HIST 097 China in the 20th Century
Taught as schedule allows (consult the Course Directory)
From an Empire to a Republic, from communism to socialist-style capitalism, no country has been through so much change in the 20C. This course provides a broad survey of Chinese history from the late Qing to the Post-Mao era. We study, in the first two weeks, the last imperial dynasty, the Qing (1644-1911) in order to understand the foundation it laid for modern China. Then we shall explore, decade by decade, the century from the Hundred-days Reform in 1898 to the pro-democracy movement in 1989. We focus on such events as the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, the Nationalist revolution in 1911, the Japanese invasion in 1937, the founding of the People's Republic in 1949, the Great Culture Revolution and Deng Xiaoping's Open-door policy. We also explore the change and continuity in Chinese culture and society.
