Communism In China Notes I China Before the

Communism In China Notes

I. China Before the Chinese Civil War • By the 1900 s, China with a was ripe for revolution • Ruled by the Qing dynasty, which was unable to make changes to improve China • Foreign countries controlled China’s trade and economic resources; led to years of humiliation during Imperialism • Feudalism created an unfair and unequal system in China • Roughly 80% of the population live in rural areas, with 10% of the rural population controlling 70% of the land • Many Chinese believed that modernization and nationalism held the country’s key for survival

I. China Before the Chinese Civil War Chinese Revolution (1911) • Between 1911 -1912, the Kuomintang, or Nationalist Party, overthrow the last emperor of the Qing dynasty • Created the Republic of China with Sun Yixian as the first president • New government wanted to bring nationalism, democracy, and economic security

I. China Before the Chinese Civil War Chinese Revolution (1911) • Sun Yixian loses control of government due to warlords; the goals of reforming China were abandoned • As a result protests broke out in China • Tensions increased after WWI and the Treaty of Versailles because Chinese territories, controlled by imperialist countries, were NOT returned to the people of China, even though China helped the Allied Powers win WWI Warlord Era

I. China Before the Chinese Civil War Rise of the Chinese Communist Party (1921) • Due to the corruption, economic problems, and failures of the government many people began to support the newly created Chinese Communist Party • 1925 – Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi) became the leader of the Kuomintang, after the death of Sun Yixian in 1924 • Communist party would work with Nationalist to defeat warlords in China; uniting China under one government

I. China Before the Chinese Civil War Rise of the Chinese Communist Party (1921) • Mao Zedong would emerge as a leader in the Communist Party • Gained support from the peasants in China by promising land education reform; received support from the U. S. S. R. • Chiang Kai-shek and the Nationalist would receive support from the U. S. , but many officials kept the money ($3. 5 billion) • 1927 – Chiang turned against the communist party, nearly wiping out the entire Chinese Communist Party • This marked the start of the Chinese Civil War • 1928 – Chiang became the President of the Republic of China

II. Chinese Civil War (1927 -1950) Chinese Communist vs Chinese Nationalist • The communist regrouped in south-central China; a very rural area with lots of peasants who would join the Red Army • The army was trained in guerrilla warfare, but outnumbered by Nationalist army • By 1933, communist were surrounded and Mao Zedong was forced to flee • The Long March (1934 -1935) – a hazardous 6, 000 -milejourney from southern China to northern China • Thousands would die of hunger, cold, exposure, and battle wounds • Eventually the communist settled in caves in northwest China

II. Chinese Civil War (1927 -1950) World War II • However in 1931, the Japanese invade Manchuria in northwest China • In 1937, the Japanese launch an allout invasion of China; controlling large parts of China by 1938 • The Chinese Civil War is put on hold to fight against the Japanese occupation of China • After WWII, the civil war for power and control in China would resume

II. Chinese Civil War (1927 -1950) Communist Win the Chinese Civil War • Even more peasants in China join the communist due to their fierce fighting of the Japanese and the decline of the Chinese economy (even some soldiers from the Nationalist Army switch sides) • Due to the increased support, Mao is able to win control of mainland China and force Chiang to the island of Taiwan • Mao establishes a communist government – People’s Republic of China (Oct. 1949) and allied with the U. S. S. R • U. S. helped Chiang set up a government on Taiwan – Republic of China

III. Communist Transform China • Once in power Mao expanded Chinese borders into Tibet, India, and parts of Mongolia • Mao wanted to transform the Chinese economy and culture

III. Communist Transform China Agrarian Reform Law (1950) • The government take land from landlords in China • More than a million executed for resisting • Land divided among peasants • Later peasants are forced to join collective farms consisting of 200300 families • Collective Farms – large government-controlled farms formed by combining small farms

III. Communist Transform China Nationalized Businesses • Gradually private companies were nationalized or brought under government ownership First Five-Year Plan (1953) • Set high production goals for industry • Five-Year Plan – a plan to meet specific economic goals in 5 years; typically used in communism • By 1957, China’s output of coal, cement, steel, and electricity had increased drastically

III. Communist Transform China Great Leap Forward (1958) • Mao’s second five-year plan • Established Communes or even larger government-controlled farms (avg. 15, 000 acres and 25, 000 people) • Peasants worked the land lived together; everything produced went to the government to be redistributed • No incentive to work hard and led to crop failure, which led to a famine with 20 million deaths • Great Leap Forward was a disaster and ended in 1961

Great Leap Forward

Famine

III. Communist Transform China Sino-Soviet Split (1960 s) • China and Soviet Union share a border, so they argued over borders and territory • Both wanted to spread communism, but had different ideas of what communism was and how it should be run ** There are more elaborate similarities/differences, but this is the basic similarities/differences **

III. Communist Transform China Chinese Communism (Maoism) Soviet Communism (Stalinism) • Focuses on peasant and agriculture • Lasted longer and happened later • Adapted to survive • Focuses on factory workers and industry • Shorter and happened earlier • Ends in 1991 Both • Authoritarian government • Centralized & one-party • Collectivization/ Nationalization • State over individual need • Need to change social problems

IV. Cultural Revolution (1966 -1976) • With the failures of the Great Leap Forward and the end of the alliance with the Soviet Union • Mao decides to reduce his role and control in the government • New leaders move away from Mao’s strict policies • Mao thought these new ideas were weakening the goal of social equality

IV. Cultural Revolution (1966 -1976) • Mao calls for young people in China to revive the revolution • Millions of high school and college students formed the Red Guard • Red Guard - soldiers who want to remove anyone and anything that was opposed to Mao’s ideas • Wanted to establish a society of peasants and workers in which everyone was equal

IV. Cultural Revolution (1966 -1976) • 20 -30 million Red Guards began a Cultural Revolution • Guided by Mao’s Little Red Book – a book of quotes • Want to destroy the “Four Olds” – Old culture, ideas, customs, and habits

Cultural Revolution Destruction

IV. Cultural Revolution (1966 -1976) • Buddhist temples are destroyed • Intellectuals and artists were seen as useless and dangerous Colleges and schools were shut down • Intellectuals had to “purify” themselves by doing hard labor in remote villages • People were attacked for having traditional or capitalistic beliefs

Cultural Revolution Public Shame

IV. Cultural Revolution (1966 -1976) Legacy of the Cultural Revolution • Cultural Revolution disrupts China’s economic and educational systems • Chinese culture, knowledge, and history are lost • Estimated that 36 million people are persecuted, while 750, 000 – 2 million die

IV. Cultural Revolution (1966 -1976) • Communist party in China decided that the Cultural Revolution was having a negative effect on China • Mao Zedong dies in 1976, while the Chinese army is used to end the Cultural Revolution and arrest the “Gang of Four” • Many people become opposed to Mao’s form of communism; but Mao is still seen as a national hero • By late 1970 s- Early 1980 s – China begins to talk with the U. S. and moves towards a less communist economy, while focusing on modernizing and industrializing

The End • Videos: • The History and Rise of China