Sample Questions - Please keep in mind that I will combine or reconstruct the actual questions for the exam, but the main ideas are contained in the following questions.
1. What main social and economic problems confronted the Qing dynasty on the eve of the first Opium War? How did the Qing government attempt to solve the opium problem? What measures were adopted by Lin Zezu to deal with the opium trade. Also explain why China during the late 19th century is often referred as a "semi colony" and why the Qing dynasty was unable to fend off foreign pressure.
2. Discuss ways in which the multiple events during the late 19th century helped to illustrate the three intertwining themes - foreign imperialism, domestic unrest and reform, and how they underscored the tensions and complexities in the late Qing period.
3. Discuss the Republican Revolution and how it led to the downfall of the Qing (Manchu) Dynasty. What were the main causes for the revolution, and what were its objectives? Was the revolution successful, and why/why not?
4. What major events took place during the early years of the new republic? What characterized the emerging "new culture" and why? What aspects of Marxism/Leninism were particularly appealing to the Chinese intellectuals in the early 20thcentury? Under what circumstances was the Chinese Communist Party founded in 1921?
5. How did the first United Front come into existence? What benefits did the Communist Party and the Nationalist Party derive from this alliance, respectively? What was the relationship like between the two parties during this alliance?
6. How did the nationalist government under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek deal with the increasing Japanese aggression in northern China? In what days did Mao Zedong's idea of a "peasant revolution" contribute to the survival of the communist forces? How did Japan's aggression in China further complicate the power struggle between the KMT and the CCP?
7. What did "communism" mean in China during the 1930s? What were Chiang Kai-shek's most important successes and failures, respectively? Why was he unable to defeat the Communists?
8. What role did the United States play during WWII in Asia? Why did the U.S. support the Chinese Nationalists? At what point did the Communist victory become inevitable?