History of the People's Republic of China, 1949-1989

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This is an upper-level lecture-seminar on the history and historiography of the most consequential imperial nation-state in the world today, from its founding at the supposed end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949 to the Tiananmen Square protests and massacre in 1989. After a brief, synoptic overview of modern Chinese history until 1989 in the first two weeks, we will spend the rest of the semester working our way chronologically and thematically through major periods and issues in PRC history such as grassroots Maoism, the Cultural Revolution, science, technology, and the environment, and the June Fourth incident in 1989. There are no prerequisites, but it will help if you have a basic grasp of Chinese or East Asian history, as well as the ability to read Chinese.