Y317: China and Its Rulers 1839-1989 | OCR A-Level History A (H505)

Y317: China and Its Rulers 1839-1989

139 questions
13 subtopics
Thematic study and historical interpretations, one of twenty-one
Y301 to Y321

China and Its Rulers 1839–1989 is unit Y317 of OCR History A, one of the twenty-one options in unit group 3, the thematic study and historical interpretations; a student sits one of them.

Its four key topics and three depth studies are the government and rulers of China 1839–1989, the economy of China 1839–1989, society in China 1839–1989, China and the wider world, the First Opium War and its impact, the Boxer Uprising, the Cultural Revolution. 139 recall questions across 13 subtopics.

Sample questions from Y317: China and Its Rulers 1839-1989

Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.

The government and rulers of China 1839–1989: Manchu rule, the Taiping and late Qing reform

How did the Qing eventually defeat the Taiping Rebellion?

Show the answer
By allowing Han provincial officials such as Zeng Guofan to raise their own regional armies, backed by limited Western help, which saved the dynasty but shifted military power into provincial hands.
The government and rulers of China 1839–1989: the 1911 Revolution, the Republic, Mao and Deng

Why did the Communists win the civil war by 1949?

Show the answer
Guomindang corruption, hyperinflation and military mismanagement destroyed its support after the Japanese war, while Communist discipline, land redistribution in the villages and skilful mobile warfare won the countryside and then the cities.
The economy of China 1839–1989: Five Year Plans, the Great Leap Forward and reform after 1976

Name two features of the Great Leap Forward.

Show the answer
Backyard steel furnaces and the people's communes with their communal kitchens and nurseries.
Society in China 1839–1989: Society in China under Manchu rule and Boxers

Give two social changes in the later Manchu period.

Show the answer
The treaty ports created new classes of compradors, merchants and industrial workers, and the abolition of the examinations in 1905 destroyed the traditional route to status and sent students into modern and foreign schools.
China and the wider world: Foreign influence in Manchu China

What happened at Beijing in 1860?

Show the answer
Anglo-French forces occupied the capital and burned the Summer Palace in reprisal for the killing of captured envoys, forcing the court to ratify the Treaties of Tianjin.
China and the wider world: Japan, the Cold War and relations with the powers

What did the Korean War achieve for China?

Show the answer
At great cost in casualties it drove the UN forces back to roughly the 38th parallel, established the People's Republic as a serious military power, deepened hostility with the USA and confirmed American protection of Taiwan.
Depth study: The First Opium War and its impact — outbreak and nature of war

Why did China agree to terms in 1842?

Show the answer
A renewed British campaign up the Yangtze took Zhenjiang and cut the Grand Canal, threatening Nanjing and the grain supply on which the capital depended.
Depth study: The Boxer Uprising — causes, the siege and consequences for the Qing

How did Russia exploit the rising?

Show the answer
Russia used the disorder as a pretext to occupy Manchuria in force and then delayed withdrawal, alarming Japan and helping to bring on the Russo-Japanese War of 1904–05.

The 13 subtopics

One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.

Subtopic	What it covers	Questions
The government and rulers of China 1839–1989: Manchu rule, the Taiping and late Qing reform	Recall questions on Manchu rule and the Mandate of Heaven, the causes and defeat of the Taiping Rebellion, the Self-Strengthening Movement, Cixi, the Hundred Days’ Reforms and the reforms after 1900.	9
The government and rulers of China 1839–1989: the 1911 Revolution, the Republic, Mao and Deng	Recall questions on the revolution of 1911, Sun Yat Sen, Yuan Shikai, the warlords, Jiang Jieshi’s Nanjing government, the Communist victory, government under Mao and the political changes under Deng Xiaoping.	11
The economy of China 1839–1989: Chinese economy in 1839 and Land reform under Communism	Recall questions on the Chinese economy in 1839, developments in Manchu China: railways, trade and industry, agrarian problems, the industrial and urban development under the Guomindang, land reform under Communism.	10
The economy of China 1839–1989: Five Year Plans, the Great Leap Forward and reform after 1976	Recall questions on the First Five Year Plan, the Great Leap Forward and its consequences, recovery after the famine, the Cultural Revolution’s economic impact, the household responsibility system, Special Economic Zones and regional inequality.	10
Society in China 1839–1989: Society in China under Manchu rule and Boxers	Recall questions on society in China under Manchu rule, Confucianism, the role of women, rural society, social changes in the later Manchu period and the Boxers.	8
Society in China 1839–1989: social developments after 1911 and rise of the middle class	Recall questions on social developments after 1911, social factors in the rise of Communism, social change after 1949, the Cultural Revolution and Chinese society, social development after 1975, the rise of the middle class.	12
China and the wider world: Foreign influence in Manchu China	Recall questions on foreign influence in Manchu China and the international reaction to the Boxer Rebellion.	8
China and the wider world: Japan, the Cold War and relations with the powers	Recall questions on the Twenty-One Demands, the 1919 settlement, Manchuria and war with Japan, Jiang’s relations with the USSR and USA, the Korean War, the Sino-Soviet split, relations with the West after 1970 and China as a regional power.	11
Depth study: The First Opium War and its impact — China and the Western powers by 1839	Recall questions on China and the Western powers by 1839, long and short-term causes of the First Opium War, the influence of Commissioner Lin and the British reaction.	9
Depth study: The First Opium War and its impact — outbreak and nature of war	Recall questions on outbreak and nature of war, ch’uan-pi Convention 1841, treaty of Nanjing 1842 and the Treaty of the Bogue 1843, results of the war on China and relations with the West including the Unequal Treaties.	11
Depth study: The Boxer Uprising — causes, the siege and consequences for the Qing	Recall questions on resentment of foreigners, the coup of 1898, economic hardship, the I-ho ch’uan and their rituals, the court’s support, the legations, the South East’s refusal, the foreign forces, the Boxer Protocol and the effects on the dynasty.	20
Depth study: The Cultural Revolution — impact of the failure of the Great Leap Forward	Recall questions on the impact of the failure of the Great Leap Forward, Mao’s concerns about the progress of the Revolution and Liu Shao-chi, disappointment with attempts to radicalise 1963–1964, influence of Lin Boa, Chen Boda, Jiang Qing and Gang of Four.	9
Depth study: The Cultural Revolution — changes in Politburo 1966 and effects of the Cultural Revolution	Recall questions on changes in Politburo 1966, influence of the army, nature and course of the Cultural Revolution, effects of the Cultural Revolution: economic, political, social.	11

Y317: China and Its Rulers 1839-1989 is 139 of the 6,240 questions in the guide.Get the guide, £8

How the guide is worked

Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.

Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.

Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.