Communism in the USSR and China Edited By

Communism in the USSR and China Edited By Mr. Barkhau Shamelessly stolen from: http: //conaapwh. weebly. com/class -powerpoints. html

Communism: A General Overview n n Socialism = the belief that the economy should be controlled by society, either directly or through the government n Believe in: a classless society, equal distribution of wealth, gender equality, etc. How is communism different? n It really isn’t very different think of communists as “extreme socialists” n Socialists believe their ideal society can be achieved slowly through progression and evolution of the government n Communists believe this society can only be achieved by overthrowing the government

Communism: A General Overview n Cold War = 1946 – 1991 n n n Global rivalry between the Soviet Union and the U. S. Capitalism vs. Communism Divided continents, countries, and cities Spawned the space race Spawned a dangerous arms race focused on nuclear weapons

Communism: A General Overview n n n Communism in Europe – USSR, Eastern Bloc Communism in Asia – China, North Korea, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia Communism in Americas - Cuba

Communism: A General Overview n n n During the Cold War, the Soviet Union and its allies were brought together by: Warsaw Pact = military alliance designed to counter NATO Council on Mutual Economic Assistance = tied together the economies of the Soviet Union and those of Eastern European countries

Communism: A General Overview n n Communist parties also existed in noncommunist countries 1950 s = small communist party developed in the U. S. n Sparked fear and political repression n Mc. Carthyism = movement of political repression against communists in the U. S. involved making accusations of disloyalty and treason without proper regard for evidence n Many people lost their jobs, had their careers destroyed, or were even imprisoned without any evidence that they were communists or communist sympathizers

Brief Review of the Russian Revolution n n n Tsar (Czar) Nicholas II last absolute monarch in Europe WW 1 was very harsh on Russia’s economy Rasputin March Revolution 1917 – Nicholas II abdicates Lenin leads the Bolshevik Revolution – November 1917 1918 – Nicholas II executed 1918 -1921 - Russian Civil War between Reds and Whites

Russian Civil War: The Terror n n Bolsheviks imposed a policy called “war communism” n Took direct control over all industries n Forced peasants to send food to the cities Killed the imprisoned Czar & his family Set up secret police force = the Cheka n Arrested (and often executed) anyone considered an “enemy of the revolution” Placed severe restrictions on the Russian Orthodox Church n Communists = anti-religion

Russian Civil War n n “Whites” surrendered in 1921 n Outnumbered, disorganized, poorly equipped armies Lenin and the Communists then had complete control of Russia Lenin = ruled from 1921 -1924 State of Russia = horrible n n n From 1914 -1921 = 27 million Russians had died Economy = in shambles Peasants = still starving

Lenin in Power n n n 1922 = Russia becomes USSR = Union of Soviet Socialist Republics = Soviet Union New constitution written = makes it a socialist state In theory = Soviet Union supposed to be run by the workers n But really the Communist Party did

Lenin in Power n Lenin died in 1924 at the age of 54

Trotsky vs. Stalin n n Fought for power after Lenin died Leon Trotsky = leader of the Red Army during the Civil War Joseph Stalin = General Secretary of the Communist Party Difference = Trotsky wanted to spread Communism all over the world immediately & Stalin wanted to make it strong in the Soviet Union first

Trotsky vs. Stalin n n Trotsky = closer to Lenin and more well-known Stalin = outmaneuvered Trotsky politically n n n Ability to remove and appoint government officials Once he gained control of the government, he exiled Trotsky to Siberia in 1929 Trotsky eventually moved to Mexico City Stalin sent an assassin there to kill him

Joseph Stalin n n Ruled the Soviet Union from 1929 – 1953 Responsible for the next major extension of communist control n In Eastern Europe after WWII n Soviet military forces already there after the war stayed there to help impose communist regimes per Stalin’s orders n Stalin wanted to be surrounded by “friendly” governments as security against invasions from the West

The Communist Revolution in China

Review: Collapse of Imperial China n n 1911 – End of Qing Dynasty 1912 – Republic of China n n Sun Yat-sen president 1949 – Collapse of the Republic

1920’s n 1916 – 1928 – China’s central government fractured and China was ruled by various warlords

The Nationalist Party n n 1928 – the Nationalist party gained control of China, reunifying the country Leader was Chian Kai-shek

The Nationalist Party n n Promoted modern development – railroads, banking, airline services etc. Party did not addres the rural areas and did not work to improve the countryside n Limited support to foreign

The Nationalist Party n Constantly faced opposition from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Founded in 1921 n Founded by. Mao Zedong n

The Nationalist Party n 1927 = Nationalist Party cashed the CCP out of China’s Cities n CCP focuses on appealing to China’s peasants

Chinese Communist Party n Slowly gained the respect and support of the peasants by: n n Using guerrilla warfare tactics against the Nationalist Party Experimenting with land reform in areas under communist control Efforts to empower women Creation of a communist military force to protect against Nationalist Party attacks

Chinese Communist Party n CCP gained an enormous amount of support during Japan’s brutal invasion of China n n Nationalist Party lost control over most of China and was forced to retreat to the interior Nationalist Party seemed more concerned with eliminating the CCP than fighting Japan

Chinese Communist Party n n CCP (People’s Liberation Army), fought the Japanese Offered security to many who faced Japanese oppression n Membership grew from 40, 000 in 1937 to 1. 2 Million in 1945

Chinese Communist Party n The CCP gained even more support by doing the following in areas it controlled: n n Reduced rents, taxes, and interest rates for peasants Taught literacy to adults Mobilized women for the struggle Encouraged peasants to fight back against their landlords

Chinese Communist Party n In 1949, 4 years after WWII, the CCP swept to victory over the Nationalist Party n n Most of the Nationalist Party’s leaders fled to Taiwan New leader of communist China = Mao Zedong

BUILDING SOCIALISM IN CHINA AND THE USSR

Building Socialism n n n 1 st step in building socialism = modernization and industrialization of their “backward societies” Simultaneously wanted to eliminate inequalities of class and gender, prevent the growth of new inequalities as they modernized, and promote values of selflessness and collectivism In order to do this, government had to be completely dominated by the Communist Party

Building Socialism n Communist governments in China and the Soviet Union, therefore, became totalitarian: n n Other political parties forbidden Government controlled almost the entire economy Government ensured that the arts, education and media conformed to approved ways of thinking Organizations for women, workers, students, and professional groups operated under party control

Communist Feminism n n Both communist regimes took steps to liberate and mobilize their women State-directed women’s initiatives

Communist Feminism - USSR n As a result of laws and decrees passed by the Soviet Union: n n n n Women were granted full legal and political equality Divorce was legalized and made easier Abortions were legalized and made easier Marriage became a civil procedure among freely consenting adults Illegitimacy was abolished Women no longer had to take their husbands’ last names Pregnancy leave for employed women was mandated Women were actively mobilized as industrial workers

Communist Feminism - China n The Marriage Law of 1950 in China implemented: n n n Free choice in marriage Relatively easy divorce The end of concubines and child marriages Permission for widows to remarry Equal property rights for men and women Chinese women also became more involved in industrial production

Communist Feminism - China n Problems for women: n n n Still expected to take care of the children and the housework now had the double burden of that PLUS paid employment Women appeared only very rarely in the top political leadership Communist feminism did not continue and faded within a decade of its beginning in each country

Socialism in the Countryside n n 1 st stage of socialism in the countryside = involved taking over landlords’ estates and redistributing that land equally among the peasants 2 nd stage of socialism in the countryside = collectivization of agriculture n Designed to completely end private property

Collectivization in Soviet Union n n Much more violent process Soviet communists did not have much support in the countryside Peasants were forced into collective farms A lot of resistance from the peasants example: many of them slaughtered and consumed hundreds of thousands of animals because they didn’t want to surrender them to the collectives Terrible famine ensued caused about 5 million deaths

Collectivization in China n n Peaceful process due to the close relationship between the CCP and the peasantry “Great Leap Forward” in the late-1950 s = an effort to mobilize China’s population for rapid development n n n Created “people’s communes” Designed to move toward a more fully communist society with more social equality and collective living Massive famine caused by administrative chaos and bad weather killed 20 million Chinese between 1959 and 1962

Communism and Industrial Development n China used the same model for industrial development that the Soviet Union had developed decades earlier: n n A series of five-year plans = brought all agricultural and industrial production under government control State ownership of property Priority = heavy industry Massive mobilization of the nation’s human and material resources

Indistural Development in China and USSR n n n PROS Increased literacy rates More educational opportunities More social mobility n n n CONS Rapid urbanization Exploitation of the countryside to provide resources for industries in the cities Growth of a bureaucratic and technological elite class with more privileges

Stalin’s Response to Social Outcomes n n Largely accepted these outcomes Stalin had created a conservative society that had abandoned much of its revolutionary legacy Commitment to full equality = abandoned Endorsed: Russian patriotism, traditional family values, individual competition, and differences in wages to stimulate production

Mao’s Response to Social Outcomes n n n Did not accept these outcomes continuously strove to combat these inevitabilities of industrialization Tried to preserve the “revolutionary spirit” of China Mid-1960 s = launched the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution n Designed to combat the capitalist elements that had “infiltrated” China

The Cultural Revolution (19661976) n n n A campaign against the “Four Olds” = old thoughts, old culture, old habits, and old customs Message = revolution and rebellion is good Wanted to put “intellectuals” in their place n n Many schools were shut down Wanted to establish a more equitable society n Brought healthcare, education, and rural industrialization to the countryside

The Search for Enemies n n Stalin used secret police to find “enemies” within the Soviet Union and his own Communist Party Late 1930 s = “The Terror” or “The Great Purges” millions of people were arrested for treason/disloyalty (usually in the dead of night) n Tried and sentenced either to death or to long years in harsh and remote labor camps, known as the “gulag”

The Search for Enemies n n n Stalin had close to 1 million people executed between 1936 and 1941 About 5 million were sent to the gulag, where they died in appalling numbers Throughout Stalin’s entire dictatorship, approximately 20 million people died in the Soviet Union

The Search for Enemies n Mao Zedong = convinced that many within the Communist Party had been “seduced” by capitalist values n n n Called for rebellion against Communist Party itself Red Guards = students and other young people that responded Red Guards attacked local party and government officials, teachers, intellectuals, factory managers, and others they defined as “enemies” that had embraced capitalism