862-865 Communist Revolution in China

Who was Mao Zedong? Communist leader of China; stronghold was in NW China

Who was Jiang Jieshi? Nationalist leader of China; dominated SW China

When did the Chinese civil war in China resume? 1946 – Once the Japanese surrendered and WWII ended

When did the civil war end? Who won? Why? 1949 – Communists won Nationalists did little to win popular support; as China’s economy collapsed thousands of Nationalists defected to the Communist army

What advantages did the Nationalist forces have? Outnumbered the Communists 3 to 1 $2 billion in aid provided by the US Problem – money didn’t benefit the army, it stayed in hands of corrupt officers

What advantages did Communist forces have? Mao had the loyalty of China’s peasants (peasants love Zedong!) Excellent at guerrilla warfare Many Nationalists joined the Communists as China’s economy got worse

Where is Nationalist China located? Island of Taiwan; still there today (although mainland China considers it part of China as a whole)

Where is the People’s Republic of China located? Mainland China, originally under control of Mao and the Communist party

How did the superpowers react to the existence of two Chinas? US helped Nationalists set up government on Taiwan Soviets gave support to Mao/Communists on mainland China

How did Mao transform the economy of China? Based China’s economy on Marxist socialism Mao redistributed land from rich landlords to China’s peasants Killed millions of landlords who resisted this policy Forced peasants to join collective farms Women became equal w/men; state provided child care Set up Soviet-style 5-year plans (Great Leap Forward) Huge growth in industry (coal, steel, etc.)

Why did the Great Leap Forward fail? Peasants had no incentive to work hard They owned nothing and only the state profited Poor planning Inefficient “backyard” industry slowed growth Crop failure btw. 1958-1961 led to famine which killed 20 million people

Why did Mao launch the Cultural Revolution? Mao believed China was moving away from Communist goal of social equality Goal of Cultural Revolution – establish society where all were equal & reinforce Communist ideology across China

Please explain the reasons for the formation of the following in Communist China. Communes – Mao wanted very large collective farms where the state could strictly control production Red Guards – Millions of college and high school students who enforced Mao’s Cultural Revolution; attacked intellectuals and anyone who was considered useless (professors, government officials, etc.)

Review… In small groups, complete the graphic organizers focusing on Mao’s two major plans for China (Great Leap Forward & Cultural Revolution) When finished, write a haiku poem about Mao’s influence on China Each stanza should follow the 5-7-5 rule Poem must be a minimum of 3 stanzas