The recent years have witnessed many changes in the global geopolitical and economic scene. Regional economic blocks and political unions have reorganized the sphere of global relations. Japan and China, for instance, have emerged as major economic giants in the northeast Asia. The last decade has seen tremendous economic growth among the northeastern Asia countries. The focus of this paper is to analyze the Chinese history, culture and economy in relation to that of American.
The civil unrests of the 19th and 20th century resulted in a great setback in the development of China. For centuries, China has been at the forefront in the fields of arts, science and military. However, the numerous famines and military defeats that China underwent during the 19th and 20th century resulted in a great deterioration of its global position. The end of the Second World War saw the rise of the socialist system that was established under the ruler-ship of Mao Zedong. The establishment of an aristocratic system guaranteed the sovereignty of China, but it also resulted in the restriction and control of the daily levity of the Chinese people.
The cost of living also increased tremendously. Poverty became commonplace with tens millions of the Chinese people suffering from famine and abject poverty (Fernández, and Hogenboom 56). The entry of the Deng Xiaoping, as the successor of Mao Zedong in 1978 saw the onset of numerous changes in regards to political and economic organization. The focus of the new regime was economic development using market-oriented systems.
For America, the end of British rule on the American continent in 1783 marked the onset of a new nation. The American nation was formed from the mother country of Native Americans after years of colonization by the British. The Treaty of Paris that was signed in 1783 was the culmination of the British American colony and the onset of the American nation. The original states of the American nation were thirteen. The nineteenth and twentieth centuries, however, saw the addition of 37 new states to the larger America. Expansion into the North American continent and the acquisition of new territories in overseas lands made the United States a major contender in the global scene.
The redefining moments of the United States were during the Civil War and the Great Depression. Between 1861 and 1865, the slave states of the south were defeated by the northern Union of states in the civil turmoil that was referred to as the Civil War. The Great Depression of the1930s was the second traumatic experience that the American nation underwent.
The pivotal role in the First and Second World Wars that the United States played became a major propulsion for its global prominence. The end of the Cold War in 1991 saw the birth of the United States as the world superpower (Fernández, and Hogenboom 89). Low inflation, low unemployment and rapid advances in technology have been a crucial in ensuring the steady growth of the country’s economy.
The American nation has exhibited economic dominance for over 140 years. The contribution of the United States to the global gross domestic product has been estimated to be a staggering 22 percent (Friedman 61). The recent global economic environment, however, does depict the increasing strength of the Chinese power. China has overtaken the United States in regards to the measure of total economic strength, which is largely determined by the purchasing power parity.
The economy of the United States is highly diversified and sophisticated and is characterized by finance, services, and consumption (Friedman 61). China depicts similar goals in the near future; however, the Chinese economy is based on resource intensive growth. China is however slowly making the transition to a consumer-driven economy from one that is based on manufacturing.
Looking at the culture of the Chinese and American people, a number of differences can be realized. China has begun to realize global superiority in the recent years. The ongoing challenge that arises is in regards to the struggle for global domination in America and China. China from east Asia and America from the west are all involved in the effort to dominate the economy of the world.
For the American nation, precedence is placed on autonomy and individuality. The goals and ambitions of an individual are given priority in relation to the collective ones. The culture of the American people is believed to push individuals into greater achievement and ambition and thus the attainment of greater success (Friedman 99). The Chinese people, on the other hand, focus on the perception that the people around them will have.
The decisions that are made by the Chinese people put into consideration the factors of community and society. Family, friends and colleagues come first in the decision-making structure of the Chinese people (Snow and Collini 44). Another distinct factor of the Chinese culture is the role of hierarchy in dictating authority. The interactions between individuals and families are largely informed and dictated by the hierarchical system.
The workplace interactions are also determined by the social structure of hierarchy. For instance, decision making in an organization is often left to the person with the highest position within the organization. Individuals that fall below the position and status determined by the hierarchical system have no option but to abide by the societal structure.
The American Society on the other hand depicts a great deal of mobility and fluidity. Childhood and parenthood in America have a small degree of difference in regards to social status. In the workplace, managers and employees are expected interact and communicate to arrive at a decision that is satisfying for both parties. The values of the Chinese and American people have a degree of uniqueness.
Conclusively, the analysis provided in the argument above allows for an in-depth understanding of the Chinese economy and its people and its difference to the American nation. The culture of the American and Chinese people may share numerous differences, but globalization and similar economic pursuits have resulted in similarities in culture. The economic, cultural and historical differences between China and American may from time to time to result in friction and misunderstanding between the west and the east. However, cultural awareness and mutual considerations allow for co-existence between the two major global world leaders.
Work CitedTop of Form
Fernández, Jilberto A. E, and Barbara Hogenboom. Latin America Facing China: South-south Relations Beyond the Washington Consensus. New York: Berghahn Books, 2010. Print. Bottom of Form
Friedman, George. The Next 100 Years: A Forecast for the 21st Century. London: Allison & Busby, 2010. Internet resource.
Snow, C P, and Stefan Collini. The Two Cultures. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Press, 1996. Print.
