Description

instructions
Directions: Answer (your choice) any TEN of the questions below.

Develop each answer to the fullest extent possible, discussing the nuances of each topic and present your arguments logically. Answers should be robust and developed in-depth, spell-checked and grammatically correct. Type your responses in a word document (number your responses) and submit your test to the appropriate assignment folder in the LEO Classroom by the deadline as posted in the course syllabus. You may want to follow up by sending it directly to your instructor as an email attachment to be assured that your test is received on time.

Week 1 & 2 – Early Modern East Asia & China, Japan, and 19th Century Imperialism

1. The Tokugawa Shogunate and the Qing Dynasty have commonly been categorized as “isolationist” or “insular.” Why do you think they are perceived in this way?

2. There is a common saying – the flag follows the dollar sign. How does this relate to our topic of imperialism? State whether you agree, disagree. Explain your answer.

3. Asians are painted as passive or unwilling victims of European expansion and imperialism. Do you believe this interpretation is valid or not, explain your answer?

Week 3 – Reform and Conflict in Japan and Korea

4. One theory poses that Japan never truly modernized but instead clings to obsolete forms of political expression and processes that hinder it to the present day. Is this true?

5. Korea is the only major Asia country that was not colonized or subjected to western imperialism and instead, it dealt almost solely with Japanese imperialism. How did their experiences differ from the rest of Asia and why?

Week 4 – Revolution and War in China

6. What factors do you think led to the development of Chinese nationalism? Do you see any parallels to our world today? Explain your answer.

7. Two persistent questions regarding the Chinese revolution that remain are: (1.) Did Japan fatally weaken the Kuomintang or Nationalist by invading and (2.) Did the Communists ultimately win the revolution or did the Nationalist simply lose it? Provide an answer to both these questions.

Week 5 – Colonization and Division of Korea

8. Evaluate the scope of Japanese colonialism in Korea. Highlight three positive and three negative impacts of Japanese colonialism. Do you think that the positives outweighed the negatives, the negatives outweighed the positives or that the final tally was more neutral, an equal dose of good and bad?

9. Had the UN not intervened, do you think that a Korea unified under a northern Communist government would have been either better or worse than a divided Korea?

Week 6 – The People’s Republic of China

10. The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution are significant events in world history – in sheer loss of life, they rank as two of the worst man-made cataclysms in world history. Were they the result of the leadership seeking a more pure form of communism or the result of cynical power plays inside the government or was it something else and if so, what?

11. In light of the sudden breakup of the Soviet Union and the problems it’s had since, why do you believe the Chinese Communist Party was able to make the transition to a more market-based economy and remain in power. Or do you believe that the “ending” is still in doubt?

Week 7 – War and Postwar Recovery in Japan

12. Japan’s economic rise from the ashes of World War II has been deemed an economic miracle. What do you believe were the main reasons for this miracle? Do you believe it was more the result of deliberate planning or blind luck and serendipity?

13. Japan was recently replaced as the second-largest economy in the world by China. Why do you think this is and what are the implications of this change?