Communism

A system of government that depends on common ownership

of the factories, tools and machines used to produce

wealth.

Mao established a communist government in Russia.

AuthoritarianA government in which political power is concentrated in a small

group of people.

The government of China under Mao, or North Korea under Kim Jong-un, could be described as

authoritarian

Democracy

A system of government where the people take part, either

directly, or through their elected representatives.

The United States is an example of a democracy.

Capitalist Economy

Businesses and the factories used to produce goods are

privately owned. This economy depends on supply and demand

to set prices.

Capitalist economies usually have a competitive marketplace

with many choices for people buying the goods.

Mixed Economy

Some of the businesses, factories and the money earned

belong to individuals. Some belong to the government.

Most countries today have mixed economies.

Command EconomyThe government owns all of the businesses and profits. There is

no reason to work hard.

A command economy is usually found in an authoritarian

government.

Distribution of Wealth

A comparison that shows the amount of money and resources

owned by each section of the economy.

Some people in the United States are concerned that the

distribution of wealth favors rich people.

Standard of Living/Quality of Life

A combination of wealth and employment, the environment,

physical and mental health, education, recreation and

leisure time, and social belonging.

Everyone wants to have a high standard of living and a good

quality of life.

Natural Resources Materials found within the environment.

In world geography we often talk about those natural

resources that are not easily replaced.

Infrastructure The services and facilities needed for a society to operate.

Roads, buildings, dams, and bridges are examples of

infrastructure.

Isolation and Opening to the West

Deserts, forests and mountains, combined with the Great Wall of China, kept China isolated

from the rest of the world for a long time.

In the 1970’s, China became more open to the rest of the

world to increase trade.

Developed Countries

A nation which has a highly developed economy (more

service companies than factories, high GDP), wide-

spread technological infrastructure and a higher

standard of living.

Examples of developed countries include the United

Sates, Australia or Japan

Developing Countries

A nation with a lower living standard, a relatively low level

of industrial capability and technological sophistication

China and India are examples of developing countries.

Confucianism

A Chinese philosophy (way of thinking) that focuses on the Five Relationships, the Golden Rule and respect for parents.

Confucianism was developed from the teachings of Confucius.

Daoism

A Chinese philosophy (way of thinking) that focuses on

harmony (agreement) with nature and being humble

(modest.)

Some Chinese people follow both Daoism and Confucianism.

BuddhismA religion whose followers

believe in enlightenment and the eight-fold path.

Buddhism was started in India with the teachings of the

Buddha.

ShintoismA religion started in ancient

Japan that celebrates spiritual connections to nature.

One of the symbols of Shintoism is the Tori gate, which is often at

the entrance to a shrine (holy place.)

Dynastic CycleBelieving that the beginning and end of dynasties is controlled by

Heaven (God).

In China, people used to believe that God decided who would be the emperor at any given time.

This idea was known as the dynastic cycle.

Mandate of Heaven

The idea that God would (mandate a ruler) let a ruler be

in charge as long as he ruled fairly.

If a Chinese emperor was a bad ruler, God would withdraw his

mandate (blessing). This would lead to the emperor being

removed from power.

Mao Zedong

Head of the first Communist People’s Republic of China after the Chinese civil war. Mao was

known for The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural

Revolution

Many Chinese people were killed or put in prison during Mao’s rule, because they did

not do exactly what he wanted.

Chinese Revolution(Civil War)

A war between the National Party and the Communist Party.

They were fighting over who would control China.

When the National Party was defeated in the civil war,

Communism became the form of government for China.

Cultural Revolution

Promoted Communism by removing anything that was

associated with Capitalism (the West) or traditional Chinese

culture.

Mao and his followers tried to get rid of anyone who was his

critic during the cultural revolution. Many educated and

wealthy people were imprisoned or killed.

Great Leap Forward

An attempt by Mao to use China’s large population to change the country from agricultural (farming) to a

modern Communist nation.

The goal of the Great Leap Forward was to increase the number of factories and to

change farms into collective (shared) operations.

Deng Xiaoping

The Communist leader following Mao Zedong. Xiaoping

modernized Chinese agriculture, industry and technology.

Deng Xiaoping worked to move China towards a market

economy.

Special Economic Zones

A geographical region that has economic and other laws that

are more free-market-oriented than a country's typical or

national laws

Areas along the coast of Southern China called Special Economic Zones, were formed to attract foreign companies

and investment.

Household Responsibility System

The law in China that makes local managers responsible for the profit of a business or farm.

Under the Household Responsibility System,

businesses or farms get a quota of goods to produce. If the

quota is met, workers receive extra pay.

Civil Liberties Censorship Restrictions on people’s rights and freedoms.

Examples of civil liberties are freedom of religion, freedom of speech, the right to a trial when accused of a crime, the right to own property and the right to

privacy.

Tiananmen Square

One of the largest public squares in the world. It is

famous for being the location of both Communist and anti-

Communist demonstrations

Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, was built in 1415.

One Child PolicyThis policy restricts married

urban (city) couples to having one child.

The one child policy was put in place to control the population

of China.

Environmental DegradationThe weakening of the

environment (air, water or soil) by overuse or pollution

Environmental degradation makes the air in China very dirty

at times.

Separatism

Supporting the separation of cultural, ethnic, tribal, religious, racial, governmental or gender

groups from everyone else

Tibet wants to be considered a separate country from China. The people of Tibet believe in

separatism.

NationalismStrong identification of a person

or a group with its country or nation.

Chinese people who believe in nationalism, want to have a

centralized Chinese state. They think Taiwan and Tibet should

be a part of China.

Tibet

The homeland of the Tibetans, located Northeast of the

Himalayan Mountains. Tibet was made a part of the Peoples

Republic of China in 1959, however, rebels have been

trying to make Tibet an independent country.

The discovery of a large mineral deposit in Tibet has increased China’s interest in the country.

Dalai Lama

The leader of Tibetan Buddhism. The line of Dalai Lamas began as spiritual teachers, but the Dalai

has sometimes been the political leader of Tibet.

The Tibetan people believe that the Dalai Lama is a spiritual

leader who has chosen to be reborn in order to enlighten

(teach) others.

UighursA Turkic ethnic group that lives

mostly in Xinjiang, in Northwestern China.

Chinese security forces have tried to keep the Uighur

territory under tight control since the 1990s, when protests, riots and bombings broke out

over who should be in charge of the oil rich area.

Taiwan

Officially called the Republic of China, Taiwan is an island state in East Asia that was originally

part of China.

Whether Taiwan should be a separate country or united with mainland China is a big debate.

Japanese Emperors

The role of the Emperor (ruler) of Japan has alternated

between a largely ceremonial and symbolic role and that of an

actual monarch (king.)

By 500 A.D., the emperor of Japan was mostly ceremonial. The people

thought that only the emperor could communicate with the gods, so the same family stayed on the throne. Political power belonged

to several families, who ruled Japan as Shoguns.

Meiji

A Japanese era from September 1868 through July 1912. During this period Japan modernized to

lessen interference from the West.

Meiji, which means “enlightened rule”, brought

industrialization and progress to the Japanese.

Feudalism

Landowning warriors (Samurai) pledged their loyalty to lords

(Daimyos), and fought to protect their lands. Poor farmers paid the

Daimyos taxes for the right to farm their lands. In exchange, the

Daimyos used his Samurais to protect these poor farmers.

Landowners were very powerful at the time of Japanese

feudalism.

MegalopolisA very large city or a group of

cities that are very close to each other.

A group of cities around Tokyo, Japan, forms a megalopolis.

Economic Development

Continued actions of legislators and communities that

encourage the standard of living and economic health of a

specific area

The car and electronics company exports helped to

encourage Japan’s economic development after World War II.

Graying of JapanJapan has the highest

percentage of people over 65 years old.

The aging of Japan’s population is caused by a combination of high life expectancy and the

trend for families to be small.

Korean War

A war between North and South Korea that was primarily fought over the way Korea was divided by the Allies at the end of World

War II.

The United States fought with South Korea in the Korean War.

DMZ (Demilitarized Zone)

A strip of land running across the Korean Peninsula that

serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea

The DMZ cuts the Korean Peninsula in half at roughly the 38th parallel (38 degrees North).

Armistice

A situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It often occurs while

peace is negotiated.

An armistice may or may not be the end of a war.

Nuclear Program A plan to build nuclear weapons

In October 2006, North Korea became the eighth atomic power by conducting an

underground nuclear test. It is still unclear, whether the

country can produce a working nuclear weapon.