Module 3 Discussion: China and India background – Summer 2022 Group 2
Here are the questions:
1. What background knowledge do you have about the history of China during this period? How
did the videos and reading add to our change your ideas?
2. How are the experiences of China and India similar and different?
3. What stands out to you as particularly important themes/events in the history of China and
India during this period and why?
5-6 sentences per question
Check your email for the video and reading
Example:
I have no background in the history of ancient China. My preconceived notion was that the
country is very strict and has gone through many governmental changes. I learned SO MUCH
from the videos and short readings. I have essentially learned 95% of all my Asian history
knowledge from these notes.
China and Indian experiences vary in many different ways. The Indian Caste system was the first
big difference. The Caste system essentially forced people born into those ranks to stay there for
life, while in the Chinese Qing Dynasty the civil servant exam would allow them to earn a rank
in government through testing. However, they did have many similarities, the Chinese and Indian
people had to suffer through many horrendous governments. The Chinese had to deal with Mao
Zedong, which his leadership led to mass starvation, while the Indians had to deal with the
British East Indian Company, where all the profits and exports would just go mainly to Britain.
These two countries really struggled less than a hundred years ago.
The event in China that stands out the most is the death of Sun Yat-Sen. This may be a bit of a
stretch, but I believe that if he did not die in 1916 or at least his predecessor Chiang kai-Shek
lead with a more democratic approach they would have been more successful with the KMT
running the country. The betrayal of the CCP was also a mistake, it should have been dealt with
diplomatically because they then created an army in order to prepare for future battles. However,
even with the army, this led to the long march and the inevitable rise of Mao Zedong, who again
had millions of Chines people starve under his rule.
As for India, it is definitely the Sepoy Rebellion. They were fighting for good reasons, by trying
to take power back from the East Indian Company, and also for social, cultural, and economic
reasons. However, they lost terribly, and India came under British rule. This is an incredible
turning point in Indian history because many important historical figures come to exist such as
Nehru and Gandhi, also India does not gain its independence until sometime after WWII. The
Sepoy rebellion was a massive loss for the Indians for multiple generations.
If you, can you take notes on each of the video and reading too.