The Development of East Asia Since 1945 Till Today - Assignment Example

How and why have Cold War politics, and international conflicts affected the development of East Asia since 1945? (developments in China, Japan, and Korea, with connections to the USA and USSR). The Cold War is the most important political issue witnessed after the end of WWII. The Cold War began due to the tension between the U.S. and the USSR, which were the world's most powerful nations then. The Cold War reportedly grew out of distrust and suspicion between the two nations. The Cold War affected the development of East Asian countries in a variety of ways. Firstly, the Cold War benefited China since it triggered a civil war between the communist and nationalist Chinese. The victory of the communists Chinese in 1949 resulted in the installation of a government, which effectively unified the Chinese people. Additionally, the victory of the communists resulted in the restoration of China to an independent state, free of the European interference. Nevertheless, the Cold War had a negative impact on Korea, China, and Japan in the sense that it created regional instability. For instance, the Korean War reportedly created an armed conflict between the U.S. and China to the extent that it created serious regional stability, which impacted negatively on the economy of the region. Again, during the Cold War, the USSR supported North Korea while the U.S. supported South Korea. Since then, the two nations have been involved in conflict with the Russia still maintaining its support for North Korea and the U.S. casting its weight behind South Korea. These historical conflicts whose origins are traced to the Cold War period are impacting negatively on regional stability. By extension, the conflicts impact negatively on the development of the region since it hampers trade. The process of modernization in China, Japan and Korea in the twentieth century. Which country/region has been the most successful? Why and how? China, Japan, and Korea were once among the poorest countries in the world. In fact, the three countries were not considered economic powers until after the end of World War II. It is after the war that the countries took path to modernize themselves. The modernization process in the three countries began by creating political stability. In the early part of the 20th century, all the three countries were ruled by autocratic leaders. As such, the countries were marred by corruption to the extent that only a few, mainly the rich benefited. This resulted in the unequal distribution of resources. To modernize the three countries, the citizens of these countries, particularly those in the opposition, pushed for the replacement of autocratic leaders with governments elected by the people. This in part involved calling for the modernization of institutions in the countries to ensure that democracy and the rule of law are embraced. Japan and China then moved with speed to establish a strong military to ensure that the kingdoms and empires are protected and that their political stability was maintained. However, Korea did not focus much on building a strong military as its counterparts. Instead, Korea embarked on creating economic reforms to promote trade and investment in the country. Japan and China, however, embarked on creating economic reforms after building a strong military. The three countries share a similarity in that all embarked on infrastructural development as part of their modernization process. Today, the three countries are among the top ten largest economies in the world. Although the three East Asian countries have made significant achievements and developments in the past, China appears to be the most successful so far. This is because the modernization approach pursued by China has made it the second largest economy in the world. In fact, some economists project that China may overtake the U.S. economically in the near future. The success of China is also seen through military capability, low unemployment levels, low inflation rates and high standards of living compared to Japan and Korea. How and why have the actions and/or interests of foreigners affected the development of East Asian countries from the beginning of the Early Modern period to the end of the twentieth century? (developments in China, Japan, and Korea, with connections to each other and western powers.) The interests and actions of the Western powers have had both positive and negative effects on the development of the East Asian countries. The first positive effect of the Western powers on East Asia is that the West has participated immensely in improving the security of East Asian country. The U.S. spends billions of dollars annually in terms of direct military expense in Japan and South Korea. In so doing, the two East Asian countries have benefited through increased military capability. For instance, out of the $40 billion that the U.S. grants for security, a large part goes to East Asia. Indeed studies show that without the subsidy that the U.S. provides to Japan, the country's military budget would be as high as $100 billion, which is far above its current defense budget of $40 billion. The same will apply to Korea and many other East Asian countries whose military budgets would increase significantly if the U.S. fails to subsidize their military budgets. Apart from subsidizing the budgets of Japan and Korea, the West has also played a critical part in ensuring that the region achieves political stability. South Korea, for instance, has been in conflict with its North counterpart since the two countries were separated. However, the West has often come in to ensure that peace and stability is maintained in the region, which has not only benefited S. Korea, but also Japan and China. The West has also contributed positively to the growth of the economy of the East Asian countries through trade and investment. East Asian countries are major trading partners of the U.S. Economists reveal that the value of exports to the East Asian countries from the U.S. has grown from roughly $10 billion annually to over $163 billion annually. Additionally, the West also invests heavily in the East Asian countries, thereby contributing to economic growth and development. Nevertheless, the interest of the West in East Asian countries has also contributed negatively to the development of these countries. For instance, the U.S. nuclear invasion of Japan is still felt in Japan to date. The war resulted in the death of many Japanese people and left scores others injured. As for Japan, the U.S. interest in East Asia is impacting negatively on the country since it results in tension. For instance, Japan has complained a number of times that the West is surveying it, thereby resulting in diplomatic tension in the region. How and why did the power of the state grow in East Asia – China, Japan, and Korea – from the beginning of the Early Modern period to modern day? China, Japan, and Korea have emerged as powerful states in modern times. History shows that these three Asian countries were once the poorest countries in the world. However, the statuses of the countries have changed significantly over time; today, they are considered as being among the most powerful states; economically, militarily and politically. In fact, it took these countries centuries to reach where they are today. Various factors have contributed to their rise to become powerful states. Firstly, the rise of the East Asian countries to powerful states has largely been attributed to their pursuit of capitalism coupled with the communist political system. Economists reveal that the East Asian countries have mostly relied on the capitalist economic system, which has propelled them forward very fast. The communist political systems of these countries have also been cited as being the reasons behind their rise to power. Secondly, the rise of the East Asian countries is also linked to the fact that Japan, China, and Korea have been pursuing state-sponsored capitalism. Japan became the first East Asian country to pursue state-sponsored capitalism before China and Korea followed suit. In this respect, the country has relied heavily on state-owned enterprises. Thirdly, the rise of the country's into powerful states is linked to their heavy investment in infrastructure. The three East Asian countries believed that the best way to encourage economic growth and development is to improve the country's infrastructural facilities. In response, the countries decided to invest heavily on infrastructural building, including roads, rail network, electricity, drinking water, and telecommunication. China, for instance, had 55,000 km of rail network by 1985, which was far shorter compared to neighboring countries, such as India. However, by 2006, China had extended its railway network to over 750,000 km. A similar strategy was employed by Japan and Korea to revamp their economies. Lastly, to build a powerful state, Japan, China and Korea focused on building a strong military to ensure that they become powerful in the region. Read More