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AnonymousI just have to say that Clayton is one of the most interesting people to listen to!
My reflections on this lecture keep going to Mao and the changes China saw during his rule. I understand now why China took to communism after all of the troubles they had seen as a country. The thing that makes me sad is that China swung from being ruled by the Emperor and the "elite" to being ruled by the "common man". There was no in between at all. I think Mao made a mistake by not putting emphasis on education. The Great Leap Forward was such a sad time.
AnonymousI especially enjoyed Clayton's talk about history and "serrendipity", one of my favorite vocabulary words. I have not thought of using it as a theme of history, but it makes perfect sense!! It is useful as a tool for students to put themselves into a historical context, as well. Consider this (good) idea stolen. I will definitely remember it and use it.
AnonymousThe Great Leap Forward got me thinking. During the Great Leap Forward, Mao created a 5 year plan to jump start the economy and catch up with the rest of the world in terms of agriculture, steel, and iron. Great plan on paper, and great intentions. However, the Chinese people felt his pressure, greatly exaggerated what they had produced, and this led to a severe famine in which millions of people died of starvation. When we learned about the Great Leap Forward, I thought it was such a sad and terrible thing for China to go through, yet I wasn't all that surprised. I feel like it is common in the Chinese culture to have great plans with great intentions, but something goes awry because really, it just doesn't make sense. In class we've discussed and even seen movie clips about the great lengths the Chinese will go through in order to fulfill a plan that seems so great in their minds. There was that movie clip about the mom and dad in China that left their kids with grandma so they could get a better education while mom and dad worked in a city far away to provide for their family. When the parents came back, they couldn't understand why the kids weren't more grateful for the sacrifices they were making for them. We've also discussed Chinese families bringing their children to the US for a better education and then essentially abandoning them but expecting them to excel in school and appreciate the fact that they have a great education even though they're basically parent-less. Or even if parents don't abandon them, they put so much pressure on their children to perform well in school. When I look at high school kids now, I can't believe how stressed out they are! Chinese parents put so much pressure on their children to be the best of the best. It really messes these kids up in the long run. Why is it that the Chinese have these great intentions that don't quite pan out the way it's desired to?
AnonymousI find it interesting that missionaries always feel the need to force thier religion upon those who are not open to it. Foreign missionaries entered China to teach that their monotheistic religion was the only right religion. Chinese people took offense and rebelled. The Boxer Rebellion occured. It was ultimately put down by foreign forces.
AnonymousI second Suzanne's comment about the use of Serendipity as tool to teach history. The idea that one small event can in turn lead to such dramatic and pivotal events can really get people thinking. I too will "borrow" this idea for my future lessons.
AnonymousI honestly left this session wanting more. I want to know about modern communism and the changes that were made after Mao. Professor Dube please consider another class where the only focus could be on Modern East Asia or at least East Asia post World War II. I would really like to teach about the way modern governments are working today and the relationships between them. It would be great to do a single salary point class for this.
AnonymousI find it interesting to learn how governments run under a single party rule. It seems to take so much effort to be a key player in the Republic of China but really helps if you are educated. I was surprised to learn that not all citizens of China were not members and that membership was not forced. That makes it seem like people don't have to live in fear, quite like what was going on in the USSR.
AnonymousLearning about the lengths that the Chinese go to be "the best" is interesting! They have great intentions, but why do so many of them back fire? Mao created the Great Leap Forward to catch China up with the rest of the world economically (in only 5 years!), but the pressure was too much for the Chinese and millions of people ended up dying of starvation. It makes sense that they turned to communism after such troubling times. I agree with lvaden that Mao should have put more emphasis on education.
AnonymousI was most fascinated by the transition of China from a U.S. friendly ally during WWII to an enemy and Communist state in the early 1950's. It always amazes me when alliances are built or destroyed between countries, and how quickly things can change. During WWII Japan was an enemy of the U.S., yet a few years later the Korean War completely changed that relationship. It makes me wonder what types of alliances will be built and broken in the future.
Anonymous"On June 18, 1900, the Empress Dowager ordered all foreigners to be killed. Several foreign ministers and their families were killed before the international forces could protect them. On August 14, 1900, the international forces took Peking and subdued the rebellion." I read this on a website after researching a little more about the Boxer Rebellion before I wrote this post. One statement, one action...many ways to interpret and teach it. I suppose the Christian's could teach it as a horrible example of Chinese history and barbaric actions, the Chinese could teach it as a noble stand against foreign invasion of religion and ideals corrupting traditional Chinese teachings and beliefs. Yet, I can't help but ponder that as teachers we are responsible for the development of critical thinking skills in our students. This is a huge responsibility. One of the best things I have learned from all of these lessons is that it is important to try to understand these events from different sides of the culture and to realize the responsibility that I have when I share these lessons to present them fairly and to be aware of how my personal prejudices can influence young minds.
AnonymousI also greatly enjoyed the session. I agree that certain historical events may be attributed to serendipity, but there are so many factors that lead to those "tipping points." Malcolm Gladwell's wonderful book on the topic points to such examples, but even he makes note of the fact that there are many factors that lead to these fortuitous events.
AnonymousI had not read much on communist china and my information Mao was very limited. All I really knew about the great leap frog is that it was some government decision to put all emphasis on industrial progress to catch up to the west. The reason for the famine is that the agriculture was probably sidelined or made unimportant so that there was nobody to grow food and people began to starve.
AnonymousThe class focused somewhat on the love of movies and in discussion with the last meeting, I wanted to revisit the movie entitle "The Last Emperor." When I first watched the movie many years ago, I recalled the sadness in the film. It was a solemn and melancholy topic to revisit. I am curious about how my views have changed after this class and the information that we covered in the histories of China's past. I think, reflection, and revisiting prior knowledge is a good way to form a better understanding of your learning.
AnonymousSyork, I agree with you about the interdependence between serendipity and history. That reminds of the phrase, "it's all about timing" or "right now, right place" and vice versa. If I analyze the events that have taken place in history, the major turning points often exploit the weaknesses of the people. Similar to the Holocaust, Hitler struck Germany with his views during a time of despair and economic depression. The people needed a form of inspiration, feeling like they have already hit rock bottom so there should be no other way to go but up.
Anonymous-Korean war a huge stimulus for Japanese economy. generated billions in 1950’s: similar to world war 1 and 2. women went to work to assist in WW2. This contributes to the change in the role of women as well as empowers them with a greater skill set.
-Liberal democratic party came to power at this time. (very conservative): Does this remind you of our political parties. When things go south, we switch parties. We almost elected a Republican president because of the people's discontent with the economy during the reign of a democratic president.
-Security Treaty may still lead U.S. to war. Binds us to defend Japan if attacked: we create alliances to cover our rear ends. Like I have said repeatedly, it's all about maintaining power and security for your country, even if it takes the quid pro quo approach.