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ASIA: Pablo Blanco, Ying-ke Chin-Lee, Jason Dong, Vladimir Kim, Alon Levin, Charles Ma, Brian Wong, Leah Woodbridge
● Pre 600 BCE:
○ Agriculture, Neolithic Revolution in Asia by 3,000 BCE, allowing for the creation of civilizations
○ Indus River Civilization (Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa): 2600 - 1900 BCE
○ Indian Subcontinent: Aryans replaced IRC around 1500 BCE, brought Vedic religion and caste system
○ Shang Dynasty (1750-1054 BCE): Warriors, used bronze, poor infrastructure
○ Zhou Dynasty (1045-221 BCE): Used Mandate of Heaven ideology to legitimize “feudal” monarchy
● 600 BCE -- 600 CE:
○ China: Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period
■ Confucianism: Confucius (551–479 BCE). Stress on relationships, esp. filial piety
■ Legalism: Han Feizi (280–233 BCE). Known for advocating rule by harshness
■ Taoism: Laozi (600 BCE). Philosophy about harmony and life in general.
○ Qin Dynasty: Unification, construction of the Great Wall, use of Legalism
○ Han Dynasty: Used Confucianism, was large land empire, had early form of civil service examinations
○ Three Kingdoms Era: Neo-Taoism, evolution of Buddhism. Mostly of cultural importance.
○ Sui Dynasty (581 - 618): Grand Canal, North-South Reunification
○ Korea: Gojoseon (? - 108 BCE), Three Kingdoms (37 BCE - 935 CE), Unified under Silla Kingdom
○ India: Vedic Period (1500 - 500 BCE), Jainism (ca. 500-400 BCE), Buddhism (ca. 600-400 BCE)
○ Mauryan Empire (322 - 185 BCE): founded by Chandragupta Maurya
○ Gupta Empire (320 to 550 CE): Religious Tolerance, Golden Age of India
● 600 -- 1450:
○ Rise of Silk Road
○ China: Tang Dynasty: stability, arts, culture, mix of religions (predominantly Buddhism)
○ Song Dynasty: Scholar-Official (Shi) Class, technological advances, flourishing culture.
○ Mongol Rule (~100 years): influenced subsequent Ming and Qing Dynasties
○ Ming Dynasty: Increased travel, trade, and European connection
○ Japan: Nara Period (Chinese Influence), Heian Period (beginning of Feudal Warlord system), Sengoku Period
(Warring States)
○ Kublai Khan and Mongols invade Korea (Koryo Dynasty), followed by renewal of art in Choson Period
○ SE Asia beings to join into polities, with Khmer (Angkor Dynasty) being largest
○ South Asia: Islam gains power, art and culture becomes prevalent, geopolitics reshaped
● 1450 -- 1750:
○ China: Ming Dynasty peaks, begins to weaken economically, soon replaced by Qing who undo reforms and
begin rebuilding China
○ Japan: Falls into warlike chaos, Europeans use opportunity to gain influence, Tokugawa Shogunate forms,
reorganizes Japan, closes ports to virtually all Europeans
○ India’s Mughal Empire (Mongols) replaces Delhi Sultanate, at first tolerant, then becomes oppressive, and
finally regresses due to new Maratha Empire. Soon falls to European colonization
● 1750 -- 1900:
○ India: Sepoy Rebellion, Indian National Congress
○ China: Opium War, Rebellions (Taiping and Boxer), Modernization & anti-Colonialism efforts
○ Japan: Meiji Restoration, end of isolationism & feudalism, Perry opens up Japan
○ Sino-Japanese War: fight over Korea, Japan starts and wins, shows Japan’s militarism and China’s weaknesses
● 1900 -- Present:
○ China: Revolution (1911, removes Qing), Revolution (1949, Communists), Great Leap Forward (1958-1961,
Mao tries to transition from Socialism to Communism), Cultural Revolution (1966, Mao tries to overthrow
Communist party because of party’s capitalist sentiments; overall a failure), Deng Xiaoping (Communism +
Capitalism = wealthy, healthy China)
○ Japan: Russo-Japanese War (1905, Japanese victory), Second Sino-Japanese War (1937, major Japanese loss
after invasion of China), Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945, ended WWII)
○ Asian Tigers: Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, South Korea, centers of major economic reform
○ India: gains independence from British (1947); partition into India and Pakistan creates lasting hostility
○ Conflicts in Vietnam, Korea, Cambodia: results of the Cold War and superpower interference