Communist Take Power in China

Communist Take Power in China

ISM World History

Lesson Objectives:

• Analyze the civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists.

• Explain how China split into two nations.

• Describe how Mao's Marxist regime transformed China.

Background

Chinese Republic (1912-1949)

World War II in China

• Under their leader Mao Zedong, the Communists had a stronghold in northwestern China where they mobilized peasants for guerrilla warfare against the Japanese.

• Through their efforts to promote literacy and imiprove food production, the Communists won the peasants' loyalty that by 1945, they controlled much of northern China.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a reason that Communists were able to win the peasants' loyalty in northern China?

• The Communist promoted literacy.

• The Communists signed up for the Warsaw Pact.

• The Communist encouraged religious freedoms.

• The Communists allowed the Nationalists to control the south.

World War II in China

• Meanwhile, Nationalist forces under Jiang Jieshi (Chiang Kai-shek) dominated southwestern China where he gathered an army of 2.5 million supported by the United States.

• Instead of benefiting the army, these supplies and money often ended up in the hands of a few corrupt officers.

• The Nationalist Army saved it strength for the coming battle against Mao's Red Army which resumed after the Japanese surrender in WWII.

Civil War Resumes

• The renewed civil war lasted from 1946 to 1949.

• Despite US backing, the Nationalist forces did little to win popular support. With China's economy collapsing, thousands of Nationalist soldiers deserted to join the Communists as major cities fell to the well-trained Red forces in the spring of 1949.

• In October 1949, Mao gained control of the country and proclaimed it the People's Republic of China. Jiang and other nationalists retread to the island of Taiwan.

Chairman Mao's victory fueled US anti-Communist feeling as many Americans felt that the China takeover was another step in a Communist campaign to conquer the world.

Is Socialism bad?

How did the United States become anti-Communist?

The Two Chinas Affect the Cold War

• The existence of two Chinas, and the conflicting international loyalties they inspired, intensified the Cold War.

• The US helped Jiang set up a Nationalist government in Formosa (Taiwan) while the Soviets gave financial, military, and technical aid to Communist China.

Open Ended

How did the outcome of the Chinese civil war contribute to Cold War tensions?

Open Ended

Interpret Charts on page 901:

Draw Conclusion: Which party's domestic policy might appeal more to the Chinese peasants? Why?

Open Ended

Interpret Charts on page 901:

Form and Support Opinions: Which aspect of the Communist approach do you think was most responsible for Mao's victory? Explain.

Under Mao, China aimed to restore China as a powerful nation. Like the Soviets, the Chinese Communists set up two parallel organizations, the Communist Party and the national government. 

Communists Transform China

• Mao was determined to reshape China’s economy based on Marxist socialism.

• Under the Reform Law of 1950, Mao seized the holdings of landlords (10% of China’s population owning 70% of lands), those who resisted were killed. Lands were then divided among the peasants as he promoted collective farms comprised of 200-300 households.

Multiple Choice

What was achieved with the Agrian Reform Law of 1950?

• The government seized private land.

• The government educated peasants.

• The government encouraged home businesses.

• The government increased natural resource consumption.

Communists Transform China

• Mao's changes also transformed industry and businesses.

• Private companies were nationalized or brought under government ownership.

• In 1953, Mao launched a five-year plan that set high production goals for the industry.

• By 1957, China's output of coal, cement, steel, and electricity had increased dramatically.

The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution

• In 1958, Mao called for larger collective farms, or communes, resulting in the creation of about 26,000 communes. Unfortunately, the program was a giant step backward. Poor planning and inefficient “backyard,” or home industries hampered growth.

• In 1966, Mao was determined to revive the revolution when he urged China’s young people to “learn revolution by making revolution.” Millions of young Chinese left their classrooms and formed militias unis called the Red Guards and started the Cultural Revolution to establish a society of peasants and workers in which all were equal. The Red guards considered the life of the mind (intellectual and artistic activity) as useless and dangerous so they attacked and shut down colleges and schools.

Open Ended

Why were the intellectuals targeted in the Cultural Revolution?

Soviet Competition and Global Politics

• The spirit of cooperation that had bound the Soviet Union and China together began to fade as internal and external problems plagued China in the 1950s.

• They were also involved in political clashes as each sought to be viewed as the leader of a worldwide Communist movement.

• China had close relations with communist leaders in Korea and Vietnam in Asia, Cuba, Peru, and Bolivia in Latin America.

The Big Idea: After World War II, Chinese Communists defeated Nationalist forces, and two separate Chinas emerged.

Why It Matters Now: China remains a Communist country and a major power in the world.