The Chinese Revolution

Essential Question  How did the Communist Party of China take power?

Introduction  1912 – Qing Dynasty ends, & long struggle to establish new government begins  Universities provided theoretical foundation for political reconstruction  Secret societies plotted to restore Chinese Emperor  Japan & Europe wanted to divide China into imperial zones

Revolution in China  Revolutionary Alliance opposed Qing Dynasty in 1911  Claimed right to establish government, but lacked the power to do so  Revolutionary Alliance elected president, but warlords continued to dominate  Yuan Shikai, most powerful warlord, tried to take power, plans interrupted by Japanese intervention

Revolution in China  1915 – Japan presented Shikai with 21 Demands, he tried to ignore them  Another warlord opposed Japan more strongly, Shikai was overthrown  In the chaos Japan seized control of northern China

May 4 th Movement  May 4, 1919 – Massive demonstrations protested invasion by Japanese  Movement was meant to create liberal democracy  Called for abandonment of Confucianism in favor of Western ideals  Led to emergence of Communism in China

Russian Influence  Russian Revolution served as model for possible reform in China  Marxist groups started in universities & coastal cities  Founded Socialist Youth Corps in 1920  1921 – Marxist leaders met in Shanghai & formed Communist Party of China

Seizure of Power by the Guomindang  1919 – Sun Yat-sen tried to revitalize reform movement by creating Nationalist Party of China (Guomindang)  Militarized in order to drive out warlords  Power came from commercial groups, warlords, & criminal organizations  Yat-Sen formed alliance with Communist Party in 1924

Seizure of Power by the Guomindang  Nationalist Party received support from Soviet Union  Chiang Kai-Shek became associate of Yat- Sen  Chaotic economic situation got worse  Failure to address problems of peasants hurt Nationalists

Mao & the Peasant Option  Mao Zedong was a peasant, but joined nationalist movement  Influenced by Marxists, saw peasants as key to successful revolution  Rose to power in Communist Party after a split between Nationalists & Communists  1925 – Yat-sen died, Kai-Shek began to expand Nationalist territory

Mao & the Peasant Option  1927 – Seized Shanghai, later captured Beijing & was seen as most powerful leader in China  Kai-Shek was most influential warlord, ruthlessly eliminated rivals  Kai-Shek’s army eliminated all Communists in Shanghai  Purges spread to other cities, & caused civil war between Nationalists & Communists

Communist Victory  Nationalists supported by businesses, intellectuals, landlords, & military  Kai-Shek asked West for support against Communists, but only Soviet Union helped  Mao started Communists movement, but was forced to Northwest China by Nationalists  1937 – Japan invaded China

Communist Victory  Nationalists continued to attack Communists until they had to unite to confront Japanese  Japanese defeated Kai-Shek’s army, Communists successfully attacked Japanese & regained much of northern China  Nationalists confined to northern cities, & Communists had upper hand after WW2

Communist Victory  Mao drove Nationalists to Taiwan in 1949  Proclaimed “People’s Republic of China”  Key to Success – Program of rural reform  Mao concentrated on social & economic reform for peasants, which gained him many supporters

Mao’s China  Communists took control of a unified country  Government had strong political & military organization  People’s Liberation Army accepted the Communist Party’s Leadership  China’s power grew, & they eventually split with the Soviet Union

Economic Growth & Social Justice  – Land redistributed to peasants  Communists’ goal was industrialization, just like in Russia  Mao introduced the Mass Line approach, which brought peasants together in production groups  Mao introduced the Great Leap Forward in 1958

 Industrialization was based in rural communities rather than urban factories  Immediate consequences were disastrous  Famine & falling production  Population grew fast, which increased economic problems  Government limited families to 1 child  Mao removed from office in 1960 Economic Growth & Social Justice

Women’s Role in China  Mao’s programs increased the status of women  Nationalists failed to support women’s rights, so many women turned to Communism  Communist Party used women as teachers, laborers, soldiers, & some had influence in the government  Communist victory brought full legal rights to women

Mao’s Last Campaign  Launched Cultural Revolution in 1965  Student demonstrators began mass criticism of Mao’s political enemies, called pragmatists  Support grew in army, but pragmatists regained control of government  “The Gang of Four” attempted to continue the revolution until Mao’s death in 1976

 Military & pragmatists arrested Gang of Four, & forced them out of the Communist Party  Pragmatists opened China to Western influence  Chinese have been the most successful revolutionary regime at redistributing wealth  Standard of living increased, & industrial & agricultural sectors have been more productive Mao’s Last Campaign