20th Century China

Background The Qing dynasty collapsed in 1911 and China became a republic The Chinese republic was weak due to foreign influence and powerful warlords The May Fourth movement was a powerful force for reform in China- modernization, rights for women, etc. Some Chinese began to embrace Marxism as the solution for the country, others looked to a strong central government

Nationalists The nationalist party in China was the Guomingdang, led by Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-Shek) The Guomingdang rejected both democracy and communism Jieshi worked with communists to defeat the powerful warlords Afterwards, he turned on them and slaughtered them

Communists The Chinese communists were lead by Mao Zedong Mao believed the communists must win the support of China’s rural peasants Mao’s army was forced to retreat and was harassed by Guomindang forces- called the Long March The Long March became a symbol of communist heroism

Japanese Invasion Communists and nationalists agreed to join forces when Japan invaded in 1931 The Japanese military brutalized China, including the “Rape of Nanking” When the war was over, Jiang and the Guomindang still controlled the government, but the communists had strengthened themselves by winning the support of the peasants

Post-War Civil war began between the nationalists and communists The communists won, establishing the People’s Republic of China The nationalists fled to Taiwan, establishing the Republic of China Mao and the communists took and land of the warlords and redistributed it to the peasants

Changing Chinese Society Mao discouraged the practice of Buddhism and Confucianism The property of landlords and business owners was seized by the government Anti-communists were put in “re- education camps,” where huge numbers were killed Mao sought to “collectivize” China- pool land, resources, and labor together to increase productivity

The Great Leap Forward From 1958-1960, Mao sought to increase farm and factory output He forced peasants to work together to make steel and iron in their backyards The metals were useless because of low quality and food production dropped, leading to famine Perhaps 55 million Chinese starved to death

The Cultural Revolution Mao then sought to purge China of any anti-communist thought Teenagers formed bands of Red Guards and attacked and beat anyone they thought was anti- communist Schools and factories closed down, slowing the economy Finally, Mao was forced to use the army to restore order Over a million died and 100 million were persecuted in some way

Aftermath After Mao’s death, China slowly moved away from communism and became more of a market economy, leading to huge economic growth-led by Deng Xiaoping The People’s Republic of China won recognition from the United States, beginning a major trading relationship Still, China has not embraced democracy and is quite repressive The Republic of China (Taiwan) remains independent