1. Communist China
In the 20th Century

2. Communist Revolution Mao Zedong gets power
wins support of peasants by collecting land from landlords and redistributing it to poor peasants
Mao leads Long March – 90,000 communist supporters over thousands of miles. 6,000 marchers survived

3. Communist Revolution Civil War (Nationalists vs. PLA) resumes
Chiang Kai-shek and Nationalist supporters flee to Taiwan
October 1, 1949, Mao declares China communist “People’s Republic of China”
Mao says peasants share all the land

4. 1949-1953- Korean War Remember, China helped N. Korea–
China thought US was being aggressive.
The United Nations (US) thought China was being aggressive.
The PRC was not recognized as Chinese gov’t

5. Influence by Soviet Socialism 1952- 1957
China asks for advice about economic modernization– cautioned to go slow.
Chinese population estimated 586 Million
Purges political party who opposes his decisions and authority
Mao dismisses further Soviet assistance – he wants China to move more quickly toward socialism

6. First 5 Year Plan: Develops communes.
Organized China into communes where people lived together
Ordered people to study communist values and rid themselves of improper (anti-communist) thoughts

7. Great Leap Forward 1958 - 1961 2nd 5 Year Plan
Mao mobilized masses to modernize China – construction of dams, reservoirs, railroads
People gave up their land, so there was no private property

8. Paramilitary Society
By the end of 1958, 700 million people had been placed into 26,578 communes.
the government did all that it could to whip up enthusiasm for the communes.
Propaganda was everywhere – including in the fields where the workers could listen to political speeches as they worked as the communes provided public address systems.
Everybody involved in communes was urged not only to meet set targets but to beat them.
If the communes lacked machinery, the workers used their bare hands. Major constructions were built in record time – though the quality was questionable

10. Great Leap Forward 1958 - 1961 Plan failed Production too fast
Quality of production low
There wasn’t equality
Former landowners publicly “denounced”
Corrupt officials
Hundreds of thousands of people died of starvation
Mao forced to resign as Chairman of the PRC, but remained chair of the CCP
Created a political vacuum and a fight
Still fighting with Taiwan!
New leadership begins economic recovery and reforms

11. Cultural Revolution
Communist leaders wanted to focus on rebuilding the economy
Mao worried that people would become concerned with making money (capitalism): threat to socialism
Mao wanted to “Purify the Country” from Counterrevolutionaries

12. Cultural Revolution
Mao wanted to get rid of the “Four Olds” – Old ideas, old culture, old customs, old habits
Many Communist Party officials opposed Mao’s ideas

13. Work study program
The educated classes were forced out of the cities into communes where they were forced to perform manual labor to reunite with their roots within the commune.
Mao wanted to eradicate the “Bourgeois influence”

14. Cultural Revolution
Mao turned to young people to bring back the “culture of revolution”: Red Guard
humiliated, imprisoned, beat and killed thousands of “enemies” of the revolution: educated people, teachers, city dwellers, corrupt Communist Officials (and those rumored to be corrupt).

15. Cultural Revolution
Red Guard traveled the country raiding homes, museums and historical monuments, destroying anything associated w/ the Four Olds

16. Cultural Revolution
Military and police ordered not to interfere with the Red Guards
Communist leaders lost control of the Cultural Revolution
Mao emerged as the Supreme Leader of the PRC
Called on the Red Guard to disband
Tensions high for several more years.

17. Power struggle
Mao dies in 1976 and there is a power struggle

18. Economic Reforms of Deng Xiaoping
In 1979 Deng Xiaoping (who had disagreed with and dismissed from his official position by Mao) becomes leader of China
Deng shifts focus on economic reform:
Communes dismantled
4 Modernizations: which focused on science, industry, technology & defense
The United States formally recognizes the PRC and diplomatic relations are established

19. Protest for Democracy
In the 1980’s Western ideas of Democracy spread to China.
Student groups and Intellectuals tested the boundaries of freedoms of artistic and literary expression and freer democratic policies.
Outlying areas of China (Tibet, etc) start calling for Independence
Still fighting with Taiwan… but maybe they can work it out.
“One Country, Two Systems”

20. Death of a Statesman
April 1989– Hu Yaobang, Secretary General– promoted Democratic reform.
His funeral became a “rallying point” for a Pro-Democracy demonstration.

21. “After the memorial meeting, an extremely small number of people with ulterior purposes continued to take advantage of the young students’ feelings of grief for Comrade Hu Yaobang... This is a planned conspiracy and a disturbance. Its essence is to, once and for all, negate the leadership of the CPC [Chinese Communist Party] and the socialist system... All comrades in the party and the people throughout the country must soberly recognize the fact that our country will have no peaceful days if this disturbance is not checked resolutely.”1

22. CCP Declares Martial Law
For the next MONTH, protestors met peacefully in Tiananmen Square to protest for greater democratic freedoms.
The government responded by declaring Martial law.
The student protests continued despite martial law.

23. Protest for Democracy at Tiananmen Square
On June 4th, Chairman Deng sent the PLA– the military who killed 700 – 3,000 students, other protesters and bystanders

24. Frontline Movie: Tankman and Tiananmen Square