China Under Communist Rule; Taiwan and Hong Kong

For Monday's class, please read chapter 18 from page 411, and be prepared to answer the following questions:

• What was Mao's background, and what was his philosophy?
• Was the revolution a radical departure from Chinese tradition?
• What left a legacy of anti-American bitterness?
• What was the purpose of the Great Leap Forward, and why did it fail?
• What alarmed the Russians about China?
• What was the Cultural Revolution, and why is it considered the greatest cataclysm in world history?
• Imagine what a movement like the Cultural Revolution would be like in America.
• What brought an end to the Cultural Revolution?
• What successes has China had since 1949?
• What has been the cost of progress?
• What are the "Autonomous Regions"?
• When discussing the trade imbalance, what do we need to realize about 60% of China's exports?
• What was Taiwan's experience after 1945?
• What is the status of Hong Kong and why?
• What are Southeast Asian countries concerned about with regard to the Chinese living there?