Introduction to Modern China’s Political History

This course introduces students to China’s political history from the 19th century to the present. In early sessions, we explore the decline of the Qing dynasty, key developments in the Republican period, the second Sino-Japanese war and establishment of the People’s Republic of China in 1949. We then turn to a close examination of China’s one-party system as it has evolved since 1949. We compare Mao Zedong’s approach to rule with that of his successor, Deng Xiaoping, and subsequent reform-era leaders, with particular attention to important developments under China’s current leader, Xi Jinping. We then analyze political issues of central importance in the contemporary period including: the implications of economic reform for governance; the characteristics of China’s rural-urban divide; the politics of the environment, and; Beijing’s relations with Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong and Taiwan.