Modern World Study - China since 1949

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History coursework essay-

Modern World Study:

CHINA SINCE 1949

Why does the Chinese government at the start of the twenty-first century refuse to give its people democratic rights despite encouraging private enterprise in industry, commerce and agriculture and how do you see this situation developing in the next few years?

For thousands of years, China has endured wars, rebellions, reforms, revolutions, trials, tribulations and a great deal more. But despite its troubled history, it remains one of the leading world powers in the twenty-first century. For centuries authoritarian leaders have ruled China. The first dynasty of China was the Xia dynasty, although, for many, it is believed that the first true dynasty of China was the Shang dynasty. The Xia dynasty was allegedly founded by Emperor named Yu, and the dynasty ruled China from 2205 to 1766 BC. The Xia dynasty was followed by the Shang and Zhou dynasties respectively; each dynasty coming to power by overthrowing its predecessor. The second dynasty, the Shang dynasty, was established when Cheng Tang the Completer, as he is now known, overthrew the tyrannical last ruler of Xia, restoring a virtuous and humane government to the empire. The last of the three ancient dynasties, the Zhou dynasty, ruled China for an incredible 866 years, from 1122 to 256 BC. Many believe that the Zhou dynasty was the beginning of Chinese tradition, including Herrlee G. Creel, who quoted, “It would probably be generally agreed, for most practical purposes that the Chinese tradition may be said to have begun with the Zhou.”

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        In the period of the authoritarian rulers, the early Chinese dynasties held a belief in the Mandate of Heaven, which was a political-social philosophy that served as the basic Chinese explanation for the success and failure of monarchs and states down to the end of the empire in 1912 CE. Whenever a dynasty fell, the reason invariably offered by China's sages was that it had lost the moral right to rule which is given by Heaven alone. In this context heaven did not mean a personal god but a cosmic all-pervading power. Most historians today agree that the theory the Mandate ...

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