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#401 Deng Xiaoping: “Black Cat, White Cat”

4/4/2019

 
Introducing unit IV:
  • As Schell and Delury suggest, “By the 1980s [Deng Xiaoping] had named his counterrevolution gaige kaifang (改革开放), “reform and opening up.” Deng’s strange hybrid reform combined Vladimir Lenin’s recipe for a disciplined and well-organized state and Milton Friedman’s celebration of free market economics” (261).
  • Over the next couple of weeks we will examine this transformation of China from the 1980s to the early 2000s.

Essential questions for unit IV:
  • Are ideas like freedom and democracy universal, driving aspirations? If so, does the meaning of each term remain consistent across time and place? If not, what other goals might be more important?
  • In what ways is equality important? And how do much weight should human societies place on guaranteeing equal opportunities and outcomes?
  • How do we know when a state is legitimate? What rights should people have to overthrow a state that is considered illegitimate? Is violence ever justified on the part of the state to maintain power?

Interactive background
  • Slides

Further discussion:
  • To what extent do you think Deng’s biography (his family background, his time in France and the Soviet Union, his revolutionary credentials, or his experience during the Cultural Revolution) impacted his eventual choices as paramount leader?
  • How would you summarize the complex relationship between Mao and Deng?
  • What is the relationship between “reform” and “opening”?
  • What do you find admirable about Deng’s leadership? Are there any aspects that might give you pause?

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  • Courses
    • Archived Courses >
      • Chinese History >
        • Ancient/Early Modern: Living China's History >
          • Living China's History (fall 2017) >
            • Course Information
            • Course Project
            • In-Class
            • Assignments
          • Living China's History (fall 2018) >
            • In-Class >
              • The Death of Woman Wang
            • Assignments
        • Modern: China's Fall and Rise >
          • China's Rise and Fall (spring 2019) >
            • Course Info
            • In Class
            • Assignments + Units
          • China's Fall and Rise (spring 2018) >
            • Course Information
            • In-Class
            • Assignments
        • Contemporary: Thinking about a Changing China >
          • Thinking about a Changing China (spring 2017) >
            • Course Information
            • In Class
            • Assignments
      • Global Thinking (grade 9 seminar) >
        • HS150 Course Information
        • HS150 In-Class
        • HS150 Assignments
      • Japanese History >
        • Japan's Empire and its Legacies (fall 2016) >
          • Course Information
          • Daily Review
          • Schedule >
            • JE Unit 1
            • JE Unit 2
            • JE Unit 3
            • JE Unit 4
            • JE Unit 5
            • JE Unit 6
          • Research >
            • Issues of History
            • Research Schedule >
              • Checkpoint #2: Annotated Bibliography
              • Checkpoint #3: Outline
              • Checkpoint #4: Supplemental Pages
      • U.S. History >
        • Humanities History (2017-18) >
          • Course Information
          • In-Class
          • Assignments
        • Humanities History (2016-17) >
          • Course Information
          • In Class
          • Assignments >
            • U1: The American Revolution & the Constitution
            • U2: Defining the Nation
            • U3: 19th Century Social & Cultural Transformations >
              • Cemetery Project
            • U4: A House Divided
            • U5: Industry & Empire
            • U6: Progressive Promise & Disillusion
            • U7: Global Conflicts
            • U8: Civil Rights & Human Rights
      • More Course Descriptions
  • Skills
    • Reading >
      • Active Reading
      • Advanced Reading Strategies (Upper Mids and Seniors)
      • Outlining for Reading
      • Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources
      • Analyzing Primary Sources with SOAPSTone
      • Analyzing Visual Primary Sources
      • Selecting & Evaluating Secondary Sources
    • Thinking >
      • What is History?
      • Historical Thinking Chart (PDF)
      • Breaking Down History with the SPICE Factors
    • Discussing >
      • Engaging in Class Discussion
      • Evaluating Discussion
    • Researching >
      • Identifying Research Topics & Questions
      • Note Cards
    • Writing >
      • Zero Draft
      • Thesis Statements
      • Forming Counterarguments
      • Formatting Chicago-Style Papers
      • Ford Library Guide to Chicago-style Citations (PDF)
    • Tech Tips
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    • Further Reading in Asian Studies >
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