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Unit 7 - Rise of Asia 

  • Unit Question - Do geographical factors influence historical events?
  • Historical Context - Ancient civilizations of China, Communist China, Economic growth in Asia
  • Final Assessment - Unit Exam

Indus River Valley Civilizations

The Indus River Valley Civilization, 3300-1300 BCE, also known as the Harappan Civilization, extended from modern-day northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India. Important innovations of this civilization include standardized weights and measures, seal carving, and metallurgy with copper, bronze, lead, and tin. Little is understood about the Indus script, and as a result, little is known about the Indus River Valley Civilization’s institutions and systems of governance. The civilization likely ended due to climate change and migration.  Read more: Khan Academy: Indus River Valley Civilizations

Indus River Valley Civilizations Resources:

Ancient Civilizations of China & Asia

The Yellow River valley is said to be the Cradle of Civilization (Eastern Civilizations), as this is where the earliest Chinese dynasties were based. Chinese civilization then spread out over a vast area and went to change the entire world.  Read more: Time Maps: Civilization Overview - Ancient China

Discover each Dynasty: 

Read p.346-359 in your World History textbook and answer the Ancient Civilizations of China & Asia questions in your COMP books:

  1. Why do the Ancient Asian civilizations emerge in the Indus Valley of India and along the Yellow River of China?  
  2. Why is there a variety of cultures in Asia?
  3. Who was the first Mogul ruler of India?
  4. What was unusual about Akbar's tax policy?
  5. Critical Thinking:  How would cooperation between Hindus and Muslims help build a rich and powerful Empire?
  6. Identify some of the contributions made by Chinese dynasties.  NOTE: Yes, this does include gunpowder!
  7. Where and what is the Forbidden City?
  8. What was the purpose behind Zheng He's expeditions abroad?
  9. What role did irrigation play in the Khmer economy?
  10. Why were the Khmer able to dominate Southeast Asia for centuries?
  11. Critical Thinking:  Why do you think the Khmer were willing to devote so much time and energy to constructing the temple so complex?

Communist China
On October 1, 1949, Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The announcement ended the costly full-scale civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), which broke out immediately following World War II and had been preceded by on and off conflict between the two sides since the 1920’s. The creation of the PRC also completed the long process of governmental upheaval in China begun by the Chinese Revolution of 1911. The “fall” of mainland China to communism in 1949 led the United States to suspend diplomatic ties with the PRC for decades.  Read more: Office of the Historian: The Chinese Revolution of 1949

Read p.576-581 in your World History textbook and the Communist China questions in your COMP books:
  1. How did Mao Zedong and the Communist take control of China?  Why did Mao encourage your people to take up the revolution?
  2. What political parties fought for control of China during the civil war of the late 1940s?
  3. Who was Jiang Qing and what was her role in China's history?
  4. What details can you provide to support the statement, "The twentieth century was an era of revolution in China"?
  5. Critical Thinking:  Do you think you could believe everything the communist leaders of Beijing said about the government of Taiwan?  Could you believe everything Taiwan's leaders said about the People's Republic of China?  Explain your answer.

Economic Growth in Asia 
The economy of Asia comprises more than 4.2 billion people (60% of the world population) living in 46 different states. Six further states lie partly in Asia, but are considered to belong to another region economically and politically. Asia is the fastest growing economic region and the largest continental economy by GDP PPP in the world. China is the largest economy in Asia and the second largest economy in the world. Moreover, Asia is the site of some of the world's longest economic booms, starting from the Japanese economic miracle (1950-1990), Miracle of the Han River (1961-1996) in South Korea and the economic boom (1978-2013) in China. 


Economic Growth in Asia Resources: