Please note that this module was available
until 2011, but has since been withdrawn
and replaced with 'The History of Modern
China (HI294)', and is no longer available.

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Tutor: Dr Chris Hess

This undergraduate first-year and second-year option module examines the history of modern China from the last days of the Qing dynasty at the turn of the 20th century through the present era of stunning economic development and reform. We will focus on the interrelated themes of war, revolution, state-building, and reform and trace how and to what extent these impacted the complex process of forging new social, political, and cultural identities. China experienced constant warfare throughout the period we examine, the effects of which must be factored into our understanding of both the revolutionary process and in terms of shaping social conditions and identities. Likewise, Japan's military invasion and protracted war created an environment in which Chinese people living under occupation had to make complex decisions about the degree to which they might collaborate with, or resist the occupying power. It was out of this environment that the stage was set for the rise of the Chinese Communist Party under Mao Zedong. Finally, we will investigate the legacies of war, imperialism, and revolution for an understanding of China’s rise as a global economic power.