The Emergence of Modern China Chapter 31: China Section 1: The Emergence of Modern China

Communists Take Over 1930’s: Japan invaded Manchuria, a northern province in China Invasion forced the Communists and Nationalists to work together 1945: 2 parties fought each other Communists: successful Many popular reforms: lowering peasants’ rent 1949: Nationalists defeated October 1, 1949: People’s Republic of China

1 Nation, 2 Governments Chiang Kai-Shek and the Nationalists fled to Taiwan Set up a provincial government in Taiwan Claimed his government represented China Vowed one day to re-conquer China 1971: United Nations recognize the government of mainland China as the official government of China

A Communist Nation Common Ownership China in ruins after the war Mao wanted to increase agricultural productivity Established collective farms People work together and share whatever they harvest 1956:10 million families, 88% of all Chinese peasants, were relocated to collective farms

The Great Leap Forward China failed to meet Mao’s goals 1958: The Great Leap Forward into Communism Commune settlements Self-sufficient communal settlements Contained both farms and industries Resembled life in the military Party officials made all the decisions

“A Serious Leap Backwards” Production fell Difficult life in the communes Received the same rewards regardless of the amount they produced Little incentive for people to work hard 1960: Government abandoned the Great Leap Forward campaign

The Cultural Revolution Many people criticized Mao Response: more drastic measures were needed to revolutionize China 1966: Cultural Revolution Smash the old order completely to establish a new, socialist society

Red Guards Army of radical young men and women Job: destroy the Four Olds Old ideology Old thought Old habits Old customs Anyone who disagreed with Mao were publicly humiliated, beaten, or killed People lost their jobs, imprisoned, or sent to the country to work as peasants

“To Rebel is justified” Farm production failed Factories stopped running Schools closed Cultural Revolution, enormous failure Hundreds of thousands of innocent people were jailed or driven into the remote, rural areas Entire generation of young people lost their chance for an education

1976: Power Struggle 1976 Mao Zedong dies Gang of Four: wanted to continue the Cultural Revolution Deng Xiaoping: Wanted to end Maoism

Four Modernizations Goals were to improve… Agriculture Industry Science and technology Defense

Agriculture Contract Responsibility System Government rented land to individual farm families Families could decide what to grow Contract with the government: provide crops at a certain price Families free to sell surplus Chance to make more money led farmers to increase their production

Industrial Development Mao: Heavy Industry Produce iron, steel, and machines used in other industries 1976: Chinese technology outdated and inefficient Xiaoping’s Goals: Consumer goods: Changed to light industry Increase production: More decision-making power to managers and an incentive system

Special Economic Zones China’s East Coast Near Hong Kong and Taiwan Hoped to attract foreign capital, companies, and technology Enormously successful 1978: 1.5 million industrial firms 1993: 8 million industrial firms

Unexpected Results Economic growth: uneven Coastal regions grew rich Interior China left behind Millions of people migrated from rural China into the cities 50-100 million workers drift from job to job Plan for more Special Economic Zones for the interior and north Economy is stronger today than it has ever been