Chapter 34:Nation Building in East Asia and the Pacific Rim

By Josie Maxwell, Grace Kim, and MJ Pott

Places to Know

❏Japan❏China

❏ Taiwan❏ Hong

Kong❏Korea❏Vietnam❏Singapo

re

JAPAN

Incorporated

Japanese Recovery • WWII left Japan in ruins• Rapid rebuilding of economy

– Selective westernization via occupying U.S. troops

• U.S. Occupation goals: Democratic Japan and demilitarization

• New constitution • Parliament made

supreme political body • Economic reforms • Educational Reforms • Changes accepted by public

Economic Surge

• Government supported business cooperation

• Mass export expansiono “Japan, Incorporated”o More exports than

China, both Koreas, Taiwan, India, Pakistan, Australia, and Brazil combined

o Mostly cars and electronics

o Quality and Quantity!

• Annual economic growth= 10% after 1950

What caused the Economic Boom?

• Active government encouragement • Education expansion• Foreign policy

– Japan’s army is disbanded– Extra capital goes to support

economy• Labor policy

– Labor unions– Strong sense of group loyalty– Low unemployment – Employees less likely to take

vacations, Bosses less materialistic

Effects on Family Life

• Women are increasingly well-educated o decline in birthrates o small feminist movement o focus on domestic duty

and child rearing

• Children’s education becomes extremely conformisto non-conformists are

punished and humiliated

Social Effects

• Far fewer lawyers • Far fewer

lonely/alienated people

• Emphasis on individual competition– University entrance

exams are more stressful

– Heavy drinking & geisha houses accepted

Culture and Westernization • Fascination with baseball, golf,

tennis

• Children prefer western cutlery over chopstickso Chopstick classes instituted

• Traditional Art, poetry, tea ceremonies, and flower arrangements survive

• Theatres and literature thrive

• Art used to attack controversial issues o Hiraoka Kimitoke (1925-

1970)(shown right)

Government

• Japan is converted into a democracy by the U.S.– Dominated by a single party: The Liberal

Democratic Party • Closer to an oligarchy

– Conservative stability

• Population boom= government campaign supporting abortion and birth control – Strong national tradition of state-sponsored

discipline

Problems-Things Fall Apart• Pollution becomes a

problem by 1960

• Intense respect for elders challenged by younger generation

• 1990’s collapse o Liberal Democrats are

corrupt Replaced by an

unstable coalition government

o Severe economic depression High unemployment

rateo Relatively swift recovery

China.

China : Chiang Kai- shek○ Anticommunist crusade and

success during the 1930s interrupted -> Japanese invasion

○ Did not focus on invasion -> obsessed with communist and continued struggle against them

○ Forced to ally with communists against Japanese

○ Chiang’s conventional military v.s superior air, land, and sea forces of Japan

○ His retreat eroded his reputation with military allies, the rural landlords, and foreign powers

○ Arrival of Chiang’s armies meant theft, rape, and murder for Chinese villagers

○ He did little to improve the condition of the people

China: Mao

● 1950s - Balance of power was shifting to Mao

● Triumphant- communist policies = support of the peasantry and others

● Good reasons to support Mao and his revolutionary movement○ land reform○ education○ improved health care

● Mao’s soldiers were indoctrinated w/ the need to protect the peasantry and win their support

Mao, cont.● Harsh penalties were

levied● 1st priority ->

Complete the social revolution in the rural areas

● Village tribunals● Border disputes● Late 1950s -> marked

the Mao’s rule had broken down

● Pragmatists -> Gang of Four

Chinese Politics:Communism

● Communists won favor - victorious in 1949

● Victory in China drove Chiang’s regime to Taiwan

● Convinced the people that they had the leaders and the program that could improve their lives

● Intellectuals and students changed their allegiance to communists

● Strong military and political organization

Communism, cont.● Party cadres and the

People’s Liberation Army● Army subordinate to

party● Administered by military

officials for 5 years after communists came to power

● Communist planners saw rapid industrialization -> no peasant farmers

● Stalinist style 5 year plan -> communist leaders turn away from peasantry to urban workers

China: Social and Cultural● The Great Leap Forward

○ Further effort to revitalize the flagging revolution by restoring its mass, rural base

● Women/Social○ Mao -> moved as a young

boy, interested in women’s rights

○ Women’s issues and women’s support for the communist movement became important in Mao’s revolutionary strategy

○ Clash with nationalists and communists

● Mao’s cultural revolution○ Convinced that the support

among the students, peasants, and military was strong enough to launch what would be his last campaign

Taiwan

• Guomindang Refugeo Chiang Kai-sheko China/US tensions

• Shift focus from regaining China to economic growtho State planning but also free market

possibilityo Agriculture improves--reforms benefit

farmerso Education and literacy increase, Western

medicine

• Chiang Kai-shek dies, son Chiang Ching-kuo ascends to lead

KoreaNorth Korea

➢ “People’s Democratic Republic of Korea”

➢ Led by Kim Il-Sung

➢ Communist○ High Soviet

influence

South Korea

➢ “Republic of Korea”

➢ Led by Syngman Rhee, a Nationalist○ Lots of American

support

The Korean War

• Started in 1950 by North Korea

• US jumps to aid South, border gets pushed up into North Koreao General MacArthur

• Communist China sends troops, push border back down

• Front stabilizes in 1952, war ended 1953

• Border clashes and tensions continue, but no more outright war

Post-War Korea

➢ Tendency for leaders to be ‘Strongmen’

➢ Focus shifts to economic growth○ Industrialization and mass production○ Hyundai

➢ Population growth○ Gov’t began to urge limited birthrates○ Emigration and air pollution became

common

Vietnam

Vietnam and France

❖ 1600’s--French Catholic Missionaries➢ French motives became more political and

economic

❖ 1770’s--Tayson Rebellion➢ Peasants overthrew the Nguyen dynasty, then

the rival Trinh dynasty

❖ French support Nguyen Anh➢ Last Nguyen prince➢ With French arms and tactics he conquers

Vietnam

❖ 1802--Proclaims himself Gia Long emperor of Vietnam➢ French get benefits

Vietnam and Confucianism❖ Gia Long was a big fan of

Confucianism➢ Capitol at Hue mimicked Imperial palace➢ Administration made up of Confucian

bureaucrats➢ French Catholic missionaries disappointed

❖ Minh Mang➢ 2nd emperor, also very Confucian➢ Starts persecuting Catholics--very bad move

❖ 1840-1890--French conquest of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia➢ Nguyen princes reduced to ‘puppets’➢ Economic and Social problems worsen

Nationalism or Communism?

❖ Confucianism is rejected➢ Ideological vacuum created

❖ Nationalism- “V. Quoc Dan Dong” (VNQDD)➢ Secret society supporting the violent overthrow

of the French➢ Mostly made up of the emerging middle

class➢ Failed due to French secret police

❖ Communism➢ Party led by Nguyen Ai Quoc (Ho Chi

Minh)➢ French crush them, too, but the

Communist underground survives

First Indochina War (France)❖ Japanese invade in 1941

➢ Viet Minh gain power in N. Vietnam➢ Gain support of the people

❖ Viet Minh control N. Vietnam by 1945➢ General Vo Nguyen Giap--guerilla tactics

❖ French reaction➢ S. Vietnam is politically divided➢ French forces seize Saigon and come to

control much of S. and central Vietnam with the help of the British

➢ French are supported by US at this point

❖ V. capture French Fort at Dien Bien Phu➢ Decisive end to the war

Between Wars

❖ 1954 Geneva conference➢ Recognized Vietnam as independent➢ Called for elections within 2 years

❖ Tensions with the US➢ During WWII Viet Minh and US cooperated

against Japan, but US sided with France in the next war

➢ While the Cold War US was against Communism, Ho Chi Minh was a popular leader in Vietnam

➢ Anti-Communist sentiment in the US led the US to believe it should protect S. Vietnam from becoming Communist■ Ngo Dinh Diem--US-backed Nationalist

leader of S. Vietnam

Second Indochina War (US)❖ Diem worked against the Communists

➢ Focused on Communist cadres in S. Vietnam

❖ Communist reaction➢ Viet Cong threatened, N. V. send guns,

advisors, etc.➢ S. V. communists form “National Liberation

Front”➢ Guerilla warfare spreads

❖ Full-out war➢ Diem is ineffective, US has his generals

overthrow him➢ US and N.V. keep sending in more resources

■ US troops increased to almost 500,000■ More explosives dropped than in WWII

➢ Communists don’t give in, war ends 1970’s

After the Wars

❖ Vietnam was united under the Communists➢ S. V. regime fell apart quickly without US

support

❖ Communists failed to rebuild Vietnam➢ Economy and environment shattered, no aid➢ Leaders push harsh socialist agendas➢ Gov’t controls economy, unsuccessful

❖ Slow recovery➢ Communist method clearly failing by the

1980’s➢ Outside nations open up economy somewhat➢ Vietnam still faces sweatshop conditions,

social inequality, very little education

Port Cities

Hong Kong❖ British colony until

1997➢ Returned to China➢ Communists promised

to preserve its free market economy

❖ Bridge Nation➢ Connected

Communist China with the rest of the world

➢ Many fled the Communists and settled in Hong Kong

❖ Thriving Economy

Singapore❖ British Naval base

until 1971❖ Became a nation in

1965➢ Prime Minister Lee

Kuan Yew

❖ Very dense population

❖ High gov’t control❖ Huge economic

success➢ Shipping and

manufacturing

❖ Education and health improve

Other Pacific Rim Nations

➔ Common Themes◆ Confucian influence◆ Strong central governments

➔ Late 20th century problems◆ Economic growth fails,

problems arise◆ West sees this as a sign that

free market is necessary● Some change:

Indonesia-->democracy◆ Growth picks back up

around the turn of the century

➔ “Little Tigers”-Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand◆ Experienced Economic growth and air

pollution