Pauletta Otis - The Pacific Century Second Edition Study Guide

The twentieth century is the Pacific Century. This century has been characterized as one of profound change brought about by modernization, democratization, and economic integration of Asia with the rest of the world. One of the major concerns of the text is to provide basic information and analysis concerning how the forces of change during this period will provide a base for the future of the region.

Part of the problem in studying an area of the world is defining exactly where and what that definition includes and excludes. The term Pacific Basin is the most inclusive as it refers to all countries or regions which touch on the Pacific Ocean. Pacific Asia is a more restrictive definition as it generally excludes the Americas and the Indian subcontinent. The term Asia was originally used by outsiders to refer to any region not European. All of the definitions are fluid and variously refer to geographic regions, populations, cultures, or political units.

Pacific Century : the twenty-first century noted for a renewal of force and dynamism in the Pacific region.

Pacific transition : in this text, transition refers to a relatively rapid change from tradiitional or inward-turning, regional interests to emerging social, political, and economic global modernization.

Pacific Basin : those countries whose borders rim the Pacific Ocean or whose political life is determined in large measure by continguity with the Pacific Ocean.

land-centered definitions : conceptual inclusiveness of politically organized units based on land or the use of land by human beings.

ocean-centered definitions : conceptual inclusiveness of politically organized units that rely on oceans for the central configuration.

Chronology : measurement of time in regular divisions or sequences and assigning events to their proper dates.

This chapter provides a general chronological development of the civilizations and empires in this region and provides a basic framework for understanding the schools of thought which provided the ideological bases for those civilizations and empires. The authors begin with a broad overview of the development of the first Chinese Empire. They then relate the unique experiences of Korea, Japan, and the islands to their own indigenous conditions and to the larger region.

In China, Qin Shihuandgdi named himself the first emperor and began the Qin (Chin) Dynasty with related laws, bureaucracy, and military forces. The philosophical basis for his rule was the idea that the Emperors role and person had inherent power and virtue. The Emperor, or Son of Heaven, was supreme arbiter between Heaven and Earth. Burning books to be rid of all the alternative viewpoints, he established a pattern of promotion of an acceptable party line. The optimistic Confucianists were attacked by the Legalists who believed that governments should be based on strict rules. They established a counter force and essentially backed the existence of the totalitarian state. The Daoists took another position: they basically supported the idea that a basic harmony would exist if individuals followed a natural course, or the Way. In relationship to governance, these ideas are congruent with what would be later identified as grass-roots or popular movements - reform of government by individuals and maintenance of governance by the proper behavior of individual citizens and natural economic forces.

The Han Dynasty is associated with the establishment of a universally understood written Chinese language. This allowed a governing structure for the Chinese state that held sway for nearly two thousand years: an absolute monarch, a council of ministers, and a civil service. During this period, Wei Man invaded the area of Korea and founded the kingdom of Chosun (194 BCE). Also during this time, the Wa (Japanese) broke a pattern of self-imposed isolation, and invaded Korea. Although in cultural contact with China and other countries in the region and incorporated some aspects of Confucianism and Buddhism, the Japanese maintained their distinctive Shinto beliefs. This supported the idea that while the origin of imperial authority may be heaven, the mandate was changing and in response to elite manipulation. In the seventh century, a Japanese delegation to China brought back ideas that formed the basis for the Taika Reform that supported the increasing centralization of state authority. Korea was unified when the Silla overthrew the Paekche in 668 allowing it to develop relatively unhindered by outside aggression.