Communist China

Review of Book Notes-Civil War in China& Two Chinas and the Cold War

China’s Struggles (Question 1) When Japan invaded China in 1937, they were already in the middle of a civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists. During World War II, China’s civil war slowed down as China tried to fight off the Japanese who had invaded, but as soon as the war ended China continued their civil war.

Mao Zedong (Questions 2) Mao Zedong was the leader of the communist party in China. He led the communist army using guerilla attacks against the Nationalists.

Mao Zedong (Question 3) The Communists gained the support of the peasants through their efforts to teach literacy and improve food production.

Jiang Jieshi/Chiang Kai-shek (Question 4) Jiang Jieshi (aka Chiang Kai- shek) was leader of the Nationalist party and army in China. Pronunciation: dex.php?word=Chiang+Kai- shek

China’s Struggles (Question 5) The US supported the Nationalist party led by Jiang Jieshi. The US feared that if the Communists won they would form an alliance with the USSR (their neighbors). They wanted to contain the threat of communism. Pronunciation: dex.php?word=Chiang+Kai- shek

Jiang Jieshi/Chiang Kaishek (Question 6) He did not have the wide range of support from the people like Mao did. He and his officers were corrupt and often wasted the money they received from the US to fight the communists.

China Becomes Communist (Questions 7 & 8) In October 1949, Mao Zedong and the communists were able to defeat Jiang Jieshi. The Nationalists left the country and China declared themselves to be communist.

China Becomes Communist (Linked to Q10) In 1950, they signed a friendship treaty with the Soviet Union.

China Expands Their Power (Questions 9 & 10) Despite Mao’s overwhelming victory in mainland China, the US continued to send money and support to Jiang Jieshi and the Nationalists, but the Soviets were also now providing support to the communists in China.

China Expands Their Power (Questions 11 and 12) The US tried to strengthen their influence in Asia in Japan and Korea, we feared that the Soviets were gaining too much influence and we wanted to contain the spread of communism as much as possible. Mao began to expand his control over China and many of the surrounding areas such as: Mongolia, Northern India, and Tibet.

Transformation and Revolution

Mao and Marxist Socialism Mao’s goal was to reshape China’s economy based on the principles of Marxist Socialism (communism).

Mao and Marxist Socialism Mao took farmland from the landlords and killed many of them in the process.

Mao and Marxist Socialism He worked to gradually bring all private property and business under government ownership.

Communes and the Great Leap Forward Mao created large collective farms known as communes where many families would work. Agriculture needs a great leap forward.

Communes and the Great Leap Forward This plan to move towards communes and collective farming was known as the “Great Leap Forward.” Agriculture needs a great leap forward.

Communes and the Great Leap Forward When it was not successful Mao began to implement other harsh policies to get the people under his control. Agriculture needs a great leap forward.

Start of the Cultural Revolution “Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution” ( )

Start of the Cultural Revolution After the failure of the Great Leap Forward, Mao had to take a back seat in government. Over time, Mao became very unhappy and felt that the party leadership was going in the wrong direction.

Start of the Cultural Revolution In an effort to revive interest his ideas (and for Mao to regain power), Mao gathered a group of radicals who would be willing to help him attack the government.

Goals of the Revolution/Red Guards He called for youth to be an active part of this movement and to “learn revolution by making revolution.” Many youth left their homes and school to become part of militia units called Red Guards.

Goals of the Revolution/Red Guards The goal of the Cultural Revolution was to establish a society of peasants and workers where all were equal. Peasants who worked hard became heroes. Pursuit of education and the arts were looked down upon.

Mao Stops the Cultural Revolution The Red Guards closed schools and attacked those they believed threatened the Revolution. Massive unrest closed down factories and threatened farm production. Chaos ensued. Mao finally called the Cultural Revolution to an end in 1976.

Cult of Personality A cult of personality arises when an individual uses mass media, propaganda, or other methods, to create an idealized and heroic public image, often through unquestioning flattery and praise. Cults of personality are usually associated with dictatorships.mass mediapropaganda dictatorships

Activity We are going to investigate why Chinese youth supported the Cultural Revolution. We are going to look at various documents and use the information provided to gain a greater understanding of this tumultuous event.