Written with rare mastery and a sure sense of the essential, this concise general history of modern East Asia offers students and general readers an understanding of this dynamic region from a global perspective. It is the ideal introductory text for college survey courses in Asian and international studies.Following an introductory discussion of the regional concept, the first two chapters lay the foundations. Chapter 1 describes East Asia's geographical, human, cultural, economic, social, and political setting as it has evolved over the past several millennia, and the three major belief systems - Confucianism, Buddhism, and Islam. Chapter 2 presents a panoramic view of the region ca. 1800. The chapter introduces the "dramatis personae" - the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans, Vietnamese, Thai, Burmese, Indonesians, Filipinos, and others - and describes their interactions with each other and with Imperial China.The following three chapters deal with European expansionism and East Asians' responses to the civilizational challenge; the stirrings of nationalism in reaction to European colonial rule; and the remarkable rise of Imperial Japan. Chapters 6 and 7 trace Japan's bid to lead a pan-Asianist revolt against the twin threats of Western liberalism and Soviet communism, and the ensuing Pacific War. Chapters 8 and 9 span the cold war era, from postwar U.S. hopes for a "Pax Americana" to the division of East Asia into communist and anti-communist blocs. The Sino-Soviet split and the Sino-American rapprochement of the early 1970s open the way to the "East Asian miracle" and a resurgence of East Asian regionalism, surveyed in Chapter 10. A concluding chapter considers the prospects for continued economic dynamism and the balance of nationalism and pan-Asian trends in shaping the future.

Documenting the enormous changes and dramatic growth recently experienced in the region, this text considers the classical background to modern south-east Asian history, as well as the changes that have taken place in the post-war years.

Modern East Asia: A History explores the history of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam from the late eighteenth century to the present. The text presents information on each country individually and also demonstrates how historical trends within each nation are linked. The book begins with an introduction to cultural foundations and a brief history of East Asia in the seventeenth century. The volume progresses chronologically, beginning in 1830 with a discussion of the major crises that swept East Asia, including covering both domestic and international challenges. In proceeding chapters, readers learn about key events, ideas, conflicts, and negotiations that have shaped East Asia throughout history. They read about the termination of the feudal structure in Japan, French colonial conquest in Vietnam, the birth of modern nationalism in China, the events that led to Korea splitting into two separate nations, and more. Comprehensive and complete, Modern East Asia provides readers with a thorough exploration of the progression of China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam throughout the modern period. The text is ideal for world history courses, especially those that focus on East Asia. Mary L. Hanneman is an associate professor of Asian studies and history at the University of Washington, Tacoma. She holds a doctoral degree in history from the University of Washington. Wayne Patterson is a professor of history at St. Norbert College. He holds a doctoral degree in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania. Yi Li is a history instructor at Tacoma Community College. He holds a doctoral degree in history from the University of Washington. James A. Anderson is an associate professor and the department head of the History Department at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He holds a doctoral degree in history from the University of Washington.

Modern East Asia details the history of the region while recognizing the intellectual, religious, artistic, economic and scientific contributions East Asians have made to the contemporary world. The three national narratives of China, Japan and Korea are told separately within each chapter, and the text emphasizes connections among them as well as the unique evolution of each society, allowing readers to experience the individual countries' histories as well as the region's history as a whole. The text takes into consideration the radical changes in the field of history in the past 40 years, as the authors have incorporated scholarship in areas such as gender studies, social history and minority histories. While reading social, economic and personal histories, students will uncover the evolution of family structures, peripheral and outcast communities, the sociopolitical power of language and literature, the rise of nationalism and regional trading networks. Attention is also paid to environmental and diplomatic themes.

The modern states of Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, and East Timor were once a tapestry of kingdoms, colonies, and smaller polities linked by sporadic trade and occasional war. By the end of the nineteenth century, however, the United States and several European powers had come to control almost the entire region - only to depart dramatically in the decades following World War II. perspective on this complex region. Although it does not neglect nation-building (the central theme of its popular and long-lived predecessor, In Search of Southeast Asia), the present work focuses on economic and social history, gender, and ecology. It describes the long-term impact of global forces on the region and traces the spread and interplay of capitalism, nationalism, and socialism. It acknowledges that modernization has produced substantial gains in such areas as life expectancy and education but has also spread dislocation and misery. Organizationally, the book shifts between thematic chapters that describe social, economic, and cultural change, and country chapters emphasizing developments within specific areas. will establish a new standard for the history of this dynamic and radically transformed region of the world.

Long before the arrival of Western emissaries and powers, East Asian peoples and states were deeply involved in world affairs. In this sweeping account, Warren I. Cohen explores four millennia of international relations from the vantage points of China, Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. Writing incisively and authoritatively for readers at all levels, Cohen paints a broad but revealing portrait of East Asia’s place in the world. He defines the region’s boundaries widely, looking beyond China, Japan, and Korea to include Southeast Asia, and extends the scope of international relations to consider the vital role of cultural and economic exchanges. Cohen examines the system of Chinese domination in the ancient world, the exchanges between East Asia and the Islamic world, Chinese sea voyages to Arabia and East Africa, and the emergence of a European-defined international system. He chronicles the new imperialism of the 1890s, the ascendancy of Japan, the trials of World War II, the drama of the Cold War, and the transformations of East Asian states toward the close of the twentieth century. By showing that East Asia has often been preeminent on the world stage, this book not only recasts the past but also adds crucial historical perspective on international politics today. This second edition of East Asia at the Center features new material on the first decades of the twenty-first century.

The second edition of Charles Holcombe's acclaimed introduction to East Asian history from the dawn of history to the twenty-first century.