The Great Wall of China

Catalog description

"Why was the Great Wall of China built? What made the two people of China and Mongolia so hostile that a vast wall had to be built to separate them? Is this wall a symbol of Chinas might and glory, or a symbol of tyranny like the Berli n wall? Did the wall actually keep out the barbarians? Can it really be seen from the moon? For almost 2,000 year how to handle the nomads of Mongolia was the most important foreign policy question for Chinas rulers. At several differ ent times and several different places from the third century BC to the twentieth century AD, they used walls to defend themselves from the nomads. The wall thus came to symbolize the social, economic, military, political, and cultural clash between China and Mongolia. Across this frontier, nomads and Chinese fought, but also traded, exchanged diplomatic missions, and made peace. In understanding this conflict, students will explore fundamental issues of international relations: is conflict between different societies and cultures inevitable? Does greed always cause war or can economic interests be harnessed to make peace profitable? How much does domestic politics and ideology tie the hands of policy-makers confronting foreign threats? Can smaller powers make peace with larger neighbors without losing their independence and identity? "