How did modern China become one of the most important global powers of the 21st century? Join China expert and Professor Richard Baum as he brings to life the human struggles, political upheavals, and spectacular speed of this nation's rebirth in The Fall and Rise of China. Offering multilevel insights into one of the most astounding real-life dramas of modern history, his 48 lectures weave together the diverse developments and sociopolitical currents that created the China of today's headlines.
The Fall and Rise of China
Get multilevel insights into one of the most astounding real-life dramas in modern history. Review China's social, political, and economical rebirth, led by a Distinguished Professor of Political Science and expert.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
jojojo from
One of the best great courses.
This course was phenomenal! Professor Baum is clear, knowledgeable and always adds a touch of tasteful humor to his lectures. At the end of the course, you’ll deeply understand modern China from a political point of view.
What makes the course even more vivid is that he’s lived through the history of China over the last 50 years. He adds many delightful personal anecdotes, making the course even more enjoyable.
It is true that Professor Baum has a benevolent view of China, which could bother some, considering the tensions with this country, but he’s never overindulgent and calls out its leaders when necessary. One exception, he doesn’t mention the Tibetan question at all.
One warning, however, the course ends in 2009, and therefore, the last 15 years are not covered. Unfortunately, professor Baum passed in 2012 so we shouldn’t expect an updated version of his course.
Date published: 2024-05-22
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Raymond 24 from
Enlightening
This course is dated from 2010, so it is out of date in some respects. (Sadly, Professor Baum died in 2012.) But it is helpful and enlightening as to the background of many of today’s issues in and concerning China. The late Professor Baum is an engaging lecturer, but speaks slowly, and I found it convenient to speed up the presentation to 1.25x, and I didn’t miss anything. I also found that his personal anecdotes enhanced, rather than detracted from, the lectures.
Date published: 2023-04-04
Rated 5 out of
5
by
dennis1947 from
Very thorough and well presented
I just completed this course and Professor Baum is excellent in delivery and very knowledgeable. This course does need to be updated, however. It basically ends in 2009 and so much has happened since then.
Date published: 2023-03-01
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Professor Phil from
ONE OF THE BEST OF ALL GREAT COURSES
Professor Baum was a great scholar and lecturer. He brought intelligence, story-telling, and humor to every one of the 48 lectures in this series. If you wish you knew more about modern Chinese history (from early 19th century to about 2010) you will not find a better source.
Date published: 2023-01-13
Rated 1 out of
5
by
alzoto from
Degenerate perspective of World History!
Ingenious method of poisoning China with opium? Shameless racism!
Date published: 2023-01-09
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Fancie 14 from
Understanding China
To better understand China you need to understand its history. Professor Richard Baum does a fascinating job presenting it to you! He's extremely knowledgeable about its history! He had spent time living in and did research in China. It made him personally privy to some of the inside politics of Mao and the Communist party. I looked forward to every
chapter of his story.
Date published: 2022-09-09
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Bob78 from
Excellent presentation by a Chinese expert.
I wanted to learn more about Mao Zedong and the miracle of China's rise and this course exceeded my expectations.
Date published: 2022-08-01
Rated 5 out of
5
by
JimWS from
Professor Baum was wonderful
I have taken a few dozen courses from the Great Courses. This course ranks with the very best of them! Professor Baum was a distinguished scholar about China. His lectures were excellent and engaging. The course is filled with interesting information and useful insights. His own experiences in China bring to life in a very vivid manner many of the key points. This is a genuinely excellent course. I have only one sadness; Professor Baum passed away only a couple of years after making this course. His knowledge, enthusiasm, and talent will be missed by me and many others!
Date published: 2022-02-03
Overview
About
Dr. Richard Baum was Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he specialized in the study of modern Chinese politics and foreign relations. He earned an M.A. and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley. Professor Baum lived and lectured extensively throughout China and Asia. He served as Visiting Professor or Visiting Scholar at institutions including Peking University, Meiji Gakuin University (Japan), The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Princeton University, and Arizona State University, where he was honored as Distinguished Visiting Scholar for 2008. He was the author/editor of nine books, including Prelude to Revolution: Mao, the Party, and the Peasant Question, 1962-1966; and a personal memoir, China Watcher: Confessions of a Peking Tom. Professor Baum served on the boards of the National Committee on United States-China Relations and the Joint Committee on Contemporary China of the Social Science Research Council. He was a consultant to numerous public and private agencies, including the White House, the United Nations, and the RAND Corporation. He was also a frequent commentator on Chinese and East Asian affairs for the BBC World Service, CNN International, and National Public Radio. Professor Baum passed away in December 2012.
01: The Splendor That Was China, 600-1700
This lecture sets the stage for the saga of modern China. Uncover the underpinnings of the empire's extraordinary longevity, including its ingenious civil service system, its Confucian moral code, and its sophisticated military base....
30 min
02: Malthus and Manchu Hubris, 1730-1800
Complex social and economic forces ended China's millennium of supremacy as an empire. Learn about the empire's era of global exploration, followed by long, complacent isolationism. Then chart the economic strain of the 18th-century population explosion and the effects of European economic expansion and the opium trade....
29 min
03: Barbarians at the Gate, 1800-1860
The escalating British trade in opium sparked conflicts that crippled the Manchu dynasty. Track the Court's efforts to suppress widespread addiction, leading to the First Opium War and the humiliating Treaty of Nanking. Also, follow increasing foreign encroachments and violent reprisals, forcing a Second Opium War and the opening of multiple ports to Western commerce....
31 min
04: Rural Misery and Rebellion, 1842-1860
Nineteenth-century China also saw a prolonged agrarian crisis that spurred major peasant revolts, weakening the empire from within. Examine the explosive Taiping Rebellion, a decade-long, religiously themed struggle that threatened to unseat the empire....
28 min
05: The Self-Strengthening Movement, 1860-1890
Facing external and internal pressures, China's faltering empire attempted fundamental reforms. Investigate the Manchus' multifaceted effort to absorb Western science and technology while preserving Confucian institutions. Learn also about the internal sabotage of reform and the other factors in its ultimate failure, as Japan effectively wins the race to modernize....
28 min
06: Hundred Days of Reform and the Boxer Uprising
The 19th century closed with further measures of reform within the empire and violent conflict with foreigners on Chinese soil. Study the progressive thinkers who influenced the young emperor Guangxu in his 100 Days of Reform. Then follow the siege of foreign legations by the fanatical Boxers and its bloody aftermath....
27 min
07: The End of Empire, 1900-1911
Witness the death spasms of the Manchu...
32 min
08: The Failed Republic, 1912-1919
China's short-lived republic fell to corrupt power plays and maneuvering to restore the dynasty. Trace the country's descent into political chaos and rule by warlords, and ensuing encroachments by Japan. In addition, follow events leading to the birth of modern Chinese Nationalism....
31 min
09: The Birth of Chinese Communism, 1917-1925
Probe the emerging ideologies that fueled two revolutionary movements-Nationalism and Communism. Also, consider the importation of Lenin's theory of imperialism into China and the covert efforts of Soviet agents to forge a "united front" between Sun Yat-sen's Nationalists and the newborn Chinese Communist Party....
30 min
10: Chiang, Mao, and Civil War, 1926-1934
Explore the state of China after the death of Sun Yat-sen. Follow Chiang K'ai-shek's unified national revolutionary army as it wages a brutal campaign against the Communists. From the ashes of defeat, the Communists are reborn in the countryside under the leadership of Mao Zedong....
29 min
11: The Republican Experiment, 1927-1937
Over the following decade, escalating Japanese encroachments on China coincide with mounting violence between China's revolutionary factions. Examine the rise of Japanese militarism and the 1931 invasion of Manchuria. Later, follow Chiang K'ai-shek's attempts to liquidate the Maoist Communists and his dramatic kidnapping....
31 min
12: Resist Japan! 1937-1945
In the fireball of World War II, witness the brutal Japanese offensives in China and their grim consequences for the Nationalists, while paradoxically sparing the Communists from annihilation. Learn also about growing U.S. ambivalence toward Chiang K'ai-shek and how Japanese brutality actually aided the Communists' seizure of power....
29 min
13: Chiang's Last Stand, 1945-1949
Study the final confrontations between Nationalist and Communist forces. Track the Nationalists' effort to dominate urban centers and the Communists' guerrilla methodology, their success in mobilizing the rural Chinese, and their strategic moves to victory....
28 min
14: The Chinese People Have Stood Up!
Explore features of Mao's new regime and its program to rebuild China's shattered economy. Also, learn about the Communist Party's delineation of "enemies of the people," its policies of ideological "thought reform," and its national campaigns of land reform....
29 min
15: Korea, Taiwan, and the Cold War, 1950-1954
Investigate critical strategic and military actions of the Maoist regime in the early 1950s. Uncover the factors behind Mao's alignment with the Soviets and his uneasy relationship with Stalin. Then, probe the events of the Korean War, the repercussions of China's military intervention, and the tactical conflict over Taiwan....
29 min
16: Socialist Transformation, 1953-1957
In 1953 the Maoist government undertook the full transition to Socialism. Examine key features of Mao's economic program, focusing on the process of agricultural collectivization-the hurried implementation of which violated core party policies and created widespread resentment in rural China....
30 min
17: Cracks in the Monolith, 1957-1958
By 1957, domestic and international conflicts disrupted Mao's Socialist vision. Trace his deepening differences with Moscow as Khrushchev rejects Stalinism. Examine Mao's proposed liberalization toward intellectuals, followed by a harsh crackdown on dissenters and party members, as Mao steers a leftist course, finally rejecting the Soviet model of Socialism....
29 min
18: The Great Leap Forward, 1958-1960
Mao's "Great Leap Forward" aimed to galvanize China's economic development. Review the major components of this initiative, including mass mobilization of rural workers in water works projects, backyard steel production, impersonal people's communes, and their final catastrophic failure through faulty engineering and massive bureaucratic errors....
29 min
19: Demise of the Great Leap Forward, 1959-1962
Systemic mismanagement of the Great Leap created horrific consequences. Uncover the circumstances of a deepening agricultural crisis and Mao's confrontations with the dissenting defense minister, Peng Dehuai, as the party's denial of reality leads to starvation for tens of millions....
28 min
20: Never Forget Class Struggle! 1962-1965
Core Great Leap policies were reversed under Mao's lieutenants Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping. Follow growing hostility between Mao and Khrushchev, and bitter conflict between Liu and Deng's anticorruption campaign and Mao's offensive against class struggle and capitalist thinking, embodied in a new program of mass ideological indoctrination....
27 min
21: Long Live Chairman Mao! 1964-1965
Conflicting ideological currents set the stage for Mao's infamous Cultural Revolution. Examine efforts to enforce Mao's "cult of personality" through his "Little Red Book" of sayings and Maoist attacks on literary trends and the educational system....
28 min
22: Mao's Last Revolution Begins, 1965-1966
Chart Mao's unleashing of the Cultural Revolution. First, trace his orchestration of the downfall of Beijing's mayor and party propaganda chief in a strike against "counterrevolutionary revisionists." In the second stage, Mao foments radicalization and agitation among students, enlisting youth in retaliation against "bourgeois power holders."...
31 min
23: The Children's Crusade, 1966-1967
As the Cultural Revolution escalates, witness Mao's shakeup of high-level politicians and the formation of student "Red Guard" units, which subject educators and party leaders across China to humiliation and extreme brutality. As Maoist "revolutionary rebels" attack commercial and industrial interests, China veers toward anarchy....
31 min
24: The Storm Subsides, 1968-1969
In the final stages of the Cultural Revolution, spiraling chaos leads to ritualized violence and deadly wars between rival rebel factions. Study Mao's measures to restore order, including the relocation of millions of youths to rural areas and the rebuilding of the party....
30 min
25: The Sino-Soviet War of Nerves, 1964-1969
Smoldering hostility between Beijing and Moscow foreshadowed a critical turning point in the cold war. Investigate Sino-Soviet competition for dominance within the Communist bloc, highlighting conflicts over Czechoslovakia and Vietnam, the resulting tense military standoff, and the emerging strategic role of the United States....
31 min
26: Nixon, Kissinger, and China, 1969-1972
Professor Baum portrays the momentous shift in Sino-American relations under the Nixon presidency. Track the factors influencing the mutual moves toward détente, the internal resistance on both sides, and the complex maneuvering that led to Nixon's historic visit to China....
30 min
27: Mao's Deterioration and Death, 1971-1976
In the 1970s, the Maoist era came to a close with the declining health of the Chairman. Focus on the dramatic surrounding events, including the demise of Lin Baio, Mao's designated successor; Mao's political "rehabilitation" of Deng Xiaoping; and the power mongering of radical leftists led by Jiang Qing, who wage political war against Deng and Premier Zhou Enlai....
31 min
28: The Legacy of Mao Zedong-An Appraisal
Professor Baum pauses to assess the complex and contradictory figure of Mao. First, he reflects on key events in Mao's early life and factors in his psychological makeup and youthful sensitivity. Then, he traces Mao's revolutionary embrace of violence and his legendary ruthlessness as they inform the strategic brilliance that drove his actions....
29 min
29: The Post-Mao Interregnum, 1976-1977
Following Mao's passing, a high drama of succession ensued. The lecture details the rise of Hua Guofeng, Mao's successor, and his clashes with Jiang Qing and the supporters of Deng. Professor Baum reflects on his own meeting with Hua and his experience as a "China watcher" in this tumultuous era....
30 min
30: Hua Guofeng and the Four Modernizations
Hua Goufeng's guiding mandate was the remaking of China's economy. Probe Hua's educational and cultural reforms, followed by massive industrial projects ending in grand-scale failure through flaws in design and planning....
31 min
31: Deng Takes Command, 1978-1979
Simmering political conflicts mandated a showdown between Hua and Deng. Follow Deng's strategic power moves and economic initiatives and their effects in marginalizing Hua. Then witness a historic shift as Deng's faction assails the Cultural Revolution and Mao's iconic status begins to crumble....
30 min
32: The Historic Third Plenum, 1978
Deng's assumption of power brought major new policies and unprecedented openness to debate. Study the poignant events of the Democracy Wall Movement, as Beijingers write wall posters voicing passionate political commentary. Tensions rise as posters indicting the system lead to activism for democratic reforms and human rights....
30 min
33: The "Normalization" of U.S.-China Relations
The 1970s saw dramatic progress in diplomatic engagement between Beijing and Washington. Analyze the converging factors that led to Deng's triumphal visit to the United States in 1979, including China's need to speed modernization and the U.S. choice to "play the China card" against the Soviet Union....
31 min
34: Deng Consolidates His Power, 1979-1980
Political setbacks and economic breakthroughs marked Deng's early regime. Investigate China's ill-fated military action against the Vietnamese Communists and groundbreaking domestic policy shifts, including the decollectivization of farming and the creation of Special Economic Zones for export trade....
31 min
35: Socialist Democracy and the Rule of Law
Trace a storm of conflicts concerning Cultural Revolution grievances and Deng's proposed legal and political reforms. Assess the regime's new criminal codes and responses to social discontent, as a period of liberalization and increasing popular activism ends in a crackdown on challenges to party authority....
31 min
36: Burying Mao, 1981-1983
Ideological rifts within Deng's ruling coalition flared in the early '80s over the official assessment of Mao's legacy. Learn about the expression of suffering under Mao in a new literary outpouring, and conservative opposition to liberalization in art and the "spiritual pollution" of consumerism and foreign influences in Chinese culture....
30 min
37: To Get Rich Is Glorious, 1982-1986
Far-reaching market reforms gathered momentum in the early '80s. Chart China's changing economic landscape as self-employment and new management policies challenge the ingrained patterns of Socialist "command" economics. Also, see how the growth of foreign investment, imports, and tourism mark China's opening to the outside world....
32 min
38: The Fault Lines of Reform, 1984-1987
New societal stresses appeared in the wake of economic competition. Consider the effects of globalization, individual enrichment, and the widening income gap across China. Then observe the conservative backlash against reform and widespread student unrest....
31 min
39: The Road to Tiananmen, 1987-1989
Escalating social and political tensions led toward tragedy. Trace the split between moderates and hard-liners within the Communist Party and the political marginalization of progressive party Secretary-General Zhao Ziyang. Then see how enterprise failures, corruption, inflation, and unemployment fueled renewed student protests, ending in a defiant hunger strike in Tiananmen Square....
30 min
40: The Empire Strikes Back, 1989
Study the converging events of the deadly clash at Tiananmen Square as the regime imposes martial law, igniting massive demonstrations ending in the massacre of hundreds of civilian protesters. In the aftermath, witness the trauma to the Chinese national psyche, as reprisals against protesters and repressive surveillance deal a death blow to political idealism....
31 min
41: After the Deluge, 1989-1992
Following the events of Tiananmen Square, Deng's economic reforms came under concerted attack by party hard-liners. As you study Communist regimes toppling across Europe and party conservatives imposing an economic "austerity program," you trace Deng's strategic campaign to quell an ideological firestorm and save his hard-won "pro-market" policies for China....
31 min
42: The "Roaring Nineties," 1992-1999
In the 1990s, China's economic transformation surged forward. Explore the surrounding factors, including new enterprise autonomy, thriving stock markets and foreign investment, and concurrent corruption. Also note Premier Zhu Rongji's important achievements in restructuring state enterprises and leading China into the World Trade Organization....
32 min
43: The Rise of Chinese Nationalism, 1993-2001
China's burgeoning power reawakened both Chinese national pride and its converse: long-standing resentment of foreigners. Uncover these currents in the 1990s, fueled by American diplomatic errors, Sino-American conflict over Taiwan, and Western unease at China's global presence....
30 min
44: China's Lost Territories-Taiwan, Hong Kong
Examine the reunification of Hong Kong with China in 1997 and the new system granting domestic autonomy to Hong Kong under Chinese sovereignty. Then track Taiwan's transition to democracy, the turbulent movements for and against independence from China, and Beijing's ongoing strategic efforts to reclaim the island....
31 min
45: China in the New Millennium, 2000-2008
Analyze key elements in China's economic ascent, from sharp market growth and a new urban middle class to rampant official corruption and a vast "floating population" of migrant workers. Observe moves by the party to court the new business elite and focus resources on "have-nots," while retaining iron-handed political control....
33 min
46: China's Information Revolution
Assess the explosion of print media, the Internet, and cell phone use as they affect the regime's efforts to control the spread of information. Also, consider the role of nongovernmental organizations, "cybercops," and burgeoning grassroots "mass disturbances" in an escalating war between the forces of free communication and media censorship....
32 min
47: One World, One Dream-The 2008 Olympics
This lecture investigates international movements to boycott the Beijing games and the ways in which the games saw tightening governmental censorship and repression. Explore the mixture of stunning spectacle and behind-the-scenes maneuvering as the regime manages its image and tightens its political grip during China's national celebration....
30 min
48: China's Rise-The Sleeping Giant Stirs
Contemplate China's current and future presence in the global arena. Probe sensitive questions, including the future of Taiwan, trade controversies, and China's growing military power. Evaluate China's claim of a "peaceful rise" and possible indicators of future Sino-American cooperation and conflict....
33 min
