History East Asia Compilation
Document
Contents
History East Asia Lecture 1 5-2..............................................................................................................2
History East Asia Lecture 2 12-2..........................................................................................................13
History East Asia Lecture 3 19-2..........................................................................................................21
History East Asia Lecture 4 26-2..........................................................................................................30
History East Asia Lecture 5 4-3............................................................................................................38
History East Asia Lecture 6 11-3..........................................................................................................46
History East Asia Lecture 7 25-3..........................................................................................................54
History East Asia Lecture 8 1-4............................................................................................................62
History East Asia Lecture 9 15-4..........................................................................................................70
History East Asia Lecture 10 15-4........................................................................................................78
History East Asia Lecture 11 22-4........................................................................................................86
History East Asia Lecture 12 29-4........................................................................................................91
1
,History East Asia Lecture 1 5-2
Introduction and the nineteenth century 1840-1894
East Asia: Chinas, Koreas, and Japan
1840 – 1990: East Asian societies modern nation states
Forces that shape these transitions:
- Warfare
- Militarism
- Imperialism
- Colonization
- Decolonization
- Nationalism
- Development
- Communism
- Democratization
East asia before 1840
- 1644-1911: qing dynasty
o Conquered china in 1644
- 1603-1868: tokugawa shogunate
o Japan
o Actual power lies with the shogun (military power) and not with the toku
o Traded with the Dutch (as the only european trading partner)
- 1392-1910: Choson dynasty
o Korea
o Dutch arrive first in Korea
Similar economic processes
o Population growth
o Growing merchant class
o Internationalization (trade and knowledge)
o Marketized economy
SiebaldHuis (museum)
Tributary system – international relations before 1840
- China was considered the center of the world (Qing dynasty)
o China = middle kingdom
- Pay tribute to China/Qing empire in the shape of money/gifts, in exchange for recognition
(and some protection)
- Japan is an outlier in this respect
o Very independent
o Monguls attempted to invade and conquer twice, and failed twice (Japan is virtually
impossible to conquer)
East Asia before 1840
2
, Important according to Casper, but no exam material
19th century developments
- Westphalian
= the state system that we use, with respect for sovereignty, diplomacy, and nominal
equality in diplomatic terms
- Western learning
o Idea: western countries are much more powerful and knowledgeable
- Period of restauration
o Combining Confucianism and western things
Qing china in the 19th century
- Foreign encroachment: opium wars, imperialism
- !!! Domestic unrest: rebellions leading to decentralize
The canton system
- No direct trade between merchants and Chinese through middlemen
- Russians are allowed to trade more freely
- Chinese do want to trade with westerners but only on their own terms
o They are the center of the world, after all
Challenging the canton system
- Chinese are convinced to open up their markets to international trade more and more
o Because their interest in Chinese goods grew: tea for example
o Immense trade imbalance
More and more silver goes to China
1834-1838: massive increase Chinese opium imports
- Britain made up for the initial trade imbalance by selling drugs in china
- Dark spot in British history
Do you think Britain and china would not have diverged in the way that they did if the British did not
counter the trade imbalance using opium?
First opium war: 1839 – 1842
Treaty of Nanjing 1842
- Humiliation for Qing dynasty
Second opium war: 1856-1860
Taiping rebellion 1852-1864
- China was now not only facing threats on an international level but also on a domestic level
- Established capital in Nanjing
- It is hard to overestimate how hard it actually was to actually crush this rebellion
Tongzhi restauration 1862-1874
- Self-strengthening movement stop the dynastic decline
3
, - Stopping the learning of traditional Confucian values and learning about how to resist
foreign involvement
Japan
Theme: foreign threat exposes domestic weakness
- You cannot justify having power if you are obviously not strong enough to carry that
responsibility
Tokugawa japan 1840
- Every foreigner that enters japan is sentenced to death, except for the dutch
- Dutch studies/learning, as dutch was the language spoken by western dutchmen and
ambitious intellectual Japanese people
Commodore Perry’s arrival in 1853/54
- Sonno joi = revere the emperor, expel the barbarians
- Opposers of the shogun have means to back up their criticism
o Siding with the emperor against the shogun
Fall of the tokugawa shogunate 1868
The reforms both in China and Japan are changes drifting apart from tradition more and more
towards western ideals, and the people that did not agree with these reforms, the rebels, actually
just wanted to restore what was in place before the reforms occurred
Imperial rule made japan japan
Meiji restoration 1868
- The emperor wears western clothes
Meiji constitution 1889
- Bismarck attracts much love and attention people adopt the Prussian model
Genro
- Small group of oligarchs
- Informal institution
Fukoku kyohei = enrich the country, strengthen the military
Theme: foreign threat exposes domestic weakness
Korea
Hermit kingdom
Throughout this time people start siding more and more with either japan or china, not both nor
neither there is only one sun in the sky/there is only one middle
Japanese coup failed Chinese coup succeeded
About the course
Mostly primary sources
4
Document
Contents
History East Asia Lecture 1 5-2..............................................................................................................2
History East Asia Lecture 2 12-2..........................................................................................................13
History East Asia Lecture 3 19-2..........................................................................................................21
History East Asia Lecture 4 26-2..........................................................................................................30
History East Asia Lecture 5 4-3............................................................................................................38
History East Asia Lecture 6 11-3..........................................................................................................46
History East Asia Lecture 7 25-3..........................................................................................................54
History East Asia Lecture 8 1-4............................................................................................................62
History East Asia Lecture 9 15-4..........................................................................................................70
History East Asia Lecture 10 15-4........................................................................................................78
History East Asia Lecture 11 22-4........................................................................................................86
History East Asia Lecture 12 29-4........................................................................................................91
1
,History East Asia Lecture 1 5-2
Introduction and the nineteenth century 1840-1894
East Asia: Chinas, Koreas, and Japan
1840 – 1990: East Asian societies modern nation states
Forces that shape these transitions:
- Warfare
- Militarism
- Imperialism
- Colonization
- Decolonization
- Nationalism
- Development
- Communism
- Democratization
East asia before 1840
- 1644-1911: qing dynasty
o Conquered china in 1644
- 1603-1868: tokugawa shogunate
o Japan
o Actual power lies with the shogun (military power) and not with the toku
o Traded with the Dutch (as the only european trading partner)
- 1392-1910: Choson dynasty
o Korea
o Dutch arrive first in Korea
Similar economic processes
o Population growth
o Growing merchant class
o Internationalization (trade and knowledge)
o Marketized economy
SiebaldHuis (museum)
Tributary system – international relations before 1840
- China was considered the center of the world (Qing dynasty)
o China = middle kingdom
- Pay tribute to China/Qing empire in the shape of money/gifts, in exchange for recognition
(and some protection)
- Japan is an outlier in this respect
o Very independent
o Monguls attempted to invade and conquer twice, and failed twice (Japan is virtually
impossible to conquer)
East Asia before 1840
2
, Important according to Casper, but no exam material
19th century developments
- Westphalian
= the state system that we use, with respect for sovereignty, diplomacy, and nominal
equality in diplomatic terms
- Western learning
o Idea: western countries are much more powerful and knowledgeable
- Period of restauration
o Combining Confucianism and western things
Qing china in the 19th century
- Foreign encroachment: opium wars, imperialism
- !!! Domestic unrest: rebellions leading to decentralize
The canton system
- No direct trade between merchants and Chinese through middlemen
- Russians are allowed to trade more freely
- Chinese do want to trade with westerners but only on their own terms
o They are the center of the world, after all
Challenging the canton system
- Chinese are convinced to open up their markets to international trade more and more
o Because their interest in Chinese goods grew: tea for example
o Immense trade imbalance
More and more silver goes to China
1834-1838: massive increase Chinese opium imports
- Britain made up for the initial trade imbalance by selling drugs in china
- Dark spot in British history
Do you think Britain and china would not have diverged in the way that they did if the British did not
counter the trade imbalance using opium?
First opium war: 1839 – 1842
Treaty of Nanjing 1842
- Humiliation for Qing dynasty
Second opium war: 1856-1860
Taiping rebellion 1852-1864
- China was now not only facing threats on an international level but also on a domestic level
- Established capital in Nanjing
- It is hard to overestimate how hard it actually was to actually crush this rebellion
Tongzhi restauration 1862-1874
- Self-strengthening movement stop the dynastic decline
3
, - Stopping the learning of traditional Confucian values and learning about how to resist
foreign involvement
Japan
Theme: foreign threat exposes domestic weakness
- You cannot justify having power if you are obviously not strong enough to carry that
responsibility
Tokugawa japan 1840
- Every foreigner that enters japan is sentenced to death, except for the dutch
- Dutch studies/learning, as dutch was the language spoken by western dutchmen and
ambitious intellectual Japanese people
Commodore Perry’s arrival in 1853/54
- Sonno joi = revere the emperor, expel the barbarians
- Opposers of the shogun have means to back up their criticism
o Siding with the emperor against the shogun
Fall of the tokugawa shogunate 1868
The reforms both in China and Japan are changes drifting apart from tradition more and more
towards western ideals, and the people that did not agree with these reforms, the rebels, actually
just wanted to restore what was in place before the reforms occurred
Imperial rule made japan japan
Meiji restoration 1868
- The emperor wears western clothes
Meiji constitution 1889
- Bismarck attracts much love and attention people adopt the Prussian model
Genro
- Small group of oligarchs
- Informal institution
Fukoku kyohei = enrich the country, strengthen the military
Theme: foreign threat exposes domestic weakness
Korea
Hermit kingdom
Throughout this time people start siding more and more with either japan or china, not both nor
neither there is only one sun in the sky/there is only one middle
Japanese coup failed Chinese coup succeeded
About the course
Mostly primary sources
4
