Chapter 35
Rebirth and Revolution: Nation-Building in East Asia and the Pacific Rim
I.Introduction i. Japan the anomaly in non-Western societies a. Fought imperialism & high level of industrialization b. Imitation of Western rivals - imperialist tendencies ii. Korea has also emerged as leading industrial center iii. China and Vietnam resemble other emerging nations a. Suffered from exploitive terms of exchange w/ West b. Had to deal with underdevelopment, overpopulation c. And..poverty and environmental degradation d. Sound familiar? e. But...they also saw collapse of 1000 year civilization iv. Confucian system destroyed in Vietnam and China a. External aggression + internal upheaval b. Imperialism destroyed political institutions i. Left nothing for nation-building v. Recent themes a. Confucianism and traditions reworked/adapted b. Economic development c. Growing independence and self-assertion
II. East Asia in th Postwar Settlements A. Introduction i. Divisions after WWII a. Korea divided between Russian/US zone b. Taiwan returned to China - ruled by Chiang Kai Shek c. US regained Philippines, pledged quick turnover w/ bases d. Europeans retook control of Vietnam, Malay and Indonesia e. Japan occupied by US forces B. New Divisions and the End of Empires i. Decolonization led to independence for Malaya, Indonesia, Philippines ii. Taiwan ruled by Chiang Kai Shek, mainland to Mao a. Taiwan emergs as separate republic iii. US intervention preserves South Korean independence C. Japanese Recovery i. Recovered economy in surprising speed a. US provided opportunity for selective westernization ii. New political system a. Ruled by General Douglas MacArthur b. Got rid of wartime political structure i. military disbanded ii. police decentralized iii. officials removed iv. political prisoners released c.