Midterm 1.1 Flashcards
What’s another way to describe the Mandala system?
Galactic polity
What are 4 important features of the Mandala system?
- People more important than territory
- Overlapping sovereignty and alliances
- Constant fluctuation in the size of states
- Ethnicity not politicized - migration was normal, multi-ethnic
What are 3 implications of the Mandala system for international relations?
- Looseness in international politics
- Defining nations is difficult (who are YOUR people)
- Borders - historic disputes over territory
What was Ayutthaya?
The second capital of the Siamese kingdom
When was Ayutthaya in power?
14th-18th centuries
Height of power was 1600-1700’s
True or False: In the 1700s, Ayutthaya was the largest city in the world!
True
True or False: At its height, merchants came to Ayutthaya from Europe, China, and all over the world to trade.
True
How did Ayutthaya compare to European powers during its height in the 16-1700’s?
- Massive population
- Massive wealth due to trade networks led to elaborate building projects like the canal system that facilitated that trade
- Cosmopolitan
- Fine works of art, temples, palaces being done, Thai culture
Which Asian political structure can be described using concentric circles of power with the seat of power at the center?
Mandala
Which Asian political structure has ties to religion?
Both - Tributary and Mandala based on the idea that a demi-God or son of heaven was at the center of order
Why is galactic polity another name for the mandala system?
Because galaxies resemble the mandala structure. Numerous star systems, those stars have planets orbiting them, with moons orbiting those planets. Interconnected, overlapping orbits.
Which massive Mandala was described as “Singapore-ish” in the 1600-1700’s?
Ayuttahaya
What was Pagan?
The capital of Burma mandala during the 9th-13th centuries
What was Ava/Taungoo?
The capital of Burma mandala during Taungoo dynasty in the late 1700s and early 1800s
What was Angkor?
capital of the Khmer empire/mandala in the early 12th century (cambodia)
What was Srjivaya?
Empire in Indonesia mandala between 7th-13th centuries
What was Majapahit?
The empire that took over Indonesia mandala following the collapse of Srjivaya. 13th-16th centuries
What is the official view of the tributary system by the Chinese government?
They believed almost all Asian cultures and European powers paid them tribute to acknowledge their supreme power. They believed they were on top of the world and everybody else bowed to them.
Examples of when the Chinese view of the tributary system was false:
Anywhere in Southeast Asia. Thailand specifically had a demi-god king that continued until the 20th century. They didn’t care about the religious / power authority of other states.
Also maritime had much weaker trade/tributaries with China.
Was there any time when China’s view on the tributary system was correct?
With Korea for sure and maybe Japan, until the dharma moved and they no longer respected the Son of Heaven’s right to rule over them.
Why did China’s tributary system evolve?
Under the Ming dynasty 14th-17th centuries, it was a way to formalize China’s imperial authority.
Why did most countries accept China’s tributary conditions?
Because it opened up the door to trading with a wealthy country.
What is “Tianxia”?
It means “all under heaven” and describes the Chinese view of the world order. That the son of heaven at the center would eventually control all around it (all under heaven).
What are the layers of Tianxia?
Son of heaven at the center with his court, minor officials, commoners, tributaries, and barbarians.
What is different between Tianxia and a Mandala?
- In Tianxia there was a value judgment on those outside their immediate influence (barbarian), but mandalas aren’t like that.
- The king at the center of a mandala was also a demi-god, more than a son of heaven
True or False: Tianxia applied to the whole earth
True
True or False: Tianxia implied that it was the will of the people and the cosmos that the son of heaven ruled over them
True
True or False: Tianxia represents a world institution, where the entire world is subjugated under the same son of heaven in a reign of peace and prosperity
True
What is the “world-ness” or world order that Tianxia is talking about?
A political structure that transcends internationality with nation-states and sovereignty, etc. Basically it’s literally all people under the reign of a single person…
What argument does Reilly make about the view of the tributary system?
He claims that most of SE Asia were involved in the tributary system, acting like outposts of the Chinese empire. The closer one was to China, the stronger that tributary relationship and fealty to the Chinese imperial power.
Was Reilly’s argument true or false?
False - Most historians agree that there was no real tributary system outside of China. SE Asian countries DID bring tribute every so often, but did not swear fealty to China. They were just trying to trade.
How does the case of Vietnam counter the traditional view of the tributary system?
Vietnam has consistently been worried about China overtaking them, so there’s been a constant power struggle between the two. Shadow hegemon.
China found it difficult and not worthwhile to hold administrative power in Vietnam, so Vietnam was autonomous.
Why did Korea and Japan fall into the tributary system more easily?
Buddhist connections. They believed the son of heaven was an important buddhist link. That changed when the dharma moved East.
What was Japan’s relationship with the tributary system?
They began sending diplomatic/trade missions in the 7th century. It’s unclear if Japan accepted China’s view of their tributary relationship or if they considered themselves ambassadors.
When did Japan reject the Chinese tributary vision?
Rejected the status demanded by the Qing (dharma had moved, true China had fallen to barbarians)
Who was Prince Shotoku?
Semi-legendary prince of 6th and 7th centuries. He was either a reincarnation of the founder of one school of buddhist thought OR a legendary monk visited his residence, passed on the mantle of Buddhism and then died.
Either way, it is Prince Shotoku that the Japanese claim inherited the mantle of Buddhism, making them the center of Buddhist thought. The dharma moved East. They were claiming Japanese superiority over China. Prince Shotoku legitimized Japanese authority.
What was Korea’s relationship to the tributary system?
They were part of the neo-Confucian order and supporters of the Ming dynasty. But when the mongols (barbarians) took power, they viewed it as a loss of true confucianism and buddhism. Barbarians had taken power. They still sent tributes but did not approve of the authority of Yuan dynasty.
Korea eventually saw themselves as the only ones still upholding true Confucianism.
True or False: Tianxia is similar to Meiji view of Japan.
True
What are the 5 roles of religion in international relations?
- Facilitate trade
- Sites of pilgrimage and patronage
- Higher education, centers of learning
- Hierarchies of ordination
- Legitimacy to rulers and states