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How does material studied during Unit 1 from Asia in World History relate to the primary tension of Tradition/Change?
Inspecting Deng Xiaoping& #39;s leadership, his powerful role as ruler of China in the 20th century involved straying from the past political approach of the nation to combat many new challenges.
Page 17 of Brown University& #39;s Student Text: "China on the World Stage" states, "Deng& #39;s political approach changed Chinese history. China& #39;s annual economic growth rate skyrocketed, earning Deng praise for his economic reforms".
From the dawn of time, people always reach a point in their life when it comes to making a critical decision. When is it right to stick to tradition, and when is an appropriate time to advocate for change, and bring upon a new method to solve challenges? There is no real answer.
Evidence from pg. 17 of the text has proven that Deng& #39;s decision to bring change upon China had phenomenal success. Yet, just 2 paragraphs later, the source refers to a "major error" Mao had made in the late 1950s. Mao& #39;s daring experiment to propel China& #39;s economy was disastrous.
It is critical to remember the value traditions hold. Great rulers always have an inspiration they develop their own policies from. With his revolutionary economic approach, Deng still incorporated past Chinese beliefs and proven methods into his nation& #39;s economic system.
Pg. 18 emphasizes, "Deng labeled his country& #39;s economic system socialism with Chinese characteristics". Deng found a perfect balance of tradition and change. He compromised what ancient governments would recommend with ideas from the modern world: as seen in use by the Soviets.
Continuing to use both Deng and Mao as an example, both had great success and failure while creating their own "new value system". Tradition came in handy for engaging citizens during Deng& #39;s time, yet new communist values sparked a powerful sense of devotion to the government.
"Under Mao, the Communists strove to create a new value system. The government held up equality, self-sacrifice, and cooperation as the driving forces of the communist revolution" (pg. 21). These ideas, categorized as change, promoted a sense of community.
Back to Deng, "[His] policies marked a return to more traditional Chinese values... China& #39;s economic boom has introduced a new emphasis on individualism and materialism in Chinese society." While his progressive economics flourished, tradition remained a key practice in life.
