Modern China - From Declining Empire to Global Power | WEA Sydney

 

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Print this page Modern China - From Declining Empire to Global Power

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This course surveys China’s transformation from late Qing reforms at the turn of the 20th century to its rise as a global power at the beginning of the 21st. It examines historical shifts, including the fall of the Qing Empire, the Republic of China during the World Wars, the Communist Revolutions, and the era of economic reform and international ascent. Special focus is placed on domestic and international forces that have shaped, and continue to shape, China’s national identity, policy-making, and international role. Students are encouraged to reflect on how history informs China’s place in the world today.

DELIVERY MODE

  • Face-to-Face

SUGGESTED READING

  • Spence, Jonathan D. The Search for Modern China. Norton, 1999. ISBN: 9780393934519
  • Esherick, Joseph. Reform and Revolution in China. University of California Press, 1976. ISBN: 0-520-03084-2
  • Westad, Odd Arne. Decisive Encounters: The Chinese Civil War, 1946-1950. Stanford University Press, 2003. ISBN: 0-8047-4478-5
  • Vogel, Ezra. Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China. Harvard University Press, 2011. ISBN: 9780674725867

COURSE OUTLINE

  • 1840-1911 - Internal, external wars, and failed reform towards a Constitutional Monarchy during the late Qing Dynasty
  • 1912-1920 - The early Republic of China: a political experiment up to the end of World War I.
  • 1921-1949 - Nationalists: a winner of the World War II but loser of the Civil War
  • 1950-1976 - Communists in the Korean War, Leap-Forward, Cultural Revolution, and Cold War
  • 1978-2013 - Opening and Reforms: open-ended transition to a global power
  • 2013-present - The Belt and Road Initiative: How successful could it be?

LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

  1. Describe the major transformations of modern China from the late Qing to the present.
  2. Analyse the internal and external forces that shaped China's state-building, revolutions, and modernisation.
  3. Evaluate competing historical narratives about China's past and present.
  4. Reflect critically on China’s evolving role in global affairs and its implications for international relations today.