Deck 28: Modern East Asia

Question 1

Which of the following best describes China's path to modernization before the May Fourth Movement? (Global Perspective, pp. 696-697)

A) China lacked key preconditions, such as high levels of literacy.
B) China's Confucian ruling ideology blocked Westernization.
C) China modernized more rapidly than Japan because of its capacity to assimilate.
D) China followed a separate, non-Western path to modernization.

Answer 1

China's Confucian ruling ideology blocked Westernization.

Question 2

The chief weakness of the Taiping movement was

A) the selfish nature of the rural gentry who led the movement.
B) overly rapid land distribution.
C) creation of secret societies.
D) weak leadership.

Answer 2

the selfish nature of the rural gentry who led the movement.

Question 3

The largest rebellions against the Manchu began (Map 28-1, p. 699)

A) in the north and the west.
B) in the south and the east.
C) in the south and the west.
D) in the north and the east.

Answer 3

in the south and the east.

Question 4

Marxism-Leninism

A) addressed conditions in China almost perfectly.
B) downplayed the importance of industrial development.
C) blamed China's relative backwardness on the lack of Western interference.
D) proposed a vision for rapid development in China.

Question 5

Japan's "wonder crop" in the Tokugawa era was

A) opium.
B) tea.
C) cotton.
D) silk.

Question 6

The purpose of Japan's late-nineteenth-century "model industries" was

A) to produce goods to replace imports.
B) to ensure employment for urban youth.
C) to distract voters from economic weakness.
D) to train workers for an industrial economy.

Question 7

From the late nineteenth century well into the twentieth, women

A) made up more than half the industrial workforce.
B) were discouraged from entering the workforce.
C) were generally illiterate.
D) emerged as political leaders.

Question 8

Describe the similarities and differences in Chinese and Japanese responses to Western influence. Why was Japan more open to foreign concepts than was China? What was the role of nationalism in this issue?
Conceptual

Question 9

How did Mao Zedong alter communism to fit Chinese society? What were the consequences of this alteration?
Conceptual

Question 10

What is the importance of the Opium War? How does this conflict help explain British attitudes toward colonial areas? What did the Chinese give up in this conflict? What was the importance of India in relation to the war?
Conceptual

Question 11

What were the causes of the rebellions that convulsed China between 1850 and 1873? What were the consequences of these rebellions?
Conceptual

Question 12

What were the effects of Western imperialism on China during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
Conceptual

Question 13

What was the May Fourth Movement in China? How did this movement reflect the conflict between old and new Chinese thought? What was the importance of national aspiration in this movement?
Conceptual

Question 14

What were the most important turning points in the shift away from traditional Confucianism toward Western rationality in China? How did this shift affect China's road to modernization? How did this shift contribute to the spread of Marxism-Leninism in China?
Conceptual

Question 15

Describe the formation of the Guomindang Party and its influence on Chinese history. Who were its leaders? Why did the Chinese Communist Party leave the organization? In what areas of China did the GMD have its strength?
Conceptual

Question 16

What were the primary reasons for the decline of the Guomindang Party between 1937 and 1949?
Conceptual

Question 17

Discuss the political situation in Japan from 1853 to 1868. Why was Perry able to make such a dramatic impact on the country? What were the goals of the central government and why did they fail? What influence did the samurai have in this time period?
Conceptual

Question 18

What were some of the major goals of the Meiji state in Japan? How did some of their programs differ from other reforms in Japanese history? What were the golden years of the Meiji?
Conceptual

Question 19

How did political parties operate in Japan? Explain the strengths and weaknesses of the Japanese constitution.
Conceptual

Question 20

What were the primary causes of the emergence of Japan's modern economy?
Conceptual

Question 21

How and why did Japan become involved in World War II? Why did Japan suffer defeat in this war? Explain the nature of Japanese fascism and compare it with German Nazism.
Conceptual

Question 22

Compare the effects of World War I and the Great Depression on China and Japan. What were the major outcomes in each country? Which country better weathered the two crises? Which factor or factors do you think best account(s) for their relative success?
Conceptual

Question 23

Describe the zaibatsu model. To what extent did the zaibatsu model contribute to the economic success of Japan? Was this system compatible with modern capitalism?
Conceptual

Question 24

How did Japanese intellectuals look at the West? What was their attitude toward modernization? Did the push toward modernization mean the abandonment of Japanese traditional values and identity?
Conceptual
18 What is the significance of Japan's victory over Russia in 1905? What does the victory say about the state of the Japanese economy and technology? How did the Russo-Japanese war change the international standing of Japan?
Conceptual

Question 25

Compare and contrast the Taiping Rebellions and the Boxer Rebellion. What were the ideological foundations of each movement? What were the aims of the rebellions? What were the long-term effects of these uprisings?
Conceptual

Question 26

Compare and contrast the Revolution of 1911 with the Communist Revolution of the 1930s and 1940s. What political ideas inspired the revolutionary movements? What similarities or differences exist between the leaders of the revolutions? What external factors acted in favor of or against the revolutions?
Conceptual