1. China Under Communism World War II to Present
World History
Mr. Meester

2. Vocabulary Mao Zedong Great Leap Forward Cultural Revolution
Tiananmen Square
Deng Xiaoping

3. Two Chinas struggle for control after WWII
A Nationalist government run by Jiang Jieshi ruled south and central China
A Communist government led by Mao Zedong flourished in the north.
They tried to form a cooperative government
It failed, a full-scale civil war began in 1946

4. Chinese Civil War Mao’s overwhelming support
Millions of peasants joined him due to promises of land
The middle class due to corruption in Jiang’s government
By 1948 Jiang and 2 million of his followers fled to Taiwan.
In 1949, Mao Zedong made his victory speech in the capital city of Beijing.

5. Red China & the World
The USSR and China becomes uneasy allies during the 1950’s
The United States refused to recognize Mao as the legitimate leader of China
They support Jiang and Taiwan as the “Real” China.

6. The Great Leap Forward 1958 Mao began the Great Leap Forward
An attempt to rapidly industrialize both industry & agriculture
Private farms were combined into huge people’s communes
More than 30,000 farmers on each
Bad weather & hatred of the new system caused it to fail
Millions died due to starvation
In 1960 the communes closed

8. The Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution was another radical Mao program
It eliminated the “four olds”; old ideas, old culture, old customs, & old habits
He wanted to purify China of capitalism
The country was shut down for 6 months of cleansing
Schools, businesses, & the government were the main focus

9. The Red Guards
Anyone who questioned Mao’s ideas saw their property destroyed and/or were viciously attacked by Mao’s Red Guards.
Mao formed the Red Guards out of young desperate men and boys
They were urged to take to the streets to cleanse Chinese society
Only Mao’s death in 1976 would bring change

10. Red Guards & Mao Little Red Book

11. USSR and China
By the 1960’s border disputes and clashes over communist ideology caused the USSR to withdraw aid and advisors to China.
After the split the US allowed China to join the UN to further isolate USSR
This began the period of détente
Tensions eased between the US, USSR, & China

12. China after Mao
A group of radical reformers led by Deng Xiaoping took control of China after Mao
Ended the Cultural Revolution
Deng’s government began a policy known as the “Four Modernizations”
Improved industry, agriculture, technology, & national defense

13. Reforms Continue Deng brought back capitalism
Foreign investors were invited to China
They invested heavily
Income levels rose and improvements were made in housing, education, agriculture, and industry
Thousands of students were sent to the U.S. to study science and technology

14. China’s Biggest Failure
Deng’s changes still did little to stop the oppressive ways of the Communist government.
As more information about the west reached educated Chinese, protests occurred.
The largest demonstration took place in Tiananmen Square where student protestors were crushed by the Communist led army.
Democracy still remains a dream in China today.

15. Tiananmen Square