Chapter 34

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: 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. Taiwan, Hong Kong & Singapore • Taiwan • 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

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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

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

12. The Korean Miracle • Political Change • 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

13. Advances in Taiwan (Republic of China) and Singapore • Political Change • Chiang Kai-shek and later, his son rule Taiwan until 1978. 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

14. 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.)

15. 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

16. 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)

17. 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

18. 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.

19. 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 • 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

20. “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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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 1954.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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.