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HU Credits:
2
Degree/Cycle:
1st degree (Bachelor)
Responsible Department:
Asian Studies
Semester:
1st Semester
Teaching Languages:
Hebrew
Campus:
Mt. Scopus
Course/Module Coordinator:
Dr. Danny Orbach
Coordinator Office Hours:
Mondays, 17:30-18:30, room 6123
Teaching Staff:
Dr. Danny Orbach
Course/Module description:
In 1839, a Chinese official named Lin Zexu threw several crates of British opium into the waves of the South China Sea. Far from appreciating the Chinese war on drugs, London launched a decisive campaign that brought the mighty Qing Empire to its knees. The decision makers of both sides, however, could not foresee the dramatic ramifications of the First Opium War. China's humiliation before the "Western Barbarians" brought Western Imperialism to East Asia. Development, trade, exploitation - all came to the region along with Western military technology and a newly developed art of war.
When the various Asian kingdoms and empires understood that their current military technology is insufficient to cope with the Western challenge, a fierce debate about military modernization ensued. This debate led to the collapse of the feudal regime in Japan. in 1868, the samurai were replaced by a modern, militant empire that established one of the most efficient armies in the region.The Japanese were able to defeat Russia, a first-grade Western power, beat the Qing Empire and contribute to its collapse.
For decades, the Japanese expanded in the ruins of war-torn China, amidst warlords, brigands and national liberation movements. At some point, they even meddled in the civil war of neighboring Russia. The Japanese army, a shining star in East Asian skies, kindled into an enormous fire that burned all in its wake. When the smoke cleared, the Far East would never be the same.
In this course, we will survey East Asian military history, from the First Opium War (1839-1842) to the end of the Second World War (1945), in an attempt to decipher it by means of a multifaceted historical approach. We will discuss Western military theory prior to the imperialist encounter with East Asia, including key concepts such as interior lines, friction, the culminating point of victory and total war. We shall meet Imperial Manchu warriors, Chinese and Russian warlords, female Japanese spies, bellicose generals and Kamikaze pilots, as well as terrorists, brigands, adventurers and revolutionaries. Finally, we will explore the ways in which the passion for war shaped East Asian reality for good or ill.
Course/Module aims:
Learning outcomes - On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:
To understand the modern military history of East Asia in historical context, as well as relevant theories of military history.
Attendance requirements(%):
70%
Teaching arrangement and method of instruction:
Course/Module Content:
Week 1: Echoes of faraway cannons: Western warfare on the eve of the encounter with East Asia
Week 2: Dragons of Autumn Eves - The Opium War and the Crisis of the Chinese World Order
Week 3: Japan in Crisis: Terror, Revolution and the Meiji Restoration
Week 4: Fox Hunt: Korea and the First Sino-Japanese War
Week 5: Clouds above the Hill: The Russo-Japanese War
Week 6: The Military-Adventurous Complex: Japanese Espionage, Adventurers and Covert Operations in China
Week 7: Red and White: The Russian Civil War
Week 8: Fishing in Troubled Water: Japan and the Chinese Warlords
Week 9: Days of Snow and Blood: Terror, Revolts and Militarism in the 1930s
Week 10: Breaking the Precious Stone: The Second Sino-Japanese War
Week 11: A moment of Intoxication: Pearl-Harbor and the Pacific War
Week 12: Black Snow: The Downfall of the Japanese Empire
Required Reading:
As specified in the syllabus
Additional Reading Material:
Course/Module evaluation:
End of year written/oral examination 0 %
Presentation 0 %
Participation in Tutorials 0 %
Project work 100 %
Assignments 0 %
Reports 0 %
Research project 0 %
Quizzes 0 %
Other 0 %
Additional information:
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