1. Chapter 34
Rebirth and Revolution: Nation-building in East Asia and the Pacific Rim

2. Post-WWII Conditions
Japan= devastated by war, occupied by the US, facing disease, homelessness etc.
China= prolonged civil war; Communists finally win in 1949.
Pacific Rim (Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia) began as developing nations and became the major political and economic players in the area in the 21st century.

3. The Pacific Rim

4. East Asia in the Postwar Settlements
Korea was divided between a Russian zone of occupation in the north and an American zone in the south.
Taiwan was restored to China.
The USA occupied Japan after WWII, led by Douglas MacArthur.
Americans pressed for democratization of Japanese society.

5. East Asia: New Divisions and the End of Empires
Things did not a follow a set pattern as in other areas
Colonial powers restore order
Maintain holding in Vietnam, Malaya, Indonesia
Cold War impacts region
Korea divided into communist north, non-communist south
Taiwan given to Nationalist (Guomindang)
US regains the Philippines

6. Japanese Recovery
Recovers quickly from the devastation of WWII. US occupies until 1952.
Social Changes
Military disbanded, civil liberties extended, social services begin, meritocratic education system
Economic Changes
Unions encouraged, landed estates divided, zaibatsu dissolved
Political Changes
Democratization (role of emperor diminished), women obtain the vote, constitution written, parliamentary system established, Liberal Democratic Party dominates
US General Douglas MacArthur and Emperor Hirohito

7. Korea: Intervention and War
South Korea
Develops parliamentary institutions under an authoritarian ruler (Syngman Rhee)
Invades by North Korea in 1950, aided by US
Korean War ends in stalemate; today S. Korea is an ally of the US, though under authoritarian military officers
North Korea
Communist state based on Stalinist principles ruled by Kim Il-Sung until 1994
Invades South Korea in 1950, aided by China
Today, its an isolated, dictatorial regime under the rule of Kim-Jung-Il

8. Taiwan, Hong Kong & Singapore
Nationalist army defeated by Communists and fall back to Taiwan.
China imposed authoritarian rule, but US worked to support Taiwan
Has achieved economic prosperity despite political tensions
Hong Kong
Remains under British control until 1997, when it returns to China
A vigorous and thriving economy; hub of many Western businesses and tourism
Singapore
Gained independence in 1965; home to a thriving port society
Hong Kong today

9. Japan, Inc.: Japan’s Political and Cultural Style
Politics
LDP remains dominant until 1993, when corruption charges raised doubts about the party
Defined by close cooperation between business and political interests
Remained oligarchic and elite, despite a more democratic system
Culture
Tradition persisted and elements of Japanese culture remained (tea ceremony, poetry, theater etc.)
New artistic styles (movies, novels) recalled previous eras while others (music) combined Japanese and Western styles
Style remained distinctly Japanese, with little impact on world culture.
Modern Japanese women in traditional kimonos

10. Japanese women wearing blonde wigs take part in a promotional event in Tokyo.
About 300 Japanese women in identical blonde wigs took part in the event before throwing the wigs in the air to debunk the stereotypical western concept of beauty and being urged to develop their own beauty ideal.

11. Japan’s Economic Surge
Rapid economic growth
makes Japan a world economic
power by the end of the
20th century.
WHY?
Active government encouragement
Educational expansion
Distinctive labor policies
Group-oriented social conscious/management style
Traditional family styles that resist Western patterns
Pop culture grew and adapted to many Western styles

12. The Pacific Rim
Other countries mirror Japan's growth, including Korea and Taiwan

13. The Korean Miracle Political Change Economic change Impact
The military government was removed in the 1980’s—replaced by a conservative gov’t that allowed limited participation and press freedom
Economic change
The economy became the focus of the gov’t after 1950, which aided through growth of huge firms (Hyundai) by partnering with private entrepreneurs
Consumer goods dominated, and steel, cars and textiles were also produced
Impact
Huge population growth leads to high population density and gov’t controls on birth rates
Environmental damage creates a hothouse climate
Massive disparity between rich and poor

14. The Pacific Rim: New Japans?
Taiwan experienced economic development as agriculture and industry increased rapidly.
Taiwan built important regional contacts with other governments in Asia to facilitate trade.
Chiang Ching-kuo took over the Republic of China after Chiang Kai-shek died.

15. Advances in Taiwan (Republic of China) and Singapore
Political Change
Chiang Kai-shek and later, his son rule Taiwan until Gov’t remains stable through transition and even after the US recognizes China’s rule
Lee Kuan rules Singapore for three decades after 1965
Both groups held tight control of the government and suppressed opposition
Economic change
In Taiwan, successful trade contacts were created around the world, including Beijing. Gov’t poured aid into rapidly stimulating the economy and agriculture, which resulted in huge gains.
Singapore continued to grow as well as per capita income
Hong Kong also became a center for world trade and banking
Impact
All areas became important links in the international trade chain
Each area is vital to the US economy for exports as well as investment capital

16. US Policy: The Pacific Rim
While the US supported the growth of Pacific Rim economies to hold off communism, their rapidly growing economies posed a serious threat to the US economy
The issue: created an unfavorable balance of trade
Options: Imitation of Pacific Rim policies OR antagonistic policy (tariffs etc.)

17. The Pacific Rim: New Japans?
Singapore gained independence in 1965 and Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew took power.
The government established tight controls over its citizens.
Singapore saw profits in its port.
Hong Kong, a British port, was returned to China in 1997.

18. Common Themes and New Problems
Commonalities
Group loyalty over individuals
Emphasized hard work
Confucian morality
All were very dynamic
All benefited from Japan’s rapid growth
Problems
Growth lessened by the end of the 20th century
Currencies declined
Unemployment grew
Policies problems impeded economic growth
Some governments would not switch to fee-market capitalism

19. China: Mao and Beyond Civil War of the 1930’s
Nationalists had the advantage at first, but the war with Japan strengthened the Communist position
Communists achieved victory by 1949, in large part b/c they had widespread support among the peasantry, who liked Communist policies (land reform, education for the masses and health care)

20. Communists Come to Power
Civil war had created a strong political framework based on the military organization of the People’s Liberation Army
This strength was used to assert dominance in the area
Secessionist movement
suppressed in Mongolia
and Tibet
Intervention in the
Korean and Vietnam Wars
Periodic invasions
of Taiwan

21. Mao’s Rise
Chiang Kai-shek formed an alliance with Chinese communists after invasions from Japan.
The Japanese captured much of the Chinese coast.
The communists were more effective against the Japanese than Chiang’s military.
By 1949, Chiang and most of his army fled to Taiwan and Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China.

22. Planning for Economic Growth and Justice
Mao saw peasants as the group that was key to his reforms; therefore, they became the backbone of his new policies
Land reforms: landlords deposed and publicly humiliated; land redistributed
Five Year Plans: goal was to create massive leaps in industrial/agricultural output levels
Mass Line Approach: forms agricultural cooperatives
Elimination of the elite: landlords deposed, humiliated and executed; intellectuals persecuted and sent to wok on large collectives.

23. Mao’s China and Beyond
The relationship between China and the USSR deteriorated over many disputes.
Mao’s first priority was to redistribute land to the peasantry.
Industrialization was also needed.

24. The Great Leap Backward
Great Leap Forward
Launched in 1958, its goal was massive stimulation of the workforce to produce incredible agricultural and industrial output
Characterized by collectivized farms and small, backyard furnaces to create steel
Ended in economic disaster and famine
Great Leap Backward
No incentive for peasants in collectivization; many rebelled
Emphasis on backyard steel production produced millions of pounds of useless, weak metal
Though people ignored harvest to make steel, Mao did not lower quotas, resulting in a devastating famine that killed millions

25. “Women Hold Up Half the Heavens”
Women's’ issues and the support of women were an important part of the Communist platform. Mao’s wife played an important leadership role.
Communists sought to gain more rights for women while Nationalists urged women to uphold their traditional roles in Chinese society.
Result-women gain legal equality but greater burdens abounded as they were still expected to care for their husbands, homes and children. Short-term gains by women in the Communist party were limited by the long-term trends, which did not reflect widespread change.

26. Mao’s Last Campaign and the Fall of the Gang of Four
Failure of GLF lost Mao a lot of support, and he was asked to step aside, replaced by the pragmatists.
His return years later was characterized by a new movement that involved China’s youth, who would be too young to remember the famine—The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution—used masses of youth and propaganda (Little Red Books) to root out his enemies. Targets were political rivals, intellectuals and any potential critics.

27. Vietnam “Colonialism and Revolution”
A similar experience to China (Confucian tradition)
French slowly gain control of Vietnam, through support of Gia Long and his effort to unify the country.
Special rights given to traders and missionaries and later, installation of puppet regimes.
The French exploit the Vietnamese people and their resources with little return.

28. Colonialism and Revolution in Vietnam
The Tayson Rebellion toppled the Nguyen dynasty in the late 1770’s and later, the Trinh dynasty.
Nguyen Anh was able to topple the Tayson and proclaim himself the Gia Long emperor of Vietnam in 1802.
Minh Mang, the second emperor, persecuted the Catholic community.
By 1890, the whole country was under the control of the French.

29. Vietnamese Nationalism
Failure of Gia Long to resist the French discredits his dynasty, leading to more widespread animosity towards Confucianism. Despite this, guerilla opposition to the puppet regime was easily defeated.
However, a growing middle class (Western educated) began voicing opposition to French racism. The French violently suppressed all opposition.
French reaction encouraged Vietnamese nationalists (VNQDD) to use violence as well.
Fall of the VNQDD left the Communist Party as the main focus of resistance, though they were forced to operate underground due to French retaliation.

30. Colonialism and Revolution in Vietnam
French control over puppet emperors made it easy to crush rebellions.
A new Western-educated middle class emerged.
In the 1920’s, the nationalist struggle was centered in the Vietnamese Nationalist Party.
The Communist part of Vietnam became the main focus of resistance in Vietnam.
The party was dominated by Ho Chi Minh.

31. War of Liberation vs. France
Viet Minh (Communist resistance to French) fight the Japanese when they invade in 1941.
Communists gain political power in the North after WWII while the French maintain colonial power in the South.
A war ensues, with the French defeated in – Democratic Republic of Vietnam

32. War of Liberation vs. USA
Promises of post-war elections never materialized as Vietnam became part of the “domino theory” of the Cold War.
Ngo Dinh Diem wins a rigged election in the South and with US support, begins a campaign against the communists (Viet Cong)
When Diem couldn’t finish the job, the US took over, launching the Vietnam War. After heavy losses and a massive anti-war campaign at home, the US finally withdrew, and the South fell to the Communist North in 1975.

33. After Victory: Struggle to Rebuild
Communist win isolates the country from much of the industrialized world, making it hard to rebuild.
While the gov’t pushed hardline political & economic policies (centralization), they had to contend with the US, who worked to block assistance, and China, whom they fought on their borders.
Liberalization of the economy and a cooling of tensions with the US led to greater growth in the 1980s.

34. Global Connections
China & Vietnam= monarchies and colonial regimes are replaced by Communism
Changes= social classes disappeared, women gained new rights, more access to education, Confucianism loses ground to Communism, industrialization, democratization
Continuities= suspicion of commercial/entrepreneurial classes, belief in authority of one ruler to provide for the people, emphasis on the group/social harmony.

35. Chapter 34 Discussion Questions
In what ways did the United States attempt to democratize Japan after World War II?
Why was Japan able to experience economic growth during US military occupation?
How was Korea divided after World War II and why did this create conflict?
How were South Korea, Taiwan, and Singapore like Japan when it comes to industrialization?
How were the communists able to take over the Chinese government in 1949?
Give examples of policies created by Mao Zedong and how they were beneficial/detrimental to China?