China since 1945 From 1945 to 1949 China

China since 1945 • From 1945 to 1949 China was involved in a civil war • In 1949 the Communists win and establish the People’s Republic of China • Mao becomes the leader of China Mao Tse-tung

China since 1945 • Mao declared that China was against imperialism, feudalism, bureaucracy and democracy • He had many plans to change China and immediately put them into action • His new government enacted many plans to fix problems such as inflation and low production

Mao’s Plans for China • The Great Leap Forward – Created communes (selfsufficient settlements containing farms and industries) – They did not work at all: production fell, life was difficult, China experienced bad weather, rewards were limited – The plan was abandoned after two years “Long live the general direction! Long live the Great Leap Forward! Long live the People’s Commune!”

Mao’s Plans for China • After the failure of the Great Leap Forward Mao attempted a Cultural Revolution • The goal of the Cultural Revolution was to change the old order and establish a new socialist society • The Red Guard (young men and women) would enforce the policies of the revolution

Mao’s Plans For China • The revolution was to destroy the four olds: old ideology, old thoughts, old habits and old customs • Those who opposed Mao were publicly punished • Farm production fell, factory work stopped and schools closed • As a result there was no economy, many people had left and there was no education • It was an enormous failure and Mao ended it in 1969

Answer the following • Why would the people of China still support Mao after two very large failures? • Take a few moments to think about why the people might still be behind Mao. • Can you think of any examples in our history of when a president has a great failure and we still support him?

Cultural Revolution (1966 -1976) • Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution – commitment to revolution and “class struggle” – power struggle to succeed Mao • Phase I: the rise and fall of “red guards” • Phase II: the rise and fall of Lin Biao • Phase III: the rise and fall of the “Gang of Four”

Phase I: Red Guards (1966 -69)

Phase I: Red Guards (1966 -69) • Purge of party squads – Deng Xiaoping • Purge of intellectuals

Phase II: Lin Biao (1969 -71) • the assumed successor to Mao Zedong (tse-tung) • In 1971 Lin allegedly tried but failed – to assassinate Mao – had to flee to Soviet Union • His departure eroded the credibility of the entire leadership

Phase III: the “Gang of Four” • 1972 – 1976 • power struggle between – the radical “Gang of Four”, led by Jiang Qing, Mao’s wife – Goal continue Cultural revolution…failed when Mao dies and his power is gone…gang of 4 put on trial and convicted…. Dang Xiaoping takes power

Diplomatic Breakthrough • 1971, PRC became the representative of China in UN (replaced ROC)

Diplomatic Breakthrough • 1972, President Nixon visited Beijing

Mao and Zhou Died in 1976 • Turning point in China’s postwar era • “Gang of Four” were arrested • End of the Cultural Revolution

Mao’s legacies

Reforms and Opening up • The 3 rd Plenum of the 11 th CCP Central Committee in 1978 – Deng Xiaoping’s ascendancy – economic modernization became focus • US-PRC diplomatic relations in 1979

China since 1945 • Mao dies in 1976 and Deng Xiaoping comes to power. • Deng institutes the Four Modernizations, which focuses on improving agriculture, industry, science and technology as well as defense. • Deng was in power until his death in 1997

Government in China Today • Currently known as the People’s Republic of China (PRC). • It is a single-party socialist republic (one party, in favor of the working class) • The Communist party holds power • The current president is Hu Jianto • Beijing is the capital city

Review of China’s Population • Over 1. 3 billion people (1/5 of the world’s population) • 56 recognized ethnic groups. The Han are the largest (92%) • Large population can be attributed to Mao

Population in China • Efforts were made to limit the population – Only 2 children per family law – One Child Policy • Policies did not work that well – Rural families did not comply – Males regarded more highly than females

Geography Review • China is the world’s second largest country by land area (9, 326, 410 km 2) • China has a wide range of topography • There are numerous plains, plateaus, basins and mountains • Only 14% of the land is arable

Chinese Language • Many dialects are spoken in China, but Mandarin is the most widely spoken • 70% of the people in China speak it • It is the most widely spoken language in the world (100 million people speak it worldwide