ABSTRACT
This innovative, interdisciplinary introduction to East Asian politics uses a thematic approach to describe the political development of China, Japan, and Koreas since the mid-nineteenth century and analyze the social, cultural, political, and economic features of each country. Unlike standard comparative politics texts which often lack a unifying theme and employ Western conventions of the 'state', "Political Systems of East Asia" avoids these limitations and identifies a common thread running through the histories of China, Korea, and Japan. This common thread is Confucianism, which has shaped East Asian perspectives of the universe and how it operates. The text describes and explains the ways in which each country has employed this shared tradition, and how it has affected the country's internal dynamics, responses to the outside world, and its own political development.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part |80 pages
China
chapter |13 pages
The Confucian Tradition
chapter |11 pages
China and the West
chapter |16 pages
Revolution
chapter |12 pages
Maoism
chapter |14 pages
China After Mao
chapter |12 pages
Contemporary Issues
chapter |60 pages
Korea
chapter |6 pages
In the Shadow of China
chapter |5 pages
Korea and Imperialism
chapter |14 pages
Partition and War
chapter |8 pages
Korea and the Cold War
chapter |15 pages
The Hermit Kingdom
chapter |10 pages
Asian Tiger
part |68 pages
Japan