The History of South and East Asia in a nutshell!

Standard SS7H3 a-e

SS7H3a: Describe how nationalism led to independence

in India and Vietnam

SS7H3b: Describe the impact of Mohandas Gandhi’s belief in non-violent protest

SS7H3c: Explain the role of the United States in the rebuilding of Japan after WWII

SS7H3d: Describe the impact of communism in China in terms of Mao Zedong, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and Tiananmen Square

SS7H3e: Explain the reasons for foreign involvement in Korea

and Vietnam in terms of containment of communism

Nationalism and independence in India (SS7H3a)

• India was a trading partner with Britain in the 17th and 18th centuries

• Britain gained political and economic power over India by the late 1700s

• Indians did not like being ruled by a foreign power and did not trust the British

• Nationalists started a movement to gain India’s independence from Britain

What is Nationalism?SS7H3a

• Devotion to the interests or culture of one's nation

• A strong sense of pride in one’s country

Mohandas Gandhi: India’s Number One Nationalist

(SS7H3b)• Studied law in England

• Led India’s independence movement

• Believed in non-violence as the way to produce the desired result of independence

Mohandas Gandhi (SS7H3b)

• Because of Gandhi’s persistence:– Britain gave India some independence with

the Indian National Congress– 1935’s Government of India Act that gave

Indian towns more control over their own affairs

Indian Independence (SS7H3a)

• After WWII Britain did not have the resources to keep India under its rule

• India gained full independence on August 15, 1947 and established the Republic of India

Vietnamese Independence (SS7H3a)

• Vietnam was ruled by China for over 1000 years!

• Gained independence from China in 939 AD after years of fighting

• France claimed Vietnam in the late 1800s

• The Vietnamese people did not like being ruled by a foreign country!

Ho Chi Minh: Vietnam’s Number One Nationalist (SS7H3a)

• Vietnamese Communist Party leader of the early 20th century

• Declared Vietnam’s independence from France on September 2, 1945 (it took a while to actually happen!)

Vietnamese Independence (SS7H3a)

• Minh created the Viet Minh to fight against the French

• Fought for eight years without success

• Finally defeated the French in 1954 when they took the military camp at Dien Bien Phu

• 1955- France removes troops from Vietnam and left the country split into north and south regions

Democracy vs. Communism: Korea and Vietnam (SS7H3e)

• The Soviets (Communism) and the Americans (Democracy)fought on the same side in WWII

• After winning the war, both sought out to help rebuild war-torn Europe and Asia

• Both wanted to spread their own form of government to other countries

Democracy vs. Communism: Korea and Vietnam (SS7H3e)

• Both Vietnam and Korea were split into northern and southern parts after WWII

• The northern parts of both countries were controlled by communists

• The southern parts of both countries were controlled by democracy

Democracy vs. Communism: Korea and Vietnam (SS7H3e)

• Vietnam War (1959-1975) led to a united Communist country

• Korean War (1950-1953) led to two countries on the peninsula– Communist north– Democratic south

Democracy vs. Communism: Korea and Vietnam (SS7H3e)

• Although not successful in Vietnam, the U.S. became a “superpower” while the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991

• The U.S. successfully contained the spread of Communism

• There are only five Communist countries in the world today (China, Cuba, Laos, Vietnam, North Korea)

SS7H3c: How the U.S. rebuilt Japan after WWII

• Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941

• Two atomic bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima which devastated the economy and government of Japan

• The U.S. occupied Japan from 1945-1952

Rebuilding Japan: Occupation and MacArthur

(SS7H3c)• Supreme Commander

of the Allied Forces • Oversaw the

rebuilding of Japan• Disbanded the

military and closed weapons factories

• Helped write a new constitution for Japan

Communism in China (SS7H3d)

• As of 1911, the Chinese Nationalist Party was not helping the masses of poor Chinese

• The poor started to support the Communist Party (led by Mao Zedong) which promised to help them

• A revolt led to a win by the Communist Party in 1949 and China became a communist state

Mao Zedong (SS7H3c)

• Appointed leader of the Chinese Communist Party and the head of the government in 1949

• Mao took from the rich and gave to the poor (COMMUNISM) to create equality among all Chinese

• The communist government made a lot of planning mistakes

Communism in China: The Great Leap Forward (SS7H3c)

• Social program started in 1958

• Meant to speed China’s economic growth

• Sought to make farming more productive– Collective farms– Grow crops– Run industries– Educate children– Provide healthcare

Communism in China: The Great Leap Forward (SS7H3c)

• Quality of work done in the communes was poor

• Droughts and floods damaged China’s food supply

• About 20 MILLION people died from starvation and malnutrition

• The Great Leap Forward failed within one year

The Cultural Revolution (SS7H3c)

• After the failure of the GLF, the Communist Party was being publicly opposed

• Mao began the Cultural Revolution in 1966 to stop the opposition

• Caused more problem for the Chinese people– Attacks on anyone seen as anti-communist– Factories closed, healthcare and

transportation denied to many Chinese people

Tiananmen Square (SS7H3c)

• Mao dies in 1976• New leader made

changes but kept China communist

• Citizens still did not have basic human rights such as freedom of speech or the right to a fair trial

Tiananmen Square (SS7H3c)• In 1989, protesters filled the

square for seven weeks, peacefully speaking against the government

• The government warned them to stop but they did not

• The military brought in tanks and opened fire on the protesters killing hundreds

• International outrage led to improvement of human rights in China