This comprehensive and systematic survey of all the countries of East Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands - from Afghanistan to Vietnam - presents statistics, directory material and informative essays on topics relating to contemporary and historical events in the region as a whole.

A systematic survey of the political, social and economic aspects of a changing region, this resource covers all the countries in East Asia, South East Asia, Australasia and the Pacific Islands, from Afghanistan to Vietnam.

Excerpt from The Agricultural Situation in the Far East and Oceania: Review of 1972 and Outlook for 1973 Drought reduced total agricultural production in most countries of the Far East and Oceania during 1972. Sharp increases in Japan (8 percent) and Taiwan (7 percent) were not enough to offset large declines in India (9 percent), Thailand (9 percent), Australia (7 percent), and the Khmer Republic (21 percent). Total agricultural production in South Korea and Malaysia increased slightly, despite adverse weather in both countries. The Philippines showed a small increase in output, although crop production was hampered by devastating floods followed by drought conditions. New Zealand's output was up in 1972, but a severe drought may lower 1973 production. Pakistan, Indonesia, South Vietnam, and Sri Lanka also had reduced agricultural output. For the first time in 7 years, developing countries of Asia failed to show an increase in total agricultural production. Per capita food production declined in all but four countries in the Far East and Oceania during 1972. The largest declines were recorded in the Khmer Republic (25 percent), Thailand (15 percent), India and Sri Lanka (11 percent), Australia (8 percent), and Indonesia (7 percent). Advances in per capita food output occurred only in Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan, and New Zealand. Rice production (milled) in the Far East in 1972 totaled 103 million tons, down 8 percent from the 1971 level. India's rice output dropped million tons to the lowest level since 1966. Thailand, Indonesia, Nepal, and the Khmer Republic also recorded large declines. Japan, with record rice yields in 1972, was the only country in the Far East with significantly increased rice output. Demand for rice imports by Indonesia, the Philippines, and Bangladesh was strong in 1972, while exportable supplies diminished in Thailand, Pakistan, Burma, and Japan. Rice prices in Asia by early 1973 were about 50 percent higher than they were a year earlier. A decrease in prices is not expected until late 197 3, when most of the Asian rice is harvested, and then only if 1973 is a good harvest. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

A philosophical analysis informed by history, this work examines the reasons for the highly destructive behavior of the Red Guards in the early part of China's Cultural Revolution. By probing the political, educational, and psychological factors influencing the Red Guards, Jing Lin sheds light on how teenagers and young adults were able to justify violence in the name of class struggle and human rights. She concludes that non-critical, categorical thought, buttressed by the political and educational systems, was pivotal. Jing Lin introduces the work with a discussion of democratic and non-democratic thought, and of the Red Guards' views about class struggle, authority and justice. She then examines the theory behind Mao's totalitarian rule. Chapter Three is devoted to schools, and their decisive role in developing the Red Guards. The psychology of the Red Guards follows: Lin details how concepts of the proletariat, class enemies, and intellectuals nurtured habits of aggression and obedience. In concluding, Lin suggests how to foster critical and democratic thinking in Chinese education.