Meanwhile, the victory of the Communists in China
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focused Western attention on the area. Amid the increasing tensions of the Cold War and rising

concern with what would later be known as 'domino theory' the USA feared the consequences for

other Asian nations if China secured victory for the communist North Koreans.

In summary, the shock of Japanese invasion delayed the final reckoning in the Chinese

Civil War until the Allies and USSR were war weary and distracted. By the time of the Korean

War the new pressures of the emerging Cold War made intervention seem far more necessary to

the USA than it had appeared in China only a few years earlier.

Essay 2

After the colonization period, massive changes on the colonized countries were

witnesses. A series of immigrations were witnessed as people moved to developed countries in

search for security and to provide labor. For instance, many groups of Asian origins migrated to

the United States to provide cheap labor and provide skilled labor (Holcombe, 2006, p. 1). In

some way, Professor Gilley’s article has key events and factors to note. He suggests that a recap

of colonization will help third world countries from their autocratic leadership, improve health

schemes and revolutionize their economic systems. Western countries colonization led o the stop

of slavery and other form of oppressions, and currently, this is what is happening in some

countries like the China’s autocratic government. Professor Gilley says that, “the notion that

colonialism is always and everywhere a bad thing needs to be rethought in light of the grave

human toll of a century of anti-colonial regimes and policies” (Gilley, 2018). Indeed, colonialism

provided enlightenment to the colonized countries.

Europeans certainly tried to colonize East Asia as they had done so in the islands of

Southeast Asia, the Americas, and Africa. It is just that in East Asia they got castrated for their
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efforts: East Asian slaves were highly valued by Europeans as they tended to have urban skills

that a Sub Saharan African or Filipino did not, it is believed the first Japanese in the America’s

and Europe were brought there as slaves. The Portuguese who were not in the slave trade largely

blamed the slaver's for bringing down the wrath of the Chinese on them and did not bear a

grudge against the Ming because there was still money to be made. When they proved their good

behavior for a few decades straight, these profit-oriented immigrants got to be tenants in rented

land on Macau in 1557.

According to Holcombe, it is evident that globalization is the key to connecting many

countries around the world by sharing cultures, economic and political ideologies (Holcombe,

12). Colonialism have this same impact because in the process the native or the colonized nation

will share important skill, ideologies with its colonizers. For instance, the widespread practice of

slavery among Europeans lead to an association with European Christianity with slavery, as

those Portuguese slavers were also trying to convert Japanese and hired Christian Japanese to

work on their ships.

It is worth noting that the richness of natural resources and human resources is one factor

by Western empires to colonize South East Asia. Gold, Silver, Coal, Copper and also Wood,

Cotton, Rubber, Palm oil, Sugar, Salt etc., this idea of resource sharing creates a mutual benefit

for the colonized and the colonizers. For instance, many British colonies benefit greatly from the

British competent legal structure, and the western value of rule of law.

The colonization of the East Asia by Europeans and the Western was not easy. From the

1500s to the 1700s Europeans were not able to outfight East Asian forces, nor were they able to

divide and conquer like they did in the Americas. It is only around the time of the Napoleonic

reforms did European military technology really outpace East Asia’s, and even then, they still
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needed to exploit unrest in local government, Qing court feuds and Indian princedom feuds, to

establish a foothold.

However, colonialism will not be the right choice to take, instead countries should seek to

develop foreign policies that would allow them to benefit mutually because Non-British colonies

like the French, especially the French were somewhat more exploitative and less beneficial to the

native, especially in the context of Southeast Asia. That did not help a lot in developing

nationalism in Southeast Asia.

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References

Holcombe, Charles. "Rethinking Early East Asian History." Education about Asia 11, no. 2

(2006): 9-13.

Gilley, Bruce. "The case for colonialism." Academic Questions 31, no. 2 (2018): 167-185.