Communist China
World History II – March 2012
The final dynasty
Qing Dynasty falls in 1911
Ends 2,000 years of imperial rule in China
Civil War
Military warlords take over provinces of China after Qing
Communist Party of China formed in 1921
Civil war rages on and off from 1927-1950Fought between Chinese nationalists and Communist
partyBrief break from 1937-1945 to fight the Japanese
together
China until 1945
War re-ignites between Nationalists and CommunistsCommunist Party
Appeals to peasants in countrysideHas support from Soviets
Nationalist PartyDefeated in 19492 million flee mainland China to Taiwan
After WWII Chiang Kai-Shek
Leader of Nationalists
• Japan surrenders in 1945• China on the side of the Allies• At Yalta, Stalin agreed to declare
war against Japan in exchange for economic rights in Manchuria
After the Civil War1949 - People’s Republic of China’s
government signs an alliance with the USSR1950’s - United States responds by expanding
containment policiesUS allies with Japan, Australia, NZ, Thailand & the
PhilippinesCreates long-term military bases for US in Pacific
Korean WarChina allies with North Korean communist
regime
China in the Cold War
Chairman MaoEstablished People’s Republic
of China (PRC) after winning Chinese Civil War
Leader of PRC from 1949 - 1976
Aligned with the USSR until Stalin’s death in 1953
MarxistResponsible for the “Great
Leap Forward” economic program
Mao Zedong (1893-1976)
Communist economic program700,000 existing collective farms combined into
26,000 “communes”Each commune had ~30,000 peopleGroup child care let 500,000 mothers work the
fields“Hard work for a few years, happiness for a
thousand”
Goal: Classless society by the end of the century
Fails due to bad weather & peasant anger15 million people died from starvation
The “Great Leap Forward” (1958-1960)
“Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution” begins in 1966Goal: “permanent revolution” to achieve classless
societyReturn of Mao to absolute power after failure of Great
Leap ForwardMao’s ideas are gathered into the Little Red Book
Available everywhere, constantly quoted by Communists
Almost a Chinese Communist bibleRevolution enforced by “Red Guard”
Young people who violently enforced Mao’s ideas
The Cultural Revolution
Eliminate the “Four Olds”Old ideasOld cultureOld customsOld habits
Enforce socialism, eliminateCapitalismNationalismBourgeoisieCultural elements of society
The Cultural Revolution (cont.)
Criticize the old world and build a new world with Mao Zedong’s thought as a weapon
Re-education“Down to the countryside” movement
Sent privileged urban youth to farming villagesIdea: they would learn from workers and farmers
Many sent right after graduating high schoolNo opportunity to attend universityCreated a “lost generation”
Some say this was used to re-educate some of the Red Guard (thus keeping them from continuing their reign of terror)
The Cultural Revolution (cont.)
The Two Chinas
People’s Republic of China• Communist• Established in 1949• Controls mainland
China, Hong Kong & Macau
• Commonly referred to as “China”
Republic of China• Democratic• Established in 1911• Controlled mainland China
until losing the civil war• Since 1949, controls only
Taiwan and neighboring islands
• Commonly referred to as “Taiwan”
PRC & Taiwan
PoliticsPeople’s Republic of China now “socialism with
Chinese characteristics” or “red capitalism”Relationship with USSR weakened after Stalin’s
deathArgued over leadership of worldwide communist
movementRichard Nixon becomes first US President to visit
Communist China in 1972Society
Women have more rightsMore freedom for citizens: clothing, traditionsOne child policy
These Days
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