1. The Chinese Communist Revolution
Review Book Unit 3 Section 3

2. Overview People’s Republic of China was established in 1949
Communism rose in the 1930s and 1940s- appealed to peasants and achieved military superiority
Communist dictator: Mao Zedong
Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution- both had negative economic results and restricted people’s rights and freedoms

3. Two China’s People’s Republic of China- Communist State
Had natural resources
Taiwan (Republic of China)- noncommunist government

4. Communist Rise to Power
Jiang Jieshi took over the Guomindang (Nationalist Party)
Not communist
Began to strike against the Communist Party
Mao Zedong- Communist leader in the 1930s
Long March- traveled 6,000 miles
Mao set up a communist state in northern China
Battle between Communists, Guomindang, and Japanese invaders battled for control of China
Mao’s communists were victorious in 1949
Why were the communists successful in removing Jiang Jieshi? Why were they successful in creating a communist state in China?

5. Reasons for Communist Success
Mao won the support of the large peasant population of China
Promised to give land to peasants
Mao won the support of women
Rejected the inequalities of traditional Confucian society
Used guerrilla warfare
People opposed the Nationalist government
Some thought Nationalists had allowed foreigners to dominate China

6. Communism Under Mao Zedong
Communists set up the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949
Wanted to transform China from an agricultural society to a modern industrial nation
Literacy increased, old landlord and business classes were eliminated, and rural Chinese were provided with health care
Mao set up a one-party dictatorship that denied people basic rights and freedoms

7. Changing Role of Women Women were treated as inferior to men
Women won equality under the law
Expected to work alongside men on farms and factories
Only a few women had top jobs in government
Women were not always paid the same wages as men

8. The Great Leap Forward 1958- Mao launched the Great Leap Forward
Wanted to increase agricultural and industrial output
Created communes- groups of people who live and work together and hold property in common
Had production quotas
The Great Leap Forward failed
Turned out poorly made goods; agricultural output declined

9. The Cultural Revolution
1966- Mao launched the Cultural Revolution
Renewed people’s loyalty to communism and establish a more equitable society
Mao feared that revolutionary peasants and workers were being replaced by intellectuals in running the country
Shut down universities throughout China and urged Chinese students to experience the revolution for themselves
Students formed group fighters called Red Guards- attacked professors, government officials, and factory managers (many will be exiled or executed)

10. US Recognition US refused to recognize the People’s Republic of China
Korean War- Communist China and US took opposing sides
1970s- China won admission to the UN
1979- US officially recognized the People’s Republic of China

11. Communism Under Deng Xiaoping
1976- Mao Zedong died
Deng Xiaoping took control
Deng promoted foreign trade and more contact with Western nations
Introduced the Four Modernizations: Farming, Industry, Science and Technology, and Defense
Deng got rid of unpopular communes
Allowed land to be leased to individual farmers
Farmers had to give some food to the government
Increased agricultural output
Deng welcomed foreign technology and capital
Economy grew, standard of living increased, foreign relations and trade grew
Gap between rich and poor grew

12. Tiananmen Square
Government was willing to grant economic reforms but not political ones
May Demonstrations in Beijing occupied Tiananmen Square. Demanded more rights and freedoms:
Demonstrators refused to disperse- government responded by sending in troops and tanks
Showed that order was more important than political freedom
1990s- efforts were made to force China to end human rights violations

13. Hong Kong 1842- Great Britain gained the island of Hong Kong
Britain modernized it and made it wealthy
Returned it to the Chinese in 1997

14. Discussion Question
What are three similarities between Chinese Communism and Russian Communism?