Asia

The 19th and 20th century were mainly filled with violence, war, and corruption in Southeast Asia. During the mid-19th century, China was the strongest country in East Asia, Korea was strongly influenced by the Chinese, and Japan was starting to open up relations with foreign powers (mainly the west). However, by the end of the mid-20th century, everything changed: China gained a new political system, Korea was annexed and freed of Japanese rule, and Japan suffered a major loss. So, how did everything change so quickly and within only one century? Ironically, the end of the Qing Empire and the end of Choson Korea was roughly around the same time. The Qing Empire was able to hold onto their position over China until 1912, and Choson Korea was…

Asia is the largest continent in the world, with an area of 17,212,000 square miles (“Asia Facts - Top 20 Facts about Asia | Facts.net.”). Asia also has the largest population of all the continents combined with a population of over 4.4 billion as of 2014 (“Google.”) . With this population over two-thirds of the worlds population lives in Asia. Megacities are cities with a population of over 10 million. Asia has seven of the largest megacities in the world (Kotkin, Joel, and Wendell Cox). The…

Following the end of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, the world turned its eyes towards this rising new global power in Asia. By defeating the Russians and the waiving of the white flag at Liaoyang, the Japanese have quickly proven themselves as an overall competitor to the West in terms of political and military power. By the signing of the Treaty of Portsmouth in September 5, 1905, it recognized Japanese supremacy in Korea, oversaw the transition of Russian holdings in Manchuria (Liaodong…

When one looks at the pages of history, it is hard to do so outside the bias of one’s own time and cultural heritage. Due to the preponderance of Western society’s influence in the modern world, it is then unsurprising that the East’s dominance on the world’s stage for much of recorded history is overshadowed by the (relatively recent) European/Anglo dominance. Asia is a complex, rich, and multifaceted region to explore, and is especially enlightening to examine in the time leading up to the…

Europe wanted special luxuries that only existed in Asia. These were items such as gold, gems, and exotic spices. To get these items, Europeans were forced to take overland routes which were extremely difficult and time-consuming. Due to this, Europeans began looking for faster trading routes. In the late 1400s, a man named Christopher Columbus offered to bring riches back faster by going in the opposite direction from Asia. He also wanted to prove that the world was actually a sphere and not a…

The Colonial Period consisted of European countries going to countries within the Eastern World and imperializing many countries within Africa and Asia. These European countries imperialized those countries to compete with fellow European countries, gain raw materials from the Eastern countries, and have access to a larger market. The legacies that the imperial world left was destruction of the culture of African and Asian countries, a rapid growth for the countries of the colonizers and…

Manfred B. Steger proposes the concept of globalization to describe the interpenetration of globalism and nationalism, and in the near future, East Asia and the world’s growing economy, ecologic demand, and culinary cuisine will shift and cause the region to adapt to change and progress in its innovations, stability, and dominance. The future of the East Asian region is contingent on Steger’s concept of globalization, specifically in the multidisciplinary aspects of economy, ecology, and…

East Asia in the 19th to the early 20th century was a time period of change, new approaches and constant pressures. After a lengthy era of isolationism East Asia was experiencing pressure from outside forces. The West approached with strong intentions and new ideas and unique cultural traditions. The Eastern Asian countries were finding themselves behind in advances in several different realms, such as, the military and in technology. Japan and China were suffering under the pressures to…

With an increasing population the countries of Southeast Asia cannot escape rapid urbanization. Generally people from rural areas will move to urban areas for different reasons, but mostly for the opportunities that come with urban areas. These can be employment opportunities that are not otherwise available in rural areas or better paying employment. Although one problem may be that even urban areas may not be equipped to sustain all the people that move in from the rural areas and this will…

After the end of the Cold War, many counties in Asia have become independent from its colonization. Until now, there has no major war occurred in this region. During this period of peacetime, Asian countries have enjoyed the growing of economic and global influence. Russia, China, and India these newly advanced economy countries started undermining the U.S. influence in Asia. In order to remain its economic interests and political power in Asia, the U.S. has adjusted its global strategy. The…