This episode examines the impact of the Mongols on East Asia. I will focus on the Mongol rule of China and the changes that accompanied its collapse. I will look at the failed Mongol invasion of Japan and the long-term effect it had on Japanese sociopolitical structures.

1. 00:00

2. 02:59

3. 04:33

4. 06:11

5. 08:15

6. 10:23

7. 11:49

8. 13:34

9. 14:53

In this episode I explore the factors that contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. I will discuss the role colonialism played in the Yugoslavian and Rwandan genocides. Finally, I will discuss the origins of the continuing turmoil in the Middle East/Western Asia

• Why did the Cold War end?

• What were glasnost and perestroika, and how might they have contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union?

• In what way were the genocides in Yugoslavia and Rwanda the product of imperialism?

• Why has ethnic and religious tension in the Middle East persisted in the years since the end of the Cold War?

• What is the cause of anti-American Islamic extremist violence? How has the US responded to this violence, and how has this affected America’s position in the world?

00:00 Question 1

02:50 Question 2

04:43 Question 3

08:40 Question 4

11:12 Question 5

In this episode I examine developments in East Asia in the latter half of the 20th century. I will discuss the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and how those conflicts illustrate different aspects of the Cold War. I also take a closer look at the evolution of China from the Revolution of 1911 to the beginning of the Deng Xiaoping era.

• What is the significance of the Korean war in the context of the larger Cold War?
• What were the reasons for Japan’s economic success throughout the latter half of the 20th century?
• Why was the Japanese invasion of China good for the Chinese Communist party?
• Why was Mao’s embrace of the Chinese rural peasantry so key to his initial success?
• What was the Great Leap Forward and why did it fail?
• What was the Cultural Revolution, and what impact did it have on China’s development?
• What was the Gang of Four, and how did its demise signal a new era for China?
• Why were the Vietnamese able to withstand the superior military powers of Japan, France, and finally the United states to eventually achieve independence?

00:00 Question 1

01:39 Question 2

03:23 Question 3

06:48 Question 4

08:31 Question 5

10:32 Question 6

12:59 Question 7

15:00 Question 8