Contemporary History Post-1945: China

• Students will read Part One: China’s “Century of Humiliation” and Part Two: The Chinese Communist Party in Power in How Does History Inform the Chinese Communist Party’s Domestic and Foreign Policy Goals? and complete Part 1 and Part 2 of the guided reading handout. 

1. (5 Minutes) Homework Debrief: Have students share key takeaways from the homework. In particular, discuss how China’s history informs the policies of the CCP.
2. (15 Minutes) Read: Students will read Part Three: The Chinese Dream and the remaining sections of How Does History Inform the Chinese Communist Party’s Domestic and Foreign Policy Goals? and complete Part 3 of the guided reading handout.  
3. (25 Minutes) Chinese Communist Party Topic Background Reading: Students will begin reading about a topic related to the Chinese Communist Party in order to prepare for an op-ed on their selected topic. (Students could also choose a historical event that has recently had its anniversary, which is a strategy op-ed writers often employ). Instruct students to choose a topic out of the list below:
   • Belt and Road Initiative - CFR Backgrounder: China’s Massive Belt and Road Initiative
   • Claims over Taiwan - CFR Backgrounder Why China-Taiwan Relations Are So Tense 
   • Claims over the South China Sea - CFR Backgrounder South China Sea Tensions

Op-Ed Students will complete a one-page op-ed about the Chinese Communist Party. After reviewing materials from CFR Education, students write an op-ed article that describes a Chinese policy and explains how elements of Chinese history could be shaping it. Based on that historical background, they should also advise U.S. policymakers on which U.S. policies would be most effective in response to this Chinese policy and which would be ineffective.

• For context, students may review several op-eds from a local or national newspaper and identify together what characteristics make for an effective op-ed.