East & Southeast Asia
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Transcript of East & Southeast Asia
East & Southeast Asia
An overview from Colonialism through the Cold War
Overview of the RegionPopulation of over 2 billion -
nearly 1/3 of all people in the world today live in East & Southeast Asia.
Fastest growing economies in the world, but many people still live in extreme poverty
Many governments are authoritarian & repressive, but openness & democracy are on the rise
Asia’s Cultural TraditionsChina & Confucianism
◦Longest cultural history in the world, dating back 4000 years (2000 years older than Christianity)
◦Culture & political forms influenced neighbors, esp. Koreas, Japan, & Vietnam
◦Provided examples of etiquette, morals, & government
◦Believed that other countries should defer to them AS a good example
Asia’s Cultural TraditionsIndia & Buddhism
◦Nearly 2000 years ago, Indian forms of government & religion spread throughout Southeast Asia
◦Spread by priests & traders, not armies or conquest
◦Variations of Buddhism are still widely practiced in Vietnam, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, & parts of China
Asia’s Cultural TraditionsIslam
◦From 14th to 16th century, traders & religious teachers spread Islam through the Maylay peninsula, Indonesian islands, & the Philippines State religion of Malaysia & Brunei 88% of Indonesians are Muslim Parts of the Philippines remain Muslim (more on Islam when we cover the
Middle East)
Asia’s Cultural TraditionsChristianity
◦More recently, Western missionaries brought Christianity to the region in the 16th Century Most people in the Philippines are
Catholic Almost half of South Koreans are
Christian
Economic & Political Changes
The regions cultures are being changed by rapid economic & political changes, caused by contact with Western culture◦TV, music, popular media, images of
what prosperity & freedom that young people want to emulate
Many governments have tried to outlaw some aspects of “corrupt” Western culture, but results are limited
ColonialismOver past four centuries, many
countries in East & Southeast Asia have been influenced or controlled by outside powers
Every country was affected by Western & Japanese Imperialism in the 19th & 20 centuries
Individual countries were affected in different ways
Colonialism14th century – Spanish priests,
merchants, & soldiers came to the regionBy 18th century, huge companies
operated like sovereign governments, taking over land & protecting monopolies
European states were competing for colonial holdings & doing business with Asian states
China limited access to its markets◦Only opium was unlimited
ColonialismChina became concerned about the
growing opium addition among its people & moved to shut it down
Great Britain objected & opened war with China – the Opium War
China lost & was forced to sign the Treaty of Nanjing◦Established 5 ports under British control◦Gave Hong Kong to British entirely◦Kept opium trade open
ColonialismChina lost another Opium War with
Britain & France in the 1850’sBy the end of the 19th Century,
Europeans controlled over 80 Chinese ports, thereby controlling most of China’s economy
U.S. & Japan also began competing for influence in the region
By 20th Century, nearly all of E & SE Asia was controlled by foreign powers
ColonialismCountries reacted to Western
Imperialism in different ways◦Some resented foreign rule & fought
against it, developing strong nationalist movements
◦Some accepted it passively◦Thailand maneuvered politically to
avoid it; it is the only country in the region that was never a colony
ColonialismInspired by Russia, China & other
countries became communist because they thought that Western Imperialism was driven by Capitalism
Japan began to imitate the military & industrial techniques of the West◦Developed economically & militarily,
eventually becoming an Imperial power themselves
◦Western powers did not recognize this until too late
Japanese Militarism1894 – 1910: series of Japanese
wars with China & Russia ended with Japanese control of:◦Formosa (now Taiwan) & the
Liaotung peninsula◦The Korean Peninsula◦Parts of the NE coast of China
(Manchuria)◦The southern part of Sakhalin Island
(north of Japan)
Japan in WW1Fought with the Allies, but used it
to their advantage to try to control China while European powers were busy fighting Germany
They conquered:◦Manchuria◦Several major inland cities◦Large coastal areas
Japan in WW2After WW1, the European colonial
states still held colonies in Southeast Asia
Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, then moved to take over the European colonies in the region
Question:
Japan does not currently control the areas it seized during WW2. What happened?
Important Leftovers from WW2
Korea was split in two◦Northern Korea surrendered to Russia &
Southern Korea surrendered to the US◦Both became pawns in the Cold War
China reacquired Taiwan, but lost it again during the communist revolution when the Nationalist government fled to Taiwan
Conflict continued in some areas as France tried to get its colonies back
Cold War in East & Southeast AsiaKorean War
◦1950 – North Korea (supported by USSR) invaded South Korea (supported by USA)
◦US sent troops to defend South Korea, with endorsement from the UN Security Council
◦As US troops neared the North Korean border, China moved to support North Korea
◦After peace negotiations, peace was reached in 1953
Cold War in East & Southeast AsiaViet Nam War
◦Like Korea, the country was divided, the north having a communist government supported by Russia & China, the south having a democratic government supported by the US
◦To defend against “Communist Aggression” the US spent billions to support the south
◦After more than ½ million deaths, the US pulled out & the north took over the south, reuniting the country
Cold War in East & Southeast AsiaRelations between the USSR &
China got worse & eventually lead to armed conflict along their shared border
In 1972, Nixon opened talks with China, changing the issue into a 3-way strategic triangle
East Asia became even more important to the Cold War
Questions to ConsiderHas North Korea developed
nuclear weapons, creating a larger threat to South Korea & the entire region?
Will Japan expand its military power or remain content to have the US provide its security?
Will the US retain a considerable military presence in the region?
Questions to ConsiderWhat will the rising economic
power of the region mean to the US?
What does our debt to China mean for the future?
How will the outsourcing of jobs to the region affect our economy in the future?