Essay Questions

Here are seven essay questions. Five of them will appear on the exam and you will have to choose one to answer. I have to stress that there might be some changes to the essay questions before the test. I have submitted these to Professor Harlow but she has yet to ok them, so please be sure to check back frequently before the test (I decided it would be better to post the essay questions early so that students could have as much time as possible to prepare and that this outweighed the danger posed by me having to make any changes to them).

Both Japan and Thailand were able to maintain real independence during the ‘high imperial age’ of the late nineteenth century. Why? Make sure to include in your answer advantages these two countries had that other Asian countries did not have and to discuss specific people and events.

In the late 19th century Qing China sought reform through “self-strengthening.” What is self-strengthening and why did the Qing state utilize it? Did it succeed? Why or why not?

What were the fundamental differences between the Taiping rebellion in China and the Indian Mutiny? In what ways were they similar? How did Europeans (in the case of the Taiping) and the British (in the case of the Indian Mutiny) react to these uprisings and why?

The Qing dynasty of the 18th century appears, in retrospect, to have been extremely strong whereas in the 19th century the dynasty was extremely weak. The Mughal dynasty, in retrospect, appears to have been extremely strong in the 17th century but weak in the 18th century. Why did these dramatic changes take place? In what ways were the causes of these changes similar? In what ways were they different?

Resistance, often violent, to imperialism can be seen in nearly all Asian nations in the 19th and 20th centuries. Using an example of your choice, analyze violent resistance to imperialism with particular regard to its cause and its particular effects.

M.K. Gandhi’s synthesized ideas from many different sources into his ideal of satyagraha? What were these various ideas and from what sources did he borrow? How did he combine them into the coherent whole of satyagraha and use to it to oppose British rule over India?

China under the Qing dynasty faced many difficulties arising from the opium trade. What negative effects did opium and the opium trade have on China and why? In what ways did conflict over the issue of opium represent a clash between different beliefs about morality and trade? How central was opium to the problems faced by China in the 19th century?