China, 1921-Present
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Transcript of China, 1921-Present
Foundation of Party
• Formed in 1921 with help from Soviet Union
• Part of Soviet effort to make communist revolution international
• Eventually, Soviets and Chinese communists split in their beliefs, ideologies
Chinese Civil War, 1927-49
• Chinese Nationalists (KMT), under Chiang Kai-Shek vs. Chinese Communists, under Mao Tse-Tung
• KMT supported by West, Communists by Soviets
• KMT winning in 1920s, 1930s
Chinese Civil War
• “The Long March” (1934-35)– Series of Communist
retreats covering 8000 miles in 370 days
– During March, Mao reorganized Party, setting self as leader
– Reached safety in mountains near Soviet border
Japanese Invasion, 1937-45
• Civil war interrupted by Japanese invasion, in 1937– United both sides against
Japanese
• KMT retreated to mountains– Saved strength, but morale
and prestige hurt
• Communists fought as guerillas vs. Japanese– Won over peasants
End of Civil War• Civil war resumed after
Japanese defeated• Communists have smaller
army, BUT…– Better soldiers– Peasants on their side
• KMT demoralized, lost war– Retreated to Taiwan, an
offshore island
• Even today, Communist China claims Taiwan as breakaway province
“The Great Leap Forward” (1958-61)
• Forced collectivization of agricultural sector (1949-58)– Peasants forced into communes– Private ownership of land
eliminated– Done prior to industrialization, so
peasants not mechanized
• Industrialization at local level (1958-61)– “Backyard” furnaces for steel
production (melt down old products to make steel - impossible)
– Quietly abandoned in 1960s
“The Great Leap Forward” (1958-61)
• Social Changes, 1949-61– Religious worship and opium
made illegal– Religion replaced by political
meetings and propaganda– Coercion, violence common
• Results– 20-43 million dead (mainly
starvation)– Steel production FELL– Mao discredited for 5-6 years
“The Cultural Revolution” (1966-76)• Official goal was to enforce
socialism by eliminating capitalist, traditional and cultural elements from society– Struggle for power between Mao,
other communist leaders– Became an anti-intellectual purge of
Chinese society
• “Red Guards”– Mao’s followers, mainly students– Mao ordered them to overthrow the
party establishment and replace them with Revolutionary Committees
– Much violence ensued in power struggle
“The Cultural Revolution”• Social changes: “Abolishing
the Four Olds”– Old Customs, Old Culture, Old
Habits, Old Ideas– Red Guards destroyed old
buildings, religious shrines, temples, mosques
– Education stopped b/c teachers were sent to labor camps
– Anyone with skills above a peasant was considered in need of “revolutionary re-education”
“The Cultural Revolution”• Consequences– Generation of illiteracy– Establishment of “Cult of
Personality” of Mao– 36 million Chinese
persecuted, “re-educated”– 500,000 killed– Ended with death of Mao in
1976– Today, regarded as a
negative event in Chinese history
Western Economic Ideas, 1982-Present• With death of Mao in 1976,
succession struggle ensued– Deng Xiaoping won
• Created “Special Economic Zones”– Few state regulations in areas,
to encourage foreign investment
– Essentially allowed capitalism in these zones
– Experimented with limited political freedoms as well
Western Economic Ideas, 1982-Present• Results– GDP has grown 1000%
since 1978– China’s GDP is 2nd largest in
world, after USA (as of 2011)
– World’s #1 exporter– BUT GDP per capita of
$8400 is below international avg.
– About 51% Chinese live in cities, in 2011
• SEE CIA World Factbook for more info about China
Tiananmen Square (4/89 to 6/4/89)
• Hundreds of thousands of college students & democratic reformers gathered in Beijing
• Protests centered on…– Human rights violations– Lack of freedom in China– Demands for political
liberalization
Tiananmen Square
• Government’s response– Attempted to rally support
of people to its side (failed)– Next came threats against
protesters– Purge within ruling
committee• Leaders sympathetic to
protesters ousted
– Troops sent in to crush protests
• Nationwide crackdown on liberalization followed
Challenges Facing China• Demographics– From 1964-1982, population
increased from 694 to 1,008 million
• “One Child Policy” implemented in 1979– About 36% of pop. subject
to strict 1 child policy (urban)
– About 53% allowed 2nd child if 1st is a girl
– About 10% allowed 2 kids– Tibetans, Hong Kong have
no limits
Challenges - Demographics
• Consequences– From 1979 to 2011, about
400 million births prevented– “Prevention” includes use of
contraceptives, enforced abortion, female infanticide, offering girls for adoption
– Too many Chinese males (117:100 in 2000)
– Too few young Chinese to support aging population