Differences between China and the United States

The United States and China are among the most influential countries in the world today and this is because of both the political and economic leverage that they have managed to build over the years. The ability of these two nations to project their influence across the globe is based mainly on the strong cultural backgrounds as well as the work ethic that they both possess, ensuring that they are able to retain their positions against all odds. While these countries may be very influential across the globe, they are very different from one another, with each possessing its own national characteristic that enables them to stand out from the rest of the world.

Among the biggest differences between China and America are their cultural values and these have been cultivated over a long period. China is an extremely conservative nation with most of the cultural practices of its people being influenced to a certain degree by the teachings of the philosopher Confucius. This influence has been paramount in China for over two millennia and has guided the Chinese nation throughout all its incarnations. The culture of the United States, on the other hand, is very liberal with individuals living their lives as they see fit, making Americans very independent people from a young age. Moreover, Chinese culture dictates that younger people be subservient and submissive towards their elders, obeying them without question. Young Chinese people tend to be obliged to take care of their elders until the latter die and in most cases, elderly Chinese are very revered in the society. This is not necessarily the case in America where younger people tend to live their own lives without any consideration to the wishes of their elders (Weston). The elderly people in America tend to be highly independent and often live by themselves; going into homes for the elderly when they can no longer take care of themselves rather than living with their children.

Another difference that arises between America and China is on their systems of education which are in many ways managed diversely. The Chinese system of education tends to be slightly more difficult than that of America because students have to undergo a rigorous system of examinations almost at every level of their education to ensure that they are competent enough to proceed to the next level. The American system, on the other hand, is less rigorous with the number of people whose performance in school is below average being extremely high. In China, parents tend to be very involved in the educational welfare of their children and more often than not, it is the parents rather than the students, who make decisions concerning what the latter should study, especially in the higher levels of education (Chunli 30). This is not the case in America where students have a greater say on what they want to become in life and take those subject which they believe will help them in the course they have set for themselves. The Chinese education system is always focused on the development of the skills and knowledge that are necessary for the benefit of the state. However, the number of Chinese who get into the tertiary level of education tends to be very low in proportion to its massive population. The American system on the other hand, is designed to allow the freedom of choice to its students to pursue their dreams and because of this; a large proportion of the American population is literate and has achieved some form of tertiary education.

The political systems of America and China are very different with the former being highly democratic while the latter is a tightly controlled state. China is a country whose politics is completely dominated by the Communist Party which not only controls the government, but also all the structures within the state (Kagan 90). This is not the case in America where there are strong democratic institutions and where there are regular elections, with the elected individuals being accountable to the people rather than to their political parties. In China, in order for an individual to succeed in the society, he or she should be a member of the Communist Party, because it is membership which allows for one to get the most lucrative jobs in state institutions. The situation in America is different because individuals in this country more often than not get jobs in the public sector and administration based on their qualifications rather than membership in any particular political party. This means that neither of the two dominant political parties, the Democrats and the Republicans, have significant influence in employment in the public sector unless it is a political appointment. In China, the economy is often under the tight control of the state with a majority of the big corporations in the country being state owned and in most cases being monopolies. The success of the Chinese economy over the years has been attributed to the involvement of the state, with the latter being a major player within it. The American government does not have the same level of control over its economy as that of China and this is because the former has let its economy grow as it will, supporting growth through favourable policies towards private businesses. It is because of the liberal policies of the American government that it has been able to develop a strong economy that has come to dominate that of the globe.

In conclusion, the discussion above has shown three of the differences between two of the most influential nations in the world. Among these are their cultural values which have been cultivated over a long period. Moreover, the systems of education of these countries are very different from one another because of the styles of management that they have adopted. Finally, the political systems of China and America have been discussed, with the main differences being that the latter is highly democratic while the former is a tightly controlled state. Despite the differences between them, China and America can be counted among the most successful states in the globe, often vying with each other for influence over less powerful nations.

How did changes in England affect the development of the American Colonies?

The European civilization was marked by scientific innovations which led to the development of industries and with it came urbanization. The industrialization in Europe therefore lead to an increase in the demand for raw materials leading to a rise in the activities of Europeans in America in a bid to secure such raw materials as were needed. It can therefore be said that the establishment of the colonies as well as the massive plantations within them was as a result of a bid to gain a stable source of raw materials for the industries in England (Gary, 467). More people were encouraged to go to America so that they could establish themselves in the colonies and in this way increase the output of raw materials.

Moreover, activities such as slavery and forced labor in America came as a result of the need for raw materials by the English industries (Nicholas, 542). The need for raw materials as well as the insatiable demand for the products which came from these raw materials led to a great increase in the slave trade as well as slavery. It is upon the backs of these slaves that that the economic foundations of the colonies were set and this practice would continue for another two centuries until it was abolished.

There was an increase in the population of England due to the agrarian revolution which had ensured a stable supply of food for its population. To add to this, industrialization as well as the advancement in medicine and science had ensured that there was an increase in the life expectancy of the population. This made the government of England see the need to look for a new place not only to settle its surplus population, but also to gain those scarce resources it desperately needed for its industries, hence the founding of the colonies in America.

England was a very civilized society, with very advanced systems of farming, weapon manufacture, as well as medical development. These systems would later be transferred to the colonies in America where they were very well utilized by the colonists and even developed further to suit the local situations. Moreover, the English education system was also transferred to the colonies where after a few generations, it continued to evolve on its own until it had many features that were unique only to it. In addition to this, the political and economic systems of England were also transferred to the colonies and it is these which were to later form the basis upon which the new state was formed after the American Revolution (Kiesling 284).

The ideas of the freedom of man to choose his own destiny came from the beliefs which were then common in England and implanted themselves in the colonies. Justice was considered a basic human right in England and it is because of this that the colonists fought to become a free nation and no longer under the control of a colonial master in Europe. It can therefore be said that it was those very English ideas concerning human rights that came to inspire the American Revolution.

Emergence of Sedentary Communities

There are many reasons why there was the emergence of sedentary communities. Previously, the nomadic lifestyle had dominated the majority of communities because these people found it easy to move from one place to another; following migrating herds of animals as they hunted and gathered. With the adoption of agriculture, however, many nomadic communities came to settle down and adopted a more sedentary lifestyle. The development of agriculture enabled these formerly nomadic peoples to completely concentrate on farming as a source of livelihood and this ensured that they had a constant supply of food which discouraged them from moving from place to place foraging for it (al-Jahwari, 122). Agriculture can be said to have changed the habits and cultures of nomadic communities, not only making them sedentary but also ensuring that they had a more agriculturally based cultures and practices.

The emergence of sectors other than agriculture such as mining also contributed to some early communities choosing to end their nomadic way of life and adopting the sedentary one. The mining of those minerals which people found valuable was a great incentive for many to adopt the sedentary life because they not only managed to make better tools than they previously had, but they also gained a great deal of wealth trading with those communities which valued their minerals. As a consequence of this, there emerged a class of specialists who were not directly involved in the agricultural way of life of the community. Such people as craftsmen, chiefs and priests came to dominate the society and it is these people who led the way to the emergence of writing, city planning and principles which were later to develop into science.

Another major factor that led to many nomadic communities adopting a sedentary life was the rapid increase in the human population which meant that resources available for hunter – gatherer communities were quickly being depleted or that some of the animals which they had hunted for generations were becoming extinct (Hambrecht, 60). It is for this reason that many such communities chose to adopt agriculture as an alternative to ensure their long term survival. The nomadic way of life was a very cumbersome way of living especially when there were very young children involved. It can also be said that agricultural productivity also went decreased when people moved from place to place and this encouraged many to choose to settle down so that they could produce more food for themselves.

The evolution and growth of the human civilization has also contributed to the emergence of sedentary communities because changes in lifestyle has force many communities which had previously been nomadic to change their lifestyle to a more sedentary one (Liu, 261). Many of these communities have done so due to the fact that a sedentary way of life is more economical than a non - sedentary one. In addition, changes in the global climate changed the conditions which had previously been so favorable for those living a nomadic lifestyle. This forced many communities to seek a sedentary lifestyle in order to ensure that they had a more comfortable life.