| Description |
The Spirit of Change: China in Revolution is an inquiry-based study for senior history students. The plethora of sources provides ample material for readers to question, analyse and evaluate, subsequently developing an understanding of the past and guiding readers through the causes, events, leadership, ideology and aftermath of the revolution. The Spirit of Change: China in Revolution addresses the curriculum requirements of the West Australian senior history syllabus and those of syllabuses in other states. |
| Key Features |
An essay on the nature of revolutions introducing readers to the current discourse about revolutions, their characteristics and causes Additional narrative text that places sources within a historical framework A broad selection of questions, activities and discussion points encouraging students to comprehend, conclude, challenge, investigate and consolidate A diverse presentation of visual sources-photographs, fine art, cartoons, diagrams, maps, timelines and tables An extensive range of primary and secondary sources, some previously inaccessible-letters, newspaper reports, state documents, items of propaganda, speeches, interviews and memoirs Conflicting sources to prompt students to evaluate the issues and draw their own conclusions |
| Table of Contents |
Investigation A: The nature of the Pre-revolutionary regime and its problems Inquiry 1: Why did the Qing government collapse? Inquiry 2: What political changes were put into place after the 1911 revolution and how successful were they? Inquiry 3: What factors contributed to the rise in Chinese nationalism between 1915 and 1925? Inquiry 4: Why did the Guomindang fail to bring political unity to China? Inquiry 5: What actions did the Chinese Communists take to ensure their survival? Investigation B: Revolutionary ideas and leaders Inquiry 6: What revolutionary ideas existed in China? Inquiry 7: Who were the revolutionary leaders and what were their contributions? Investigation C: The crises of the revolution Inquiry 8: What problems did the Guomindang government face during the war with Japan and the Civil War? Why did the government fail? Inquiry 9: What factors contributed to the Communists' victory in the Civil War and their seizure of power in 1949? Inquiry 10: How did the Communists fulfil their promises and how did they deal with opposition to the regime? Investigation D: Continuing the revolution Inquiry 11: What were the Communists' aims in agriculture and industry and how were these achieved? Inquiry 12: What were the social changes introduced by the Communists? Inquiry 13: What were the reasons for and the impact of the Cultural Revolution in China? Inquiry 14: How did socialism and modernisation proceed in the post-Maoist era? |
