1. Communist China Mao Zedong - China Joseph Stalin - Russia
Vladimir Lenin - Russia
Friedrich Engles - Germany
Karl Marx - Germany

2. When you go to China, don’t talk about the three T’s.
Tibet
Taiwan
Tiananmen Square

3. A Brief Overview of early Chinese History
Written history of China stretches back 4000 years
In 221 BCE, Qin Shi Huang Di unified China and established the position of emperor
202 BCE-202 CE: Han Dynasty led China to its first Golden Age using Confucianism and Taoism
In 1271, Mongols conquered China and established a foreign ruling dynasty (Yuan dynasty)
In the 1300’s, the Ming Dynasty drove out the Mongols, re-establishing Chinese control
By 1800, China ruled 1/3 of the world’s population and is the world’s largest economy. After 1800, things begin to change in China.

4. Beginning in the 1830’s, China’s major cities and ports were taken over by foreign powers

5. In 1911, the emperor of China was overthrown and a republic was declared

6. With the fall of the emperor, a struggle for power began and China divided.
Tibet, which had been an independent kingdom in the 7th century, declared its independence from China.
Established a theocratic government based on Tibetan Buddhism.

7. In the 1930’s, Civil War began between the Nationalists (KMT) and the Communists
Mao Zedong,
Leader of the Communists:
Socialist and allied with
Soviet Union
Chiang Kai-shek,
Leader of the Nationalists:
Capitalist and allied with
the U.S. and the U.K.

8. Mao Zedong Born in 1893, influenced by the philosophy of Karl Marx
Favored land reform for the peasants and an end to foreign influence in China
Became an early member of the Chinese Communist Party in 1920
Became military leader of the Chinese Communist Party army in 1933

9. How Maoist Communism differed from Soviet Communism
- focused on factory workers
- based in the cities
- enemies: capitalists and fascists
Maoist Communism:
- focused on peasants
- based in the countryside
- enemies: capitalists and imperialists
Both Maoist and Soviet:
-One party rule
- Used weapons of totalitarianism
Creation of communes and use of quotas
Attempted rapid industrialization
(5 Year Leap, Great Leap Forward)

10. The Chinese Civil War lasted on and off from 1927-1949
The Chinese Civil War lasted on and off from Over 8 million Chinese were killed. This resulted in 2 different states, each claiming to be the true government of China.

11. From 1937-1945, China was invaded and occupied by Japan
From , China was invaded and occupied by Japan. 20 million Chinese civilians were killed. Communists and Nationalists united to fight Japan.

12. In 1945, with the defeat of Japan, civil war resumes in China
In 1945, with the defeat of Japan, civil war resumes in China. In 1949, the Communists take Beijing and declare the “People’s Republic of China” (PRC) as the “official government of China”.

13. The Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established the “Republic of China” (ROC) as the “official government of China”. Western powers saw this as the only legitimate government of China until 1971.
Today, the legal and
political status
of Taiwan is in dispute.
In 1971, the U.N. and U.S.
came to acknowledge the
PRC as the official government
of China.
Today, Taiwan sees itself as
separate from mainland China.
Taiwan is also a major ally of the
United States of America.
The PRC sees Taiwan as
a part of China and refuses
to have diplomatic relations
with countries that view
Taiwan as independent.

14. Communist China under Mao (1949-1976)

15. Mao is a hero!
100 years of foreign imperialism comes to an end
Unites China for the first time in 50 years
Modernizes and industrializes China, building it into a world power
Organizes campaigns to improve literacy and public health; empowers women
Population rises from 500 million to 900 million
Mao is evil!
A dictator and leader of one-party rule which arrests and executes political opposition (“counterrevolutionaries”)
Attempts to industrialize lead to great suffering and starvation
During his rule, million die due to starvation or execution
Invasion of Tibet leads to the deaths of millions and the destruction of an ancient culture
Economic reforms enacted after his death were responsible for China’s rise to world power

16. Major Periods of Maoist China
Chinese Civil War ( ): Fought between Nationalists and Communists
Suppression of political opposition (“counterrevolutionaries”: anyone who disagreed with Mao)
Great Leap Forward ( ): Designed to modernize and industrialize the country, produced widespread famine
Cultural Revolution ( ): A program to weed out counter-revolutionary elements in Chinese society. Emphasized the new ways over the old.

17. Crash Course
Crash Course

18. Tibet

19. Tibet: Three Opinions
Opinion One: Tibet should be an independent country with the Dalai Lama as the leader
Opinion Two: Tibet should be an autonomous region within China which has local control and religious freedom protected
Opinion Three: Tibet threatens the unification of China and illegally challenges the authority of the Communist Party of China

20. T I B E T

21. Buddhism arrived in Tibet in the 7th century CE from India

22. Tibet is located in the mountains on the highest and biggest plateau in the world, averaging 14,000 feet

23. This high plateau isolated Tibet and created a unique culture called Tibetan Buddhism

24. Tibet was first unified into a single empire in the 8th century before being invaded by Mongols and Chinese

25. In 1913, Tibet gained full independence and an independent theocracy emerged with the Dalai Lama as the leader
Gendu Drup was the
first Dalai Lama
and lived in the
15th century

26. The Dalai Lama ruled Tibet from the Potala Palace in the capital of Lhasa

27. In 1950, the Chinese Communist Party claimed that Tibet was part of China and they moved in to occupy it in 1950
The current (14th)
Dalai Lama was
born in 1935
and became
ruler of Tibet in
1950.

28. The Chinese Communist Party disagreed with the authority of the Dalai Lama and crushed an uprising in 1959
Over 80,000 Tibetans were killed or imprisoned
The Dalai Lama fled to nearby India for safety
He has never returned to Tibet
In 2011, he formally gave up his temporal power in favor of spiritual authority
Today, Tibetan culture is disappearing under Chinese control

29. Tibet in the 21st Century
Chinese government claims they are helping to improve life in Tibet
Every year, 3000 Tibetans flee into exile in nearby India
Chinese government encourages Han Chinese to move into Tibet to limit the Tibetan ethnic group- Dalai Lama calls it “cultural genocide”
In 2008, Tibet revolted against Chinese but the protests were crushed and all westerners were banned from Tibet for 2 years
The Communist Party refuses to meet with the Dalai Lama and refers to him as a “terrorist”

30. Richard Nixon visited China in 1972 to normalize relations between the U.S. and China

31. After Mao’s death in 1978, economic reforms were implemented and the Chinese economy began to grow

32. In 1989, a growing Chinese middle class demanded new political freedoms in the Tiananmen Square Protest….

33. But, the Chinese government said no and massacred the protesters.
Referred to by the Chinese government as the “June 4th Incident”
Death and injury toll uncertain

34. Today, China has a growing market economy but a political structure which actively suppresses political freedoms

35. Communist China Today