history of Asia
Asia does not constitute a unit from a
historical point of view: there was not one, but Asian civilizations. Oldest
are located at the Middle East, in India, in China and in Japan.
FIRST SETTLEMENTS
If it is in Africa that were born the
first ancestors from the man, one also finds in Asia of
very old traces of humanity: Homo erectus was discovered on the island of Java (the man of Java), another in China (the man of Peking). At the Neolithic
period (between 10 000 and 3300 before J-C), Asia knows a considerable
evolution in the history of humanity: agriculture appears in the Middle East (between the valleys of the Tiger and
Euphrate, in an area called the fertile crescent). The first Asian
civilizations are thus agricultural. They
sedentary and are gathered in cities.
BIRTH OF GREAT ASIAN CIVILIZATIONS
Three great places of civilization play an
essential role in the history of Asia: the Middle East (with Mésopotamie), the
Indian peninsula and China. The first civilizations which develop to with it
contribute to the rise of the continent by their trade and cultural. But
especially, they diffuse their models in the surrounding areas.
The Middle East, cradle of the history
In the Middle East, Mésopotamie profits from the
water of two large rivers ( the Tiger and Euphrate).
It is in this area that civilizations of Sumer then of Akkad develop
agriculture then, towards 3300
before J-C, invent the writing (this
event marks the passage of prehistory to the history). From 2000 before J-C,
Mésopotamie is dominated by the kingdoms of Babylon, Assyrie and Chaldée.
Later, Perses of the
dynasty of Achéménides melt a vast
empire (the Empire perse), which
extends from the Mediterranean to the border of India. Under the reign of large
kings (like Cyrus the Large one and Darios the Large one), it becomes the most
powerful kingdom of its time. In 330 before J-C, the Empire perse succumbs to
the attacks of the troops of Alexandre the
Large one. Nearly 100 years after the death of Alexandre, Parthes (directed
by the dynasty of Arsacides, then that of Sassanides) restore the power of the
Empire perse to the vii E century after J-C.
Old India
In India, towards 2500 before J-C, of
large cities are born along the river Indus, such Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa.
This age of Indus declines
starting from the xviii E century before J-C, with the arrival
of nomads from Central Asia, the Aryan ones. Those, which reign on
India between 1500 and 300 before J-C, practise a religion resting on the
division of the company in castes: hindouism.
Another great religion, rested by Buddha, is born towards 500 before J-C: Buddhism.
At the end of the iv E century before J-C, a vast empire is
founded by the dynasty of Maurya. They spread Buddhism, which gains the south
of the Indian peninsula and the remainder of Asia. The dynasty of Maurya
disappears to the II E century before J-C Bientôt, another
dynasty gives a great economic advancement and cultural to India, that of Gupta (towards 320-540 after J-C).
Ancient China
The third great Asian civilization of
Antiquity is in China. Reigning to the II E and I er millenia before J-C, the
first two Chinese dynasties (Shang and Zhou) also develop around a river, Huang
He (the "Jaune river"). It
is during this period that two large wise (Confucius and Lao-tseu) works out
each one a philosophy which will influence the Chinese intellectual life: Confucianism
and
taoism.
Reigning during 400 years starting from
the end of the III E century before J-C, the sovereigns
of the
Han dynasty undertake the
construction of roads, ports and the Large Wall. They extend their
influence in Asia of South-east (Viêt Nam, Kampuchea, Korea, etc).
GREAT UPHEAVALS OF THE MIDDLE AGES
Invasions of Huns
As from the first centuries of our era,
these large poles of civilization undergo the attacks of warlike wandering
people. China of Han succumbs the first to the attacks of Xiongnu (parents of
Huns), and the country is divided into a multitude of kingdoms starting from
the beginning of the III E century. It finds its unit only under
the Tang dynasty, to the vii E century. In India, the
Gupta sovereigns are beaten by Huns to the VI E century, and several
kingdoms are constituted in the south as in north.
In this part of Asia, the dominations
Indian and Chinese are in competition. Thus
the Khmers of Kampuchea, who
melt the city of Angkor Vat, are
subject to the influence of India. The Vietnameses undergo for their part that
of China.
The expansion of Islam
In the Middle East, Islam is spread thanks
to the military victories of the Arabs, parties of Arabia to the vii
E century. They melt in Damas
the dynasty of Omeyyades,
then in Baghdad that of Abbassides. Once the territories
corresponding to Iraq and conquered Iran, Islam is not only any more the
religion of the Arabs, but becomes also that of Perses. It continues to extend
in north from India (where a sultanate is founded in Delhi at the beginning
of the
xiii E century) and to Indonesia. Two religions coexist then
in India: hindouism and Islam. Buddhism disappears from this area, but it was
definitively established in China and Asia of South-east.
Mongolian invasions
To the
xiii E century, under the impulse of Gengis
Khan and his descendants, the
Mongols seize the north of China, then break on the Central Asia. They conquer
most of India (where they melt later the
Empire moghol in Delhi). In
China, Kubilaï Khan seizes the
South, directed by the Song dynasty. It founds a brilliant court which the
Venetian explorer Marco Polo comes to visit. It drives out the Thais towards
Kampuchea, who take the place of the Khmers there. A last Mongolian jolt
traverses Asia to the xiv E century with the
conquests of Tamerlan, but its victories appear of short duration.
ASIA OF
The XVI E TO The XIX E CENTURY
To the
xvi E century, on the continent torn by the Mongolian
conquests, of great political sets constitute themselves: Perse of Safavides,
India of Large Moghols, China of the Ming dynasties, then Qing (a dynasty
mandchoue), etc.
The Empire ottoman
In Minor Asia, Turks, called Ottomans,
seized into 1453 Constantinople, which they re-elected Istanbul. Until the
beginning of the xx E century, the Empire ottoman dominates
the Middle East.
European colonization
Starting from the xvi E century, the first European ships
arrive to India, then to China. Very quickly, the Spaniards melt of the
colonies in the Philippines, the Dutchmen in Indonesia, the English in India
and the French in Indo-China.
During all the
xix E century, Asia is the prey of the European competitions.
For example, Afghanistan is the object of a fight between the Russians and the
English. But it is especially China which is coveted. All the European powers
are present there.
The particular case of Japan
Japan, which is an archipelago, knows a
singular history. With the Middle Ages, the capacity of the emperor ( the tenno) is weakened with the profit
of great noble families (Fujiwara, Minamoto and especially Ashikaga), which
occupy the function of head of the government:
the shogun. The competitions
between these great families give place to wars, during which the samouraïs are illustrated (a class of warriors). Starting from the
xvii E century, Japan folds up on itself and firm its borders
the abroads. The last shogun loses the capacity in 1867. The following year, the Meiji emperor undertakes a deep reform of the institutions
of the country, which adopts the European economic model.He also launches Japan
to the conquest of the Asian continent, in order to establish colonies to with
it. In 1905, when it gains the war which opposes it to Russia, Japan is the
first Asian country to have overcome a European nation.
This victory has a deep repercussion in
Asia, in particular in China where a revolution, launched by Sun Yat-SEN,
reverses the last emperor of China (Puyi) and founds a republic in 1912.
ASIA SINCE The XX E
CENTURY
The process of independence
At the end of the First World War
(1914-1918), the countries of Asia start to claim their independence, which
they gradually obtain and by different means. Thus, India, which belongs to the
British and fought at their sides during the war, claims more autonomy. These
claims of independence are incarnent in the person of Mohandas
Gandhi, which takes the head of a non-violent movement. The post-war period
is also marked by the disappearance of the Empire ottoman, in 1923. Turkey succeeds
to him. Its leader, Mustafa Kemal, undertake a vast modernization of the
country while taking as a starting point the the European model.
The Second World war (1939-1945) mark a
turning in the history of Asia. Japan manages to occupy the possessions French,
British and Dutch, which reveals sudden with the colonized populations the
weakness of these countries. With their entry in war, the United States
reinforces their presence in this area and triumphs over Japan by
releasing the atomic bomb over Hiroshima in August 1945. The Americans support the
claims of independence of the colonized countries and force the old colonial
powers to be withdrawn. India —from
which a part, directed by Moslems, becomes Pakistan — reaches independence in
1947, Indonesia in 1949 and Indo-China (Viêt Nam, Laos, Kampuchea) in 1954. As
for China, directed by Mao Zedong, it becomes a communist
State in 1949 and is isolated from the world.
Asia in the heart of the cold war
The Asian countries then become one of the
grounds on which the cold war is held opposing the United States and the USSR. The
United States makes the war in the North Korea, supported by China ( the war of Korea, 1950-1953), and in
Viêt Nam ( the war of Viêt Nam,
1959-1975). The Middle East is also a place of conflict between Americans and
Soviets, by the means of Israel, defended by the United States, and of the Arab
countries, supported by the USSR.
More and more of country of Asia however
refuse to belong to a camp or the other. This leads to the creation of the
movement of the non-aligned country, at the time of the conference of
Bandung (in Indonesia) in 1955.
Asia today
The end of the cold war, in 1989, does not
regulate however the problem of the conflicts in Asia. Covetousness for the
immense oil richnesses of the
continent thus generates the war of the Gulf in 1990-1991, after the invasion
of Koweït by Iraq de Saddam Hussein. The bursting of the USSR, in 1991, is
followed several conflicts in the new States of Central Asia (Ossétie,
Haut-Karabagh, etc). The Russians themselves fight in the Caucasus against
Tchétchènes. India and Pakistan do not manage to solve their disagreement about
the frontier area of the Cashmere. However, in Asia of South-east, Kampuchea
tries to turn the page of Communism after the génocide of the Kampuchean
population perpetrated by the Khmer Rouges in the years 1970.
Asia is also marked by the
rise of a fanaticism islamist, appeared with the revolution carried out by
the ayatollah Khomeiny in Iran in 1979. This power extremist extends from the
Middle East as far as Indonesia, while being on by Afghanistan, where the United
States intervenes militarily in 2001. The conflict between Israel and the
Palestinians continue in spite of attempts at negotiation of peace. In 2003,
the Middle East is again the theatre of a war, with the American intervention
in Iraq and the fall of Saddam Hussein.
To the beginning of the xxi E century, Asia
offers a very contrasted image. On the one hand, it seems one of the principal
hearths of war and instability in the world. In addition, it shelters also the
country which knows the strongest economic growth of the world: China is
essential today like the principal actor of the area, and the world.
TO GO FURTHER
? Asia
? history of the Middle East
? the old Middle East
? Mésopotamie
? medieval Islam
? colonizing Europe to the xix E century
? the First World War
? the Second World war
? decolonization
? the war of Viêt Nam
? Eastern religions
? Islam
? characters: Buddha –Confucius –Lao-tseu –Alexandre the Large one –Saladin –Gengis Khan –Kubilaï Khan
