Ap World History Dbq Research Paper

At the end of the nineteenth century China was in political and economic disarray. It was not recognized as a sovereign nation by any major power, but many countries wanted to own their trading privileges and plotted on how the country should be partitioned. After the Spanish-American war the United States took these matters more seriously because they now possessed and needed to protect the Philippine Islands. In 1899, President McKinley stated his desire for an Open Door Policy that would allow all trading nations access to the Chinese market. By 1900, Secretary of State, John Hay, sought a formal endorsement of the concept by circulating diplomatic notes among the major powers, suggesting equal trading rights to all nations in all parts

1. Sinification is the Chinese influence in other regions. Chinese culture is adopted into another country and is spread widely. Sinification was common in Japan and Korea, but a little less common in Vietnam. 2.

I will be discussing the contact between various civilizations between 800 AD to 1400 AD. I will be looking closely at documents one, two, four and five. Document one discusses the trade in East Africa and the tribe the Zanj that live there. In Document four it discusses the trade goods in Gujarat India. Document two discusses the Jewish merchants. Document five is written by a Muslim traveler and he is talking about the journey from Zaya to Maqdasha. All of these documents talk about travel and trade between various civilizations between 800 AD to 1400 AD.

Throughout the Industrial Revolution, countries began to gain many raw materials to strengthen their empires. Inventions like the automobile made things much more efficient. With all this newly aquired power, countries already did not know what to do with it. During this Age of Progress from around the 1870's to 1890's, countries began to experience anxiety because they had trouble figuring out how humans worked. A great example is Siegmund Frued's psychoanalysis system which tried to prove how the human mind works, but now we know today it is very flawed. Herbert Spencer created his Social Darwinism theory stating that the strong countries are strong and "fit" to survive, and that the weak will die out. This caused more anxiety, so people mindlessly followed what was told to them. Many of these anxieties caused the imperialization of Africa, where

China has been the home to various religions. At different times different dynasties endorsed certain religions while repressing others. While Buddhism flourished during the Sui and Tang dynasty, it faced opposition from the government during the Song dynasty. Confucianism lost government endorsement during the Sui and Tang but gained momentum during the Song as Neo-Confucianism. Yuan dynasty promoted Islam and Tibet Buddhism but ignored Confucianism. Different rulers sponsored and protected different religions but Confucianism and some form of Buddhism have always been alive in Chinese society from 600 to 1450.

Prior to 600 CE, the unique civilizations discussed exerted their power in many different ways. Some of them, like India and the Chinese Qin Dynasty, enforced their rule using religion, while others, like Rome, Chinese Han Dynasty, and Greece sought to rule using more legal or philosophical methods.

Between 1607 and 1718 the Spanish, French, and English governments attempted to expand their power through exploration in order to acquire land and provide economic growth. All three countries colonized portions of North America for the purpose of utilizing their newly acquired land’s natural resources in order to transport valuable goods unavailable in Europe. While all the colonization methods focused on establishing relationships with natives, the ways in which natives were treated varies to extremes. The Spanish treated natives with contempt and tried to eradicate their culture. The English used natives as slaves to do the hard labor that agriculture required. In contrast, the French created an alliance with the natives, which allowed them to trade with Indian tribes in their region.

During the Tang and Song dynasties, Buddhism changed in a way for other beliefs and practices to be involved in. The importation of Buddhist ideas influenced Chinese culture by having schools of Buddhism, borrowing Chinese cultural traditions, and building temples. Monks and scholars coordinated several

The Han dynasty collapsed in 220 CE bringing with it a great deal of destruction. Buddhism, which was founded in India in the 6th century BCE, made its way to China in the first century. As it traveled it gained many followers and popularity, especially with the lower classes of the Chinese Dynasties because they were greatly disrespected. Buddhism rejected the idea of the social classes thus appealing to the impoverished. Many people accepted Buddhism, however some used it as the basis for many political and social injustices. Furthermore, a group of people remained indifferent and tried to unite the two groups.

In classical India, the religion of Buddhism was formed in reaction to the strict ways of Hinduism. Many people, mainly lower class, converted to seek a better life and be enlightened more efficiently. This new religion made its way to China where much of its population converted through trade and missionaries. The conversion of Buddhism in China caused many effects of the spread of Buddhism because of its influential impacts from 300 to 900 CE which are influencing the government, caused some people to reject it, and mainly was a unifying force for China. An effect the spread of Buddhism is the influence of its morals on China’s government in 300-900 CE (Doc’s 1, 7). On some occasions Chinese people vehemently rejected Buddhism and rather practice more Chinese driven religion (Doc’s 5, 7). The most impactful effect of the spread of Buddhism is its ability to unite the Chinese in the way of

Different classical civilizations often stressed similar values and issues. Classical civilizations were all constantly trying to unify their people to form a shared culture. They also tried to expand their empires. They would try to unify people through politics, religion, and philosophy. They promoted a common language and social structures for people to follow. Classical civilizations used many methods involving integration and expansion in their empire.

There are multiple reasons why and how Buddhism spread in China. I feel that factors like, religion, politics, and social, played a major part in spreading Buddhism throughout China. The factors mentioned are usually a contributor in global changes and has definitely played its part in China’s adapting a new belief. Of course there were other reasons, like economic, that caused the people of China to gravitate to the Buddhist ways. People reconsidering their faith, due to many of life downfalls or the weight of participants in something that’s new, gained recognition and spread due to popular demand. During the political chaos from 221 to 589 that came with the collapse of the Han Dynasty, Buddhism started to become a strong existence in

Buddhism was brought to China from India. At first, the people didn’t like the idea of a new

The effect of Buddhism in China was one of the most profound changes China ever had, as it affected their economy. This time, economy brought about religion; Buddhism came into China through international trade. As South Asian countries came into China, they spread their religion which at that time was majorly Buddhism. To gain favor from the foreign traders, the emperors showed frivolities towards them. “Tang emperors spent huge sums of money on Buddhism” (Dubois, 2011, p. 34). They constructed Buddhist monasteries, excluded monks from taxes and lavished them with other benefits. In one sentence, the emperors at that time, sought to seek the face of Buddhist he monks at the expense of the economy. On a lighter note however, the spread of Buddhism increased the economy of China as it created revenue in trade. “Up till the twentieth century, Tang dynasty was the most cosmopolitan period of China’s history. Politically, emperors had conflicts of interest and so alternatively chose Buddhism or Daoism in succession” (Dubois, p. 34).

“It is often said that, aside from the impact of Marxism on twentieth-century China, the only other time when the Chinese looked beyond their own borders for intellectual sustenance was during the period when Buddhism was absorbed from India” (LaFleur 23). Why did this religion appeal to the Chinese when they disregarded so many other external influences? After all, being tied to the rest of the world by the Silk Road meant they were constantly inundated with novel concepts from far and wide. The answer must lie in how Buddhism interacted with the other faiths already established in the country, namely Confucianism and Daoism (sometimes spelled Taoism). While at first glance it may appear that Confucian China would be the last place