Best blog post, second semester

What is your best blog post, so far this semester? Paste the link in a comment.

Will & Jeremy's Life in 1955 China Post

Dear Diary,
My name is Xiao Hun. I am a 30 year old woman, with a husband and 8 year old son, who lives on a farm just outside of Beijing. Recently, Chairman Mao has made new plans for our country. He has taken away many civil rights from the people, and nationalized all agriculture. Now, my family and I must work very hard to please Chairman Mao with all the grain that he demands. Mao has also started plans to industrialize our country, similar to the Soviet's 5 Year Plan. He plans to follow in the Soviet's footsteps to lead our country into the future. Although Mao has taken away many of our rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of the press, he recognizes women's rights, and is making strides towards equality between men and women. He tells all women to be strong, and encourages us to fight in the army, and rebel against non-revolutionaries. There are some setbacks to living under Mao's rule, he is a great leader with good intentions, and although life is hard, Mao helps my family and I prosper and live happy lives.

Day in 1955 (Claudia and David)

1955: Beijing:

Today, I saw a film made by government. This film featured Mao explaining his policies to the people. He said in this video that he wanted to emulate the Soviet system of government. He said that their economy was ideal, and that he was going to implement the policies that Stalin implemented. Having read some of Stalin's policies, I know that these include five year plans and a generally planned economy. Apparently, the Soviet Union is very open to women involving themselves in society (almost equal to men). The Communists, differing from the Nationalists, want to eliminate all political and civil freedoms, such as freedom of the press. Today, the newspaper that I read was completely propagandized, and the Communist government clearly dictated its contents. This definitely is along the lines of the Soviet example. I was informed today that my grain produce doubled this year! This could only be attributed to the Communist takeover in China. I am very happy that the Communists have taken over in this great nation, for now we can progress toward social equality and economic freedom!

小本字

1967
Today in school, I learned about the great Chairman Mao, again. My teacher also talked about preparing for the revolution, and how we, as students, should read Mao's pamphlets in order to understand and apply his ideas. I also learned about the terrible Westerners and how they discriminate against people of different ethnic backgrounds. My teacher is constantly telling us how great Mao is and how privileged we are to be his followers.

I am looking forward to summer vacation because I get to experience my first job at a factory. I am also hoping to meet others who share the passion for labor that I have. We, as the people of China, must work to help the cause. Mao believes that it is essential to work as one, unified country.

Finally, I'm also excited for the frequent Communist Youth Meetings I'm going to attend. It is an opportunity to meet other fellow young-communists like myself, who also want to help the cause as much as I do. My parents think Mao is great and that he will help our country.

－權珍

1955
We are not so sure about Mao Zedong taking over China. He does not seem qualified for the job and we, as new parents, are unsure as to how this will affect our lives. Being a middle class family, we are concerned about how our work will be laid out if Mao takes over. We accept Mao's Marxist-Leninist views, but he doesn't seem to heading in the right direction economically speaking.

Jason & C.J.

Dear Journal,

It is 1955 and we live outside the city of Beijing. My name is Wang Tangjing and my wife is pregnant. With the redistribution of land, we can finally have a decent farm. Under Mao, China has been flourishing. He supports China's peasantry and is restoring China to its former glory. We fought valiantly against the Americans during the Korean War. Mao will lead us to further prosperity and uplift the peasants. Mao believes that with out great numbers, we can even move mountains. Our future seems brighter than ever before.

Dear Journal,

It is the year 1967 in Beijing. My name is Wang Xiaoming and I am 15 years old. Every time I step outside, I see the sun and think of Mao. Everywhere I turn, I see the "Four Olds" being destroyed. Mao is demolishing the evil past that binds us down. We, the students, are commended for helping with this effort, and we are breaking the chains of the past to allow China's further development. One day, as we were destroying an old temple, I saw one of our past teachers being paraded down the street with a dunce cap. He spoke treasonous lies against the Communist Party and Great Mao himself. Mao compares it to sweeping the floors. He says, "As a rule, where the broom does not reach, the dust will not vanish of itself." We must actively fight against the evil and do our part in "sweeping the floors." I myself am now a proud soldier of the Red Guard. I keep my little red book near to my heart, for Mao's greatness can even cure the deaf and mute.

Nick and leah's Chinese Girl Diary: 1955

Dear Diary,
It has been a few years since Mao has taken over, and he has done many things for the peasants. Although I know some people who don't like him, they are rich, while I am a peasant and understand Mao's policies. Mao write a lot about how the peasants should be in power, instead of the rich bourgeois. Not only has Mao championed peasants, but he is also a supporter of equal rights. Mao is sending numerous people away for "reeducation" because they are capitalists, and therefore evil. I am a peasant so I am safe, and Mao wants to help my family and I. I predict great and prosperous times for the future.
小 餃子

A day in the life, 1955

8 months have passed since i became pregnant and today, i learnt of my husbands imminent return from Korea. Not a day goes by where i do not remember the news of his capture during the war. 2 whole years i have waited for his release, and every day i prayed. As much joy as i feel now, it is somewhat repelled by the numerous deaths around me. Neighbors and friends are being taken away to be "re-educated" i fear that i shall never see them again. What scares me most is their political and economic beliefs were very similar to mine and my husbands. In fact, it would not be a stretch to say they influenced my stance on government and in turn, i influenced them. Communism is becoming more popular by the day, and i believe that it is not the way. So too did my friends and i live in fear knowing that their capture will one day be my fate. Days go by and i can't help myself from thinking, we are next. It is not our fault communist ideals do not interest us. It is not our fault that we do not agree with these radical notions but how can be be punished for thinking that this is not the right course for our country. I pray every night for my husbands safe return, but i also, selfishly pray for myself. I pray for my baby to be born not in a camp, dirty with disease and forced labor. I pray for my child to arrive in this world with clear skies above and hot food on the table. I pray Chairman Mao does not separate me from my child, however as the war comes to and end, i cannot help but feel that the winds of change are upon us.

Will & Jeremy's Life in 1967 China Post

Dear diary,
My name in Guang Xiao Hong and I grew up and still live in Beijing. I am 20 years old, and work in a small factory next to my dormitory. Revolution is brewing in my city, and I intend to be a part of it. Chairman Mao has told us common people to work together and overcome all of our society's problems. Many of my friends have been chosen to go to war to protect our country, and same of the remaining workers here fear the same fate. But I follow the teachings of our great leader, who said “When we die for the people, it is a worthy death." (“Serve the People,” speech from Mao Zedong on September 8th, 1944). Every day, local bureaucrats try to assert their authority, but my friends and I listen to Mao and maintain revolutionary spirit to better our country. Chairman Mao tells us, "Marxism consists of thousands of truths, but these truths can be summarized in the statement: It is right to rebel!” (Mao Zedong’s speech on December 20th, 1939). I know that it is right to rebel against non-revolutionary forces, but I will never oppose our great leader, Chairman Mao. Long live Chairman Mao and the revolutionary people of China!

-Will & Jeremy

A day in the life

Shanghai, 1967.
Wednesday, April 14.
Low-Low Yuang

"Today i was cured by the meritorious Chairman Mao. My life long hearing and speech impediment has vanished under the swift effort of our glorious leader, Chairman Mao. Before today, sounds were nothing to me and as a result, i could make none. However yesterday i underwent an incredibly risky medical operation to cure me of my impediment. At first i was scared, i thought perhaps i would die. However the thought that the entire process had be planend out by our beautiful Chairman Mao gave me much solace. Once i awoke, i laid my eyes, ears and words onto my mother who was standing over me. I immediately fell to the floor, beneath our giant painting of Chairman Mao. I almost shouted the words, "OH GLORIOUS CHAIRMAN MAO, THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" As tears fell down my mother's face, i comforted her and in turn myself, with the kind words that had not left my lips since i was 2."

This is what i heard on the radio today, a glorious and triumphant story of Chairman Mao's efforts to help and cure a deaf-mute from her crippling disease. As i listened to this little girl's story, i found myself in amazement. Amazement for our wonderful leader and his magical abilities. I thought long and hard on how Chairman Mao could possibly cure this little girl's deafness. Acupuncture was the means in which Chairman Mao cured this girl, however it was his genius combined with the loyal country which follows him wherever he journeys. I consider myself so blessed to live in this wonderful country lead by this truly amazing leader, if he can cure this girl's deafness and muteness, there must surely be no end to his power.

Day During the Cultural Revolution (Claudia and David)

1967, Beijing:

Today, I noticed the worst of this "Cultural Revolution." Revolution is brewing in our city. The people have broken away from normal behavior and have begun destroying all of the aspects of ancient Chinese culture. To me, this is somewhat of a good thing; we are changing some of the undesirable aspects of the Chinese society, including capitalism and destroying the bourgeoisie. The economy is suffering greatly, for the revolutionary tendencies are leading to anarchy. Chairman Mao's publications and "Little Red Book" have been spread around (today I received one of these books), wherein he enjoined us to destroy the old four: "the old customs, habits, culture, and thinking." The Red Guards are chanting in the streets, vandalizing the traditional art, and removing authority from power. Once, as I was walking to the market, I saw the artwork in a museum of art from the Qing dynasty completely defaced. The students at the university gave a speech, urging the people to join the fight. Although this is okay, they are going too far. While the students were giving their speech, the Red Guards chanted their infamous slogans regarding this change in Chinese culture. This country is a nation of peasants and proletarian workers, not of powerful bourgeois people. Therefore, the elements of the bourgeoisie should be expunged; however, the results of this fight are turning out to be disastrous. I have been encouraged to spend my days reading the literature of chairman Mao, and today I tried to memorize one of the three commonly read passages. This is tough for me, but I think that if I can do this, then I will be showing my support to the "Cultural Revolution."

Shanghai, 1967 Diary of A Chinese Girl

Dear Diary,
Today I watched a movie, entitled "The Detachment of Women" and it inspired me to become a warrior when I'm older. I'm just a destitute 16-year old girl from Shanghai, who never dreamed I could become a valiant, brave soldier, but now the honorable Chairman Mao showed me anything is possible. Before, I thought I'd have to labor on a farm, but now I know I can become a brave soldier soldier and defend the honor and glory of Mao. Even if I cannot become a soldier, I know (that because of Mao) I can defend my country or earn any job a man can. Just this winter, the Red Guards entered Shanghai and they're so inspiring; I wish I could be like them. Like my favorite song says, "how bright and brave they look." I'm so glad life has become better now that Mao is in charge!
小餃子

Leah and Nick

Day in the Life of a Student in Beijing, 1967 (Noah and Michaela)

Dear Journal,
Today, I continued to fight the terrible bourgeoisie in the name of our great leader Chairman Mao. My fellow Red Guards and I worked to destroy the evil four olds. As a student and a man of twenty years, I have been taught the power of Mao-Zedong thought and have devoted my life to the revolutionary cause. I follow the little red book and use it to resolve any problems as Chairman Mao has instructed. After waking up, I put on my Red Guard uniform and my Mao badge.

Today, while walking through Tienanmen Square, I saw our great Chairman Mao encouraging mobilization of the people. My fellow Red Guards and I, while walking through the market, encountered a middle-aged man who was insulting Chairman Mao. We detained him and sent him for re-education through labor. I am amazed at how people do not see the greatness of Chairman Mao, who is leading our country to prosperity and curing the people of their diseases.

In the effort of spreading Chairman Mao's thought, we destroyed an ancient temple in the heart of Beijing today. In order for Chairman Mao's thought to prevail, all parts of old culture must be abolished. Mao, who doesn't support religion, tells us to destroy old temples and old religious practices.

After a long but rewarding day of destroying old practices, I returned home to watch the Mao television network. I am truly blessed and inspired to fight in the name of Chairman Mao and fight for the revolutionary cause.

Chinese responses to imperialism

What was the Chinese response to foreign imperialism, and how and why was it ineffective? Post your responses in the comments.

China and Western Imperialism

How and why did China fall victim to European imperialism in the years 1800 to 1860? Post your responses in the comments.

Best blog post

What was your best blog post of the first semester? Post your link in a comment.

Communist Manifesto Answer

The picture of a Capitalist society created by Marx and Engel is relatively accurate, with a few exceptions. They talk about how the bourgeoisie was originally oppressed, rose up against that oppression, and began oppressing those beneath them, thus starting the cycle all over again. In American society today, each class generally tends to look out for themselves. Marx also talks about how the bourgeoisie has “stripped of its halo every occupation hitherto honored and looked up to with reverent awe” (62). Everything has now been reduced to its monetary value, including people and their jobs. In modern day society, the vast majority of jobs are ones held only so a person can feed their family. There are of course many fulfilling occupations, but most people need to work in jobs they hate just to survive. Marx talks about how the old means of exploitation was through religion, but recently it developed into “direct, brutal exploitation” (62). In a sense this is true. Large modern corporations and companies only look out for themselves, exploiting everything around them. Many pay their workers as little as possible, and are interested in quantity, not quality. As we saw with the oilrig leaking into the gulf, many companies are not concerned with the safety of the environment or their workers, only with saving as much money as possible.

Communist Manifesto question

Is Marx and Engels' description of capitalist society accurate? Defend your answer by referring specifically to a characteristic of capitalist society, as Marx and Engels describe it, and with specific reference to modern American (or other capitalist) society. Keep your response brief--a couple hundred words, tops. Feel free to respond to others' posts as well.

The Efficacy and Justification of the Committee of Public Safety

During the course of the French Revolution, there were many distinct phases that changed both the political and economic direction of the country. First, there was the political change of 1789, which included the desacralization of the monarchy and the creation of a constitutional monarchy, including elections to a newly formed National Assembly. However, as the Revolution progressed, radicalism became every more entrenched in French politics. This caused the National Assembly to disband, and a new Legislative Assembly formed, containing members of the Parisian Jacobin club, a younger and more radical group of politicians. Even later, however, an even more radical group of politicians, known as the Mountain, led by Maximilien Robespierre, controlled the newly formed National Convention, and employed dictatorial tactics to maintain control over the people. The Committee of Public Safety, set up by the National Convention and maintained by Robespierre and his compatriots, utilized effectively brutal techniques during a period known as the Reign of Terror, which eventually contradicted the fundamental principles on which the French Revolution began.

Robespierre's infamous Committee of Public Safety was a crude but impeccably effective political weapon that forever changed the course of the Revolution by instilling fear in the people and by dictatorially controlling them. Robespierre's Reign of Terror seemed to be blind to any class or political distinction. It broadly combatted any enemy of the state,

and was unhesitant in its arrest of hundreds of thousands of people during the radical phase of the Revolution (McKay, 698). It not only destroyed the political enemies to the new power structure, but also placed fear in the people. Such widespread terror worked "to solidify the home front" (McKay, 698). In essence, the Committee of Public Safety acted to control the people and place their focuses on the Revolution that Robespierre and his allies envisioned. Without such terror, negative sentiment which rose during this time period against war and tyranny might have formally arisen to oppose those in power; however, the implication of dictatorial tactics enabled the country to move forward in its war against Europe, without the worry of such an uprising. In your opinion, did Robespierre and his allies effectively control the populace during the Reign of Terror? Also, do you think that the Committee benefited France, or was it a bad influence to the French?

Even though Robespierre's famous Committee of Public Safety was effective in controlling the French populace, its extermination of thousands of men and women during the course of the Revolution severely repudiated the basic ideals of the Revolution on which Robespierre and other radicals like himself started the Revolution only four years prior. The original French Revolution of 1789, a time when moderate middle class businessmen rallied for individual liberties and republican government, embodied the heart and soul of the Revolution. They overthrew the tyrannical monarchy, established an elected legislative body that represented the people, and confirmed the individual liberties of the people with passage of such documents as the "The Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen" (Sherman, 57-58). Contradictory to this was Robespierre's epic Reign of Terror over the people. Courts set up by the National Convention ignored legal procedure and swiftly executed thousands of people at the whims of a few dictatorial leaders (McKay, 698). Robespierre attempted to justify his terror in the "Speech to the National Convention" (Sherman, 60-61); however, he merely stated that terror was necessary for control, not for liberty. Not once did he maintain the core principles of the French Revolution through the employment of the Committee of Public Safety. Moreover, he stated the ideals of the Revolution, but only justified the terror only as necessity for Revolution, never justifying it as compliant with the ideals of the Revolution. He supported Revolution when it suited his ascendancy to power, yet fervently quelled it whenever it threatened his power. The Reign of Terror was a period of time when the original ideals of the Revolution were forgotten, and a new era of bloody dictatorial rule was employed, continuing from then through the fall of Napoleon. Do you think that the actions of the Committee of Public Safety were justified? Did they or did they not embody the ideals of the original French Revolution of 1789?

France's Crusade Against Tyranny

When the french National Assembly disbanded, a new representative body convened in October 1791. However, the members of the former National Assembly were not eligible for election to the new Legislative Assembly. Therefore the Legislative Assembly had different members and a distinctly "different character," (McKay, 695). Specifically, the individual members were younger and more radical than the members of the National Assembly. Subsequently, the new Legislative Assembly was extremely distrustful of monarchy, and thus became increasingly committed to eradicating tyranny from France. In fact, the Legislative Assembly spurred France to become passionately involved in a "war of people against kings," (Mckay, 696). In other words, France was encouraging its people to support a crusade against all European tyranny, and simultaneously declare war on almost all of Europe. In April 1792, France declared war on Francis II, the monarch of Habsburg.

Initially, consequences of such a war were apparent when French forces fled at their first encounter with the armies of the First Coalition. Luckily, the First Coalition did not counterattack France because of their internal conflict about the division of Poland, but if the First Coalition had immediately attacked France, they would have marched harmlessly into Paris. However, some good did come out of this "crusade", because by November 1792, French forces were occupying the entire Austrian Netherlands. Along the way, French forces "abolished feudalism" and attempted to establish republican governments. In a certain respect, France did achieve its goal of exterminating tyranny, although in the end, I believe that France hindered itself much more than aid its cause.

First of all, France was not strategic enough in its international affairs; French armies lived off of the very land that they were "liberating" (by demanding food and supplies from foreigners, and even plundering local treasures). This ultimately caused the French to appear as 'foreign invaders', instead of Liberators. Furthermore, by February 1793, Republican France was at war with Britain, Holland, Spain, Austria and Prussia. This war did not resolve itself until 1815. Secondly, France faced internal protest from peasants who revolted against being drafted into the national army. These peasants clearly wanted to maintain their freedom to choose whether or not to enlist in the army, instead France compromised its own ideals of freedom by creating a military draft. These peasants gained the support of devout Catholics, royalists and foreign agents. Over time, France was gaining more and more opposition. Lastly, the final way in that France hindered itself, was that it was facing an internal revolution at the time of this war against tyranny. Instead of devoting all of its attention towards resolving the internal issues, France engaged itself in a conflict that would not be resolved until 1815. Personally, France could have saved funds, manpower, and energy by not engaging itself in a continental war.

This is my opinion on France's war against tyranny, here are some questions to consider:
What was the purpose of attempting to eradicate all European monarchies? Is there any rational justification of this?
Do you think that this war resulted in success, or was it pointless?