Transcript The Chinese Revolution

The Chinese Revolution
• When Japan invaded China in 1937, a
civil war was being fought between the
Nationalists & Communists
• During WWII, the groups put their
differences aside to be a part of the
victorious Allies over Japan
• With war’s end, the Communists &
Nationalists resumed fighting
• Mao Zedong, leader of the
Communists, controlled the
northwestern part of China
• During WWII, he organized peasants
to fight against the Japanese
• His efforts to teach literacy & improve
food production won the loyalty of the
peasants over the Nationalists
• By 1945, Mao’s Red Army controlled
most of Northern China
Nationalists
• Meanwhile, the Nationalists forces
under Jiang Jieshi dominated
southwest China
• Mountains protected Jiang Jieshi &
the Nationalists from the Japanese
during the war
• Jiang gathered an army of 2.5
million & the U.S. sent $1.5 billion in
aid to fight the Japanese
• Much of the $ went to a few corrupt
officers
• Jiang’s army didn’t fight many
battles against Japan
• He wanted to rest up for coming
battle against Mao’s Red Army
• As soon as the Japanese
surrendered, the Nationalists &
Communists resumed their civil war
Civil War Resumes
• The renewed civil war lasted from 1946-49
• At first, the Nationalists enjoyed a big
advantage
• Their army outnumbered the Communists’
army by 3 to 1
• They also received $2 billion from the U.S
• The Nationalists did very little to win
popular support
• With China’s economy collapsing
thousands of Nationalists switched over to
the Communists
• By 1949, cities were falling to Mao’s Red
Army
• Mao’s troops were well trained at guerilla
warfare & were excited about the return of
land to the peasants
• In October 1949, Mao took over the
country as Jiang & the Nationalists fled to
the island of Taiwan (Formosa)
Soviet Union & China
• Mao Zedong’s victory fueled U.S. anticommunist feelings
• Those feelings only grew after China &
Soviet Union signed a friendship treaty in
1950
• Many Americans saw it as another step in
a Communist plan to take over the world
• China was split into two nations, the
Peoples Republic of China & the
Nationalists on the island of Taiwan
• The U.S. gave support to the Nationalists
in Taiwan (Republic of China)
• The Soviets gave aid to the People’s
Republic & they pledged to defend each
other
• The U.S. & Soviets set up their influence
in Korea as well
• In the early years Mao’s troops expanded
into Mongolia, Tibet, & India
Mao’s Changes
• Mao wanted to restore China as a
powerful nation
• He rapidly moved to strengthen his rule
over the 550 million Chinese
• Communists claimed to have “Mandate of
Heaven”
• Mao re-shaped the economy based on
Marx socialism
• 80% of the population lived in rural areas,
but most didn’t own land
• 10% of the population controlled 70% of
the land
• Under the Agrarian Reform Law of 1950
Mao seized the land from the landlords
• Mao’s forces killed over a million landlords
• From 1953-57 Mao forced peasants to
work collective farms
• He made women more equal & instituted
govt. sponsored health care
Mao’s Economic Changes
• Mao’s changes also transformed
business & industry
• The govt. brought all private
companies under private ownership
(nationalized)
• In 1953 Mao launched a Soviet style
five year plan that set high targets for
industry
• By 1957, China’s coal, electricity, &
cement doubled while steel
production quadrupled
• Sparked by this success, Mao started
the “Great Leap Forward” in 1958
• It was a program to make even larger
collective farms or communes
• The original communes were 200-300
households
• The new ones were 15,000 acres &
supported 25,000 people
The Great Leap Forward
• In the strictly controlled life in communes,
peasants organized into “production
battalions”
• Under the leadership of company and squad
leaders, they worked the land together
• They ate in communal dining rooms, slept in
communal dorms, & raised children in
communal nurseries. They owned nothing
• The peasants had no incentive to work hard
when only the state (govt.) profited
• Most hated living in the large communes
• Great Leap Forward proved to be a leap
backward
• It was poorly planned and some operated
their own private backyard industries
• Worst of all, crop failures between 1958-61
unleashed famine that killed 20 million
• The govt. ended the program in 1961
China & Soviet Split
• In the 1960s things got worse as
China and the Soviet Union ended
their alliance
• Mao reduced his role in govt.
• Farmers were able to work small
private farms
• Factory workers could compete for
promotions & wage increases
• Mao disapproved of the new
economic policy b/c it went against
the Communist philosophy of equality
• Determined to revive the revolution
he launched a new campaign in 1966
• He urged millions of China’s young
people to lead the revolution
• They left their classrooms and formed
military units called Red Guards
The Cultural Revolution
• The Red Guards led a major uprising
known as the Cultural Revolution
• The goal was to establish equality for
peasants & workers
• The hero was the peasant who worked
with his hands
• The villain was an artists or intellectual
• The Red Guards shut down schools
• They lashed out at professors, govt.
officials, factory owners & even parents
• Exiled intellectuals had to purify
themselves by doing hard labor in
fields
• The chaos threatened factories & farm
production
• Civil war seemed possible & by 1976
even Mao admitted the Cultural
Revolution had to stop
China Opens Up
• Instead of saving radical
communism, Mao’s Cultural
Revolution turned many people
against it
• In the early 1970s, China entered
a less extreme under Zhou Enlai
• Zhou had been premiere since
1949
• During the Cultural Revolution,
he tried to restrain the radicals
• China’s isolation worried him
• In 1971, Zhou shocked the world
by inviting American table tennis
players to China
• Nixon visited & met with Mao &
Zhou
• They agreed to limited open trade
• In 1979 the U.S. & China opened
to formal diplomatic relations
Four
Modernizations
Both Mao & Zhou died in 1976
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• In 1980, Deng Xiaoping emerged as the
new powerful leader
• Although he was a lifelong Communist,
Deng supported modern economic policy
• Unlike Mao, he was willing to use capitalist
ideas to support the economy
• He embraced a new set of goals known as
the Four Modernizations
• These called for progress in agriculture,
industry, defense & science/technology
• It was called the Second Revolution
• He allowed farmers to grow a portion of
private crops & allowed private businesses
• Food production increased 50% from
1978-84
• His policies changed daily life, as Chinese
bought appliances & even participated in
western fads
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Tiananmen
Square
Deng’s economic policies provided unexpected
problems
Living standards improved, but there was
corruption & a large gap between rich & poor
Some Chinese students were studying in western
schools & brought back the ideas of democracy
In 1989 students sparked a political uprising
In April more than 100,000 students gathered in
Tiananmen Square in Beijing
The students mounted a protest for democracy
1 million gathered in support & called for Deng to
resign
Deng responded by sending troops
About 3000 remained & made their own 33 foot
statue resemble the Statue of Liberty
On 6/4/1989 armed soldiers stormed Tiananmen
Square w/ tanks & opened fire
Hundreds died, but Deng claimed the group was
plotting against the govt.
However, Television news stations around the
world showed the truth