Assignment
Answer these question in essay form (1000-1500 words)
1. Why was Mao Zedong successful in overcoming the more powerful Nationalist Chinese during the Civil War of 1928-49?
2. What weaknesses of the Nationalists did he exploit?
3. What strengths did the Chinese Communists possess?
4. How did each side deal with the Japanese invasion in the Second World War?
5. What role did the Soviet Union play in the Civil War?
6. After Mao's death, why did Deng Xiaoping find it necessary to reform China's economic system, and what did he accomplish with the "Four Modernizations?"
Your answer should be in essay form and the more detail, the better.
RULES FOR QUESTIONS:
1) Special Discussion Board Questions should be answered in essay form, providing the type of depth and detail expected in a research paper. You should take the time to explain complicated concepts in a thorough and thoughtful manner. Remember, you need to demonstrate an understanding of events--not only in terms of what happened but also why it happened and what effect it had on society. Remember to answer each part of your question as well.
2) Stay on target-answer the questions as fully as possible and don't wander off the subject-doing so will hurt your grade. You will be allowed to post more than once (in case you have more to add) but you will receive only one (1) grade for all of your work-that grade will be based on the totality of your contribution. You are not required to respond to any other person's post.
3) Be aware that the answers to Special Discussion Board Questions will require you to use resources other than your textbook. This means you may need to take a trip to your local library or conduct an online search or two before you have the information necessary for you to compose your posting. DO NOT use any of the following as sources: your textbook, films or television programs, blogs, Twitter posts, orFacebook pages. I take off points if you do.
4) Be sure to cite your sources at the end of your posting. DO NOT use endnotes, footnotes, or any other form of source citation within the body of your post. I take off 50% of your grade if you do. Also, do not use phrases such as "According to Jones,..." because I count those as a form of in-text citation and grade accordingly.
5) DO NOT use quotes (and like all the other DO NOTS, I take off points for doing). I want to read your writing, not someone else's. Read your sources and then write your essay in your own words.
6) Express yourself clearly. Use good grammar. Write in complete sentences. Do not use any of those abbreviations so commonly used onblogs and text messages. I suggest you compose your contribution on a word processing program with a spell-checker. Then cut and paste--ortype it in. This may help you get out everything you want to say before you hit "submit." Be sure to use at least 12 point type for your response so it can be read. And, no, you cannot edit your contributions after they are posted.
7) Carefully proofread and correct your post before submission. Be sure to check your spelling and capitalization, as those are the most common problems for which I take off points. Check your work again right before you hit submit.
8) Your contributions should have real substance to them. Contributions such as "Yeah, what she said." or "I do so totally agree with what everyone has said" will receive zero points. Posts should run 1,000 - 1,500 words in length--some will run more and some will run less. The rule of thumb here is to answer all parts of the question thoroughly and in detail (and you'll be surprised how fast your essay grows as you write it, once you've done your research).