RED CHINA From Communism to the Cultural Revolution, and Beyond.

China’s Past Emperors The final emperor of China was Pu Yi and was just 3 years old when he began his rule in 1908 and it ended in 1917 when he was 11, although he renounced his throne when he was 5 because of a rebellion. (there were 29 emperors under the age of 10) He was the last of the Qing Dynasty.

The Tradition of Long Fingernails The tradition of long nails came from past emperors who grew them out to show their superiority; they did not use their hands in demeaning work.

China’s History China had first been ruled by Warlords and Sun Yatsen until 1925 when Sun Yatsen died. China was then ruled by the Kuomintang (KMT) when Mao Zedong began gaining support against the treatment of the people by the Warlords and General Chiang Kai-Shek, although the KMT was trying to unify China and get rid of the Warlords. After World War I, in 1925, Mao started a campaign against the Kuomintang but it was halted when Japan invaded China in The rulers fled to the mountains while Mao rallied the people and fought against the Japanese

After decades of war and chaos, 1. COMMUNISTS TOOK OVER CHINA OCTOBER 1, 1949 UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF MAO ZEDONG

2. MAOISM –A FORM OF COMMUNISM DEVELOPED IN CHINA BY MAO ZEDONG THAT FOCUSES ON PEASANTS IN THE COUNTRYSIDE, RATHER THAN FACTORY WORKERS IN THE CITIES.

3. GREAT LEAP FORWARD MAO’s ATTEMPT AT INDUSTRIALIZING CHINA Just like Lenin & Stalin, Mao began a series of 5-Year Plans. A key part of Mao’s 5 year plans, that differed from the Soviet, was forming Communes so “true Communism” would take place. Communes were farms or areas of land that were combined with several families living together. In some places this meant that families could not have kitchens in their homes and everyone in the village ate at a canteen –or- communal kitchen. In addition, since China didn’t have enough resources to increase steel production on its own, people were compelled to have scrap metal drives and melt down any metal they had for these drives

Mao became paranoid of other Communist leaders and educated people, so he began the 4. CULTURAL REVOLUTION IN 1966 – he had all citizens list their grievance so the y could “perfect” the communist system and then killed those who spoke out

THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO FIND ‘RIGHTISTS’ AND REPORT THEM OR THEY WOULD BE PUNISHED. Writer, Qin Mu, wrote -“It was truly an unprecedented calamity: [the CCP] imprisoned millions due to their association with a [targeted] family member, ended the lives of millions more, shattered families, turned children into hoodlums and villains, burned books, tore down ancient buildings, and destroyed ancient intellectuals’ gravesites, committing all kinds of crimes in the name of revolution”

5.RED GUARD- MAO FORMED A GROUP OF TEENS TO ACT AS LOYALTY ENFORCERS THROUGHOUT CHINA * Once they were over the age of 18, many members were executed

The Red Guard tried to destroy everything in China that was Western or anti-Communist, including some of Chinese History.

6. MAO’S LITTLE RED BOOK OF QUOTATIONS WAS ALWAYS CARRIED and READ BY EVERYONE as if it was holy.

7. Role of Children -Children were also a big part of the Cultural Revolution – many children told officials about their parents’ un- Communist activities, such as telling Mao jokes or hiding family heirlooms.

8. Anyone who was educated was suspected as being anti- communist. ANYONE WHO DISAGREED WITH MAO AND THE RED GUARD WERE PUBLICLY HARASSED, BEATEN, EXILED TO THE COUNTRYSIDE, IMPRISONED, AND SOMETIMES EXECUTED.

PRESIDENT NIXON WENT TO CHINA for face to face talks with Mao, although the US and China had been enemies since the Communist take over of China in 1949 – THIS WAS A LANDMARK CHANGE THAT LED TO MANY OF THE AGREEMENTS WE HAVE TODAY WITH CHINA.

10. Mao died September 9, 1976 Mao’s death ended the Cultural Revolution, and slowly China became more open to trade with the West, but was still suspicious of democracy.

11. The TIANANMEN SQUARE PROTESTS OF 1989 culminating in the TIANANMEN SQUARE MASSACRE (also know in China as the June Fourth Incident) were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing beginning on April 14 where the government opened fire on the protestors. LED MAINLY BY STUDENTS AND INTELLECTUALS WHO WANTED GREATER FREEDOMS, the protests occurred in a year that saw the collapse of a number of European Communist governments. Even after Mao’s death, China’s Communist government continued to control and brutalize its people.

12. TIBET IS UNDER THE CONTROL OF CHINA. Buddhist Monks protest China’s control over their people and the Han Chinese who have taken over much of Tibet

13.ALTHOUGH DEMOCRACY IS UNWELCOME IN CHINA SO FAR, CAPITALISM HAS FLOURISHED!