Can someone explain the social and economic inequalities for China AOS1 as a cause of the Revolution?
I have very little on this and have stupidly ignored it because I assumed I'd have to incorporate the Qing (obviously outside of the Study Design) in it
So, I admittedly don't know how things have changed with the new study design, but I reckon that whilst it's important to know this, it'd be pretty stiff if you got a question specifically on the inequalities.
VCAA have historically had a strong focus on ideas, leaders, movements and events (with events and ideas being particularly important) - which, y'know, is stated in the study design, because these 4 components are the foundation of any revolution.
Whilst the Qing dynasty is out of the study design now (which, imo, sucks, as it, or rather, the knock on effects it had, play an important part in AOS1), I'd hope that you could talk about the lasting effects from it that occurred within the study design. Whilst the Qing was gone, change didn't happen overnight, and a lot of inequality still existed during the time of the republic - don't forget, the republic failed pretty miserably at addressing China's problems (in the way that people wanted them to be addressed).
- Consider the 21 Demands, and the economic impacts that had on China, and the dissatisfaction created within the Chinese people as a result.
- Think about how the inequalities led to the New Culture Movement, which rebuked traditional Chinese culture and not only promoted nationalist ideas, but also promoted Marxism (and was a contributor to the development of the CCP).
- What about Yuan Shikai and everything he did? His abdication, and the subsequent Warlord Era? How would that have impacted the Chinese people?
- There was also the death of Sun Yat-sen - his Three Principles of the People were a unifying ideology (what are the consequences of this?), and without him, there was a split in the GMD, Chiang Kai-shek rose to power (think of all the ramifications of this), etc.
- The Nationalist Decade - Chiang developed the city, but left the countryside to stagnate --> this led to both social and economic inequality for those living in the countryside (which was most of China - in 1930, Chiang's government only controlled ~25% of the population!)
- The persecution of the Communists - the Shanghai Massacre, the Encirclement Campaigns (and the subsequent Long March)
- Also consider how inequalities led people to support the CCP - the CCP gained some pretty significant peasant support as a result of their promises to improve life for the peasants and others. Think about the social reforms that the CCP instigated at Jiangxi, and how the CCP killed the exploitative warlords to gain peasant support.
In the end, I think it's just really important to think about what economic and social inequalities led to - it wasn't just like, for example, "the peasants were mistreated, and the revolution happened" - there was a flow on effect - the inequalities that the peasants faced, led them to do this that and the other, which helped the CCP gain support/led to dissatisfaction with the nationalists/etc. which contributed to a revolutionary situation.
I hope this made some sense and that it's clarified things for you.
All the best for tomorrow!