Asian History

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Jawaharlal Nehru

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major political leader of the Indian Congress; pivotal figure in the Indian independence movement; first prime minster of independant India

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Rajiv Gandhi

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succeeded Indira Gandhi as prime minster; her son

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compensatory discrimination

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similar to affirmative action; a national commission for scheduled castes and tribes; monitors progress in ending discrimination against these groups and progress in their social and economic standing

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B.R. Ambedkar

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Indian jurist, scholar, Bahujan political leader and a Buddhist revivalist, who is the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, also known as Babasaheb; born an untouchable

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swadeshi

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of one's own country; boycott on British goods; only buy Indian made products

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Five-year plan

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monitors the economy of India; developed, executed and monitored by the Planning Commission; Jawaharlal Nehru presented the first; included irrigation and energy, agriculture and community development, transport and communications, industry, social services, and land rehabilitation

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Hindi

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most common regionally spoken language in India

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Indira Gandhi

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female prime minister; assassinated; India's first and only woman prime minister to date

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States Reorganization Act

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major reform of the boundaries and governance of India's states and territories; the act reorganized the boundaries of India's states along linguistic lines, and amended the Indian Constitution to replace the three types of states, known as Parts A, B, and C states, with a single type of state

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secularism

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although India has no state religion, separate laws are applicable to different religious groups according to custom

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mixed economy

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combines features of both capitalist market economy and the socialist command economy, but has shifted more towards the former over the past decade; the public sector generally covers areas which are deemed too important or not profitable enough to leave to the market, including such services as the railways and postal system

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Bangladesh

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separate from India because of Muslim majority in that area (very close to partition of Bengal)

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Muslim League

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founded at Dhaka in 1906, was a political party in British India that developed into the driving force behind the creation of Pakistan as a Muslim state from British India on the Indian subcontinent; after independence continued as a minor political party

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Indian National Congress

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major political party in India; after independence in 1947, it became the nation's dominant political party, only challenged for leadership in more recent decades; accused of anti-Sikh riots

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Shah Bano

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a 62 year old Muslim woman and mother of five from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, was divorced by her husband in 1978; the Muslim family law allows the husband to do this without his wife's consent: the husband just needs to say the word Talaaq before witnesses for a valid divorce

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Kashmir

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the former princely state became a disputed territory, now administered by three countries: India, Pakistan, and the People's Republic of Chin

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linguistic states

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states reorganized by the majority spoken language

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satyagraha

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firmness in truth, idea created by Gandhi, fundamentally based on self-control to win freedom; two aspect: individual and community

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liberalization

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the 1949 Indian Constitution gave to Indians some of the liberal rights that the British and Americans had come to expect by then; in addition, India extended franchise to everyone: all adults had the right to vote in the Indian Republic; that was earlier than even most developed countries had provided to their citizens at that time; but on most political issues, India adopted Nehru’s socialist model, that included a significant dilution in property rights, among others; the government entered businesses as its primary activity

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Bharatiya Janata Party

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created in 1980, is a major centre-right Indian political party; it projects itself as a champion of the socio-religious cultural values of the country's majority, conservative social policies, self reliance, strong economic growth, foreign policy driven by strong nationalist agenda, and strong national defense; its constituency is strengthened by the broad umbrella of nationalist organizations, informally known as the Sangh Parivar (League of Indian nationalist organizations), in which the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh plays a leading role; it is the first party to provide 33% reservation for women in the organisation

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electoral democracy

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minimal democracy; free and fair elections, universal adult franchise, political parties, pressure groups and availability of constitution etc. are not sufficient conditions for democracy, though they are necessary

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separate electorates

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when the Muslims in India demanded fair representation in power-sharing with the British government along with the Hindus, the British government provided for a separate electorate system for the Muslims; as a result, of the total 250 seats of the Bengal Legislative Assembly, 117 seats were kept reserved for the Muslims; the concept of separate electorates for the Untouchables (also called Dalits) was raised by Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, as a way to ensure sufficient representation for the minority Dalits, in government, but was strongly opposed by Mahatma Gandhi

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populism

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used to characterize movements, parties and regimes which distinguish between the 'people', who are said to have limited access to spheres of influence, and the elite, considered dominant in these spheres and culturally distinct from the masses; claim to represent the will of the 'people' to overcome their subordination

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Salt March

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a campaign of non-violent protest against the British salt tax in colonial India which began with the Salt March to Dandi on March 12, 1930; it was the first act of organized opposition to British rule after Purna Swaraj, the declaration of independence by the Indian National Congress; Mahatma Gandhi led the Dandi march from his Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi, Gujarat to make salt, with growing numbers of Indians joining him along the way; when Gandhi broke the salt laws in Dandi at the conclusion of the march on April 6, 1930, it sparked large scale acts of civil disobedience against the British Raj salt laws by millions of Indians

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Pakistan

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housed a Muslim majority; fought for Muslim independence and wanted as a separate state

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Muhammad Ali Jinnah

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a Muslim politician and leader of the All India Muslim League who founded Pakistan and served as its first Governor-General

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The Emergency

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denotes the 21-month period between June 25, 1975 and March 21, 1977 when President Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, upon advice by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, declared a State of Emergency in India under Article 352 of the Constitution of India, effectively bestowing on her the power to rule by decree, suspending elections and civil liberties; it is one of the most controversial periods in the history of independent India; rooted in deep-seated political conflicts and wide popular disenchantment with the Government

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Ayodhya

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one of the six holiest cities in Hinduism

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khadi

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wearing home-spun cotton, not wearing clothing to show caste or social class

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Mohandas K. Gandhi; Mahatma Gandhi

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was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement; he was the pioneer of Satyagraha

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Chiang Kai-Shek (Jiang Jieshi)

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leader of the United Front; first alliance between the Chinese Communist Party and Guomindang; continued serving as the President of the Republic of China and Director-General of the Guomindang for the remainder of his life

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Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

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the People's Republic of China was a struggle for power within the Communist Party of China that manifested into wide-scale social, political, and economic chaos, which grew to include large sections of Chinese society and eventually brought the entire country to the brink of civil war; launched by Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the Communist Party of China, on May 16, 1966, officially as a campaign to rid China of its "liberal bourgeoisie" elements and to continue revolutionary class struggle

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Mao Zedong

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a Chinese military and political leader, who led the Communist Party of China (CPC) to victory against the Kuomintang (KMT) in the Chinese Civil War, and was the leader of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976; the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution

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Great Leap Forward

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an economic and social plan used from 1958 to 1960 which aimed to use China's vast population to rapidly transform mainland China from a primarily agrarian economy dominated by peasant farmers into a modern, industrialized communist society; Mao Zedong based this program on the Theory of Productive Forces

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Hong Kong

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with the proclamation of the People's Republic of China in 1949, more migrants fled here from fear of persecution by the Communist Party; many corporations in Shanghai and Guangzhou also shifted their operations here; the colony became the sole place of contact between mainland China and the Western world, as the communist government increasingly isolated the country from outside influence

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October 1, 1949

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day of liberation; the day the communists took over in Beijing; People's Republic in China

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Special Economic Zones

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located in mainland China; the government of the People's Republic of China gives special economic policies and flexible governmental measures; this allows them to utilize an economic management system that is especially conducive to doing business that does not exist in the rest of mainland China

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mass line

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the political/organizational/leadership method developed by Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the Chinese revolution; although the phrase was popularized in China by the CCP, the method has its roots in the political practice, and to a lesser extent the theoretical writings, of Marx and Lenin; Mao developed it into a coherent organizing methodology that encompasses philosophy, strategy, tactics, leadership and organizational theory that has been applied by many Communists subsequent to the Chinese revolution

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Red Guards

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a mass movement of civilians, mostly students and other young people, who were mobilized by Mao Zedong between 1966 and 1968, during the Cultural Revolution; mainly to attack the "Four Olds" of society, that is what is believed to be old ideas, cultures, manners, and customs of China at the time; in Beijing and elsewhere in China had taken to the streets from their schools; they made posters, speeches, criticized Party leaders, and some committed violent acts in the name of the Cultural Revolution

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Deng Xiaoping

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a prominent Chinese politician and reformer, and the late leader of the Communist Party of China; developed "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" and Chinese economic reform, also known as the "socialist market economy", and opened China to the global market; was the core of the "second generation" Communist Party leadership; generally credited with developing China into one of the fastest growing economies in the world and vastly raising the standard of living

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Guomindang

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led by Chiang Kai Shek; Nationalist's Party

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Hundred Flowers Campaign

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the period referring to a brief interlude in the People's Republic of China from 1956 to 1957 during which the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) authorities encouraged a variety of views and solutions to ongoing problems, launched under the slogan: "Let a hundred flowers bloom, let the hundred schools of thought contend." It is thought by some scholars, such as Jung Chang, that the campaign was a political trap, alleging that Mao persecuted those who had views different from the party; the ideological crackdown following the campaign's failure re-imposed Maoist orthodoxy in public expression

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Lin Biao

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a Chinese Communist military leader who was instrumental in the communist victory in the Chinese Civil War, especially in Northeastern China, and was the General who led the People's Liberation Army into Beijing in 1949; he abstained from becoming a major player in politics until he rose to prominence during the Cultural Revolution, climbing as high as second-in-charge and Mao Zedong's designated and constitutional successor and comrade-in-arms

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land reform

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split up the people; landlords, rich peasants, middle peasants, poor peasants and landless; redistributed land to the previously landless peasants

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Taiwan

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remained under martial law and one-party rule, under the name of the "Temporary Provisions Effective During the Period of Communist Rebellion", from 1948 to 1987, when Presidents Chiang Ching-kuo and Lee Teng-hui gradually liberalized and democratized the system

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collectivization

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began in the People's Republic of China under Mao Zedong; it was further pursued during the Great Leap Forward, an attempt to rapidly mobilize the country in an effort to transform China into an industrialized communist society; the policy mistakes associated with this collectivization attempt during the Great Leap Forward resulted in mass starvation

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Tienanmen Square

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took place on April 5, 1976 in Beijing; it was a protest against the repression of the Chinese regime nearing the end of the Cultural Revolution; cause was that to defuse an expected popular outpouring of sentiment at Zhou's death, the Communist Party of China limited the period of public mourning; for example, the national flag was lowered to half-mast for only one hour

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permanent revolution

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Marx used it to describe the strategy of a revolutionary class to continue to pursue its class interests independently and without compromise, despite overtures for political alliances, and despite the political dominance of opposing sections of society

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Third Plenum (1978)

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the 11th Congress of Communist Party in December, 1978

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corruption

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Deng Xiaoping exploded; something about anti-corruption movement

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Peoples Republic of China

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the name of the new regime that is established by the communists; began many new movements in the country under Zedong and later Xiaopeng

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bureaucratization

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believed to be more efficient for government and economy

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"Better Red than Expert"

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direct contrast to the ideology of the Maoist years, where a favored slogan was "Better Red than Expert," which meant, in practice, that totally unqualified ideologues were put in charge of projects that really needed technical expertise

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rectification

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the first deceptive ideology movement initiated by the Communist Party of China; the purpose of the program was to give a basic grounding in Marxist theory, and Leninist principles of party organization to the thousands of new members who had joined the CCP during its expansion since 1937. A second, equally important aspect of the movement was the elimination of blind imitation of Soviet experience and obedience to Soviet directives, comintern and empiricism; Mao emphasized that the campaign aimed at "mistaken ideas" and not the people who held them; Cultural Revolution under Mao Zedong; last and most important of these movements;

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democracy movement

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a loosely organized political movement in mainland China against continued one-party rule by the Communist Party of China; the movement began during Beijing Spring in 1978 and played an important role in the Tienanmen Square protests of 1989

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Taisho democracy

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begin to get movement toward more serious democracy; some members of the Diet who were elected form their own parties within the Diet, force the government to select cabinet members who represent groups within the diet

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Peace Conservation Law

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gives government power to restrict any group which the government argues is putting ideas against the Kokutai; cannot disrupt the unity

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genro

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an unofficial designation given to certain retired elder Japanese statesmen, considered the "founding fathers" of modern Japan, who served as informal extra constitutional advisers to the emperor, during the Meiji and Taisho periods in Japanese history

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zaibatsu

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economic conglomerates; begins to dominate the Japanese economy

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Imperial Way Faction

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want to take over and link Japanese power to a moral regeneration of Japan; "Showa" restoration - Showa emperor, Hirohito; Upset over capitalist, diplomacy, democracy, etc

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Liberal Democratic Party

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a conservative political party and the largest party in Japan; gains most of its support from rural conservative farmers, and it is also the established party of the bureaucracy, the famed keiretsu and white-collar workers

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Manchurian Incident

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1931 - Japanese use the excuse of a supposed attack on troops in Manchuria; train line is blown up, blame on Chinese nationalists and Japanese army uses as excuse to seize control

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Hiroshima

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to protect against potential firebombings students were mobilized to demolish houses and create firebreaks; was proclaimed a City of Peace by the Japanese parliament in 1949, at the initiative of its mayor, Shinzo Hamai (1905–1968)

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Universal adult suffrage

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all 25 years and older males can vote; huge step over when only property owners could vote; shows importance of Democratic pressure

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Manchukuo

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Chinese state but puppet state of Japanese; result of the Manchurian Indicent; military in Japan in the officer corps felt that in order to shift Japan away from foreign policy -> diplomacy; want more active signifying commitment to overseas; need more forward military presence in Manchuria

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Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere

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a concept created and promulgated during the Shōwa era by the government and military of the Empire of Japan which represented the desire to create a self-sufficient "bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers"; the Sphere was initiated by Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe, in an attempt to create a Great East Asia, comprised of Japan, Manchukuo, China, and parts of Southeast Asia, that would, according to imperial propaganda, establish a new international order seeking ‘coprosperity’ for Asian countries which would share prosperity and peace, free from Western colonialism and domination

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Korea

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Japan wants to become an Imperial power in Asia to compete with the Europeans; the war gives the Japanese complete dominance in Korea and spheres of influence in Manchuria; Ito Hirobumi sent to Korea as the man in charge of building a Japanese influence in Korea

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Hara Kei

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a Japanese politician and the 19th Prime Minister of Japan from 29 September 1918 to 4 November 1921; he was the first commoner appointed to the office of prime minister of Japan; his catch phrase as a politician was "commoner and prime minister"

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Pearl Harbor

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as the Japanese military pressed its war in China, concern over Japan's intentions caused the U.S. to begin taking defensive measures; on February 1, 1933, the U.S. Navy staged a mock attack as part of a preparedness exercise; the attack "succeeded" and the defense was deemed a "failure"; the actual surprise attack on Pearl Harbor by the Empire of Japan on December 7, 1941 brought the United States into World War II

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SCAP

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the title for General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II; MacArthur had a belief in that his - and by proxy the American – presence as Supreme Commander was a holy one

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Control faction

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gets the support of the emperor himself; makes the IWF's Showa Restoration impossible; a lot involved in the IWF get executed; becomes the overwhelmingly dominant faction; not moral, want a policy of military projection abroad, particularly in China as an expression of Japanese identity and purpose

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Hirohito

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Showa emperor

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San Francisco Treaty

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between the Allied Powers and Japan, was officially signed by 49 nations on September 8, 1951 in San Francisco, California; it came into force on April 28, 1952; it is a popularly known name, but its formal English name is Treaty of Peace with Japan; treaty served officially to end World War II, to end formally Japan's position as an imperial power and to allocate compensation to Allied civilians and former prisoners of war who had suffered Japanese war crimes

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Washington Treaty

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limited the naval armaments of its five signatories: the United States of America, the British Empire, the Empire of Japan, the French Third Republic, and the Kingdom of Italy; the treaty was agreed at the Washington Naval Conference, which was held in Washington, D.C. from November 1921 to February 1922, and was signed by representatives of the treaty nations on 6 February 1922

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Nanking Massacre

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1937 - full-scale invasion of China; unable to defend it; massacre - many civilians in Nan Jing killed

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rice riots of 1918

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1918: as a result during the tensions of WWI, serious riots that break out all over Japan; rising price of rice

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reverse course

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the common (but contentious) labeling for the change in U.S. policy toward Japan during the post-World War II reconstruction; often linked to escalation of Cold War, the "loss" of China and the Korean War; this is a misnomer; this should not signify an unraveling of democratization. It is better understood as a ‘shift in focus’—not a 180° swing; Japan appeared weak—inflation, poverty, and leftist parties were growing—and ripe for communism

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kokutai

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emperor embodies this notion of unity, intention with competing interests; common Japanese essence

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Tokyo Olympics

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won the rights to the games in 1958 over the bids from Detroit, Buenos Aires and Vienna, had been awarded with the organisation of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this honor had been passed to Helsinki because of Japan's invasion of China; the 1940 Olympics were eventually canceled because of the outbreak of World War II

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MITI

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one of the most powerful agencies in the Japanese government. At the height of its influence, it effectively ran much of Japanese industrial policy, funding research and directing investment

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Article 9

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a "No War" clause; it went into effect on May 3, 1947, immediately after World War II; in the article text, the Japanese Government formally renounce war as a right of sovereignty and the refusal to settle disputes using military force; the article also states that military forces with war potential will not be maintained

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Diet

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elected representatives

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Taiwan (Japan)

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treaty that ended the Japanese war gave Japan their first imperial power; given control of Taiwan; began constructing their own colonial regime on the island

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Kita Ikki

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a Japanese author, intellectual and political philosopher who was active in the early Showa period Japan; while a student was attracted to socialist ideas, meeting with many influential figures in the early socialist movement in Japan; traveled to China to assist in the overthrow of the Qing dynasty