Communist China

China’s Last Emperor

•1912 – Puyi, the last Emperor of China, stepped down from his

throne.•This brought an end to the Qing

Dynasty.

Civil War in China

•2 Sides •1 - The Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-shek.•2 – The Communists, led by Mao Zedong.

World War II•During WWII, both sides worked together to defeat Japan.•China lost 20-30 million people during the war.•Images of the Japanese army in China.

Mao and the PLA•1945 – after the

end of WWII, millions of

peasants joined Mao’s People’s

Liberation Army.•1949 – Mao’s PLA

defeated the Nationalists.

Mao in front of his People’s Liberation

Army.

Taiwan

Chiang Kai-Shek and 2 million followers fled to island of Taiwan.

Now called ROC – or the Republic of China.

The Great Leap Forward

•1958 – Mao’s goal was to catch up with the USA in terms of Industrial might.

• His goal – turn China from an agrarian power to an industrial power.

“Hard work for a few years, happiness for a thousand.” – Government slogan.

The Great Leap Forward

“Take steel as the principle. Leap forward in all fields.” Or “Steel is essential, fully

leap forward.”

Collectivization

• 1955 – Land was taken from wealthy landowners, and given to peasants. • 2/3 of all peasants received land.

Who would support Mao? Landowners or Peasants?

Collectivization

•He created collective farms with 30,000 people who were to live and work together.•It was a huge failure.

The Great Leap Forward

•The Great Leap Forward was a disaster and a failure!•15 million people died from starvation.•Natural disasters and policy decisions made by Mao were to blame.

China’s Great Famine

•“He knew how to organize a

revolution but he did not know

how to run a country.” –

Comment from one of Mao’s advisors about

Mao.

4 years later…Mao is Back

•Mao’s new ideas were published in the Little Red Book.•He called for a new “Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.”

Mao’s Little Red Book

• One of the largest number of books printed in history.

Mao’s Cultural Revolution

•Mao’s Revolutionary Guards or Red Guards

brought on death and destruction.• 30 – 40 Million people were arrested,

harassed and killed.

Mao’s Cultural Revolution

•The Red Guards were to eliminate the 4 Olds:•Old Ideas•Old Culture•Old Customs•Old Habits

Mao’s Cultural Revolution

• Torture, rape, imprisonment, harassment, and seizure of property

were common.

Mao’s Cultural Revolution

Intellectuals were targeted for attack:•Professors, teachers, doctors, artists, people who had traveled or studied in the USA. “Pro-Western.”

• In 1968, the Red Guard was disbanded.• The PLA carried out mass executions of

Red Guard members.• This brought an end to the Cultural

Revolution.

The Red Guard

Deng Xiaoping

•Sept. 1976 – Mao died at the age of 82.•After Mao, China was 20 years behind the rest of the world. •Deng Xiaoping seized power and ended the Cultural Revolution.

Deng Xiaoping•Deng instituted the 4 Modernizations - Industry, Agriculture, Technology and National Defense.•Foreign investors were invited in China and students were sent to study abroad.