HIST 1591 A Global Approach to Modern Chinese History

Course description

This course surveys modern Chinese history from a global perspective starting from the 19th century to the dawn of the 21st century. It is a lecture and discussion course that aims to help the students develop a better understanding of the major events that have, for better or worse, shaped China and made it what it is today. The key themes of the course include: Chinese response to the demands of Western powers, foreign images of China, the Opium Wars, the rise of a new order, the fragmentation and reform of the Qing Empire, the rise and fall of the nationalist government, the rise of communism and the People’s Republic, the challenge of Deng’s reforms and China’s impact on the world.