A CENTURY OF UPHEAVAL

CHINA’S MARCH TO COMMUNISM

COMMUNISM ENTERS CHINA IN 1949• Unlike Russia, China arrived at

Communism after a prolonged struggle

• The Party was founded in 1921 and grew under Mao Zedong

• Guomindang and Communists

• CCP was driven from the cities in the early 1930’s and focused on rural areas and developed a peasant strategy

• CCP gained converts as a result of Japan’s invasion of China

• CCP was deeply opposed to imperialism and exploitation of peasants

• Step one: create a rural communist society

• Communist party the only party in town

• State controlled economy-industrialization not a primary goal

• China embraced communism much easier than USSR

• Much less political violence

• Step one: industrialize

• Communist party was the only party in town

• State controlled economy

• Totalitarian system needed to root out resistance

BUILDING A COMPARISON AND COMMUNISM

Soviet Union under Stalin China

• Communes established as peasants confronted landlords

• Collectivization was peaceful in China, violent in USSR

• China’s moved farther

REDISTRIBUTION

Land Reform

• USSR: industrialization an early goal

• China: goal not realized until the 1950’s as they followed USSR model

• Major growth followed

• Both cases advocated heavy industry and militarization

• Party controlled resources.

• Mao applauded results…

INDUSTRIALIZATION

Comparison

• Tried to apply principles of rural development to industrialization

• Industrialization was a backyard endeavor.

GREAT LEAP FORWARDMao tries to combat social elements of industrialization

• Attitudes had gone too far from Great Leap Forward…

• Communist ideas needed to be reinforced, independent ideas of GLF needed to be purged.

• Stalin had his show trials and purges to reign in independent thinking…China had this

REIGNING IN SOCIAL REFORMS

The Cultural Revolution

• Both events eventually had to be calmed by military intervention

• Both events discredited socialism by and contributed to the collapse of each system.

LONG TERM IMPACTS OF STALIN’S TERROR AND MAO’S CULTURAL REVOLUTION?

Impacts A Stalin Era Mass Grave

• Deng Xiaoping

• One time exile to most powerful man in China.

• Oversaw the entrance of China onto the world economic stage

• Increased freedoms and explosion of China as a commercial entity.

CHINA AFTER MAO

The Little Tiger He even wore cowboy hats

BASHING MAO’S GHOST?• Relaxed censorship

• Released 100,000 prisoners

• Dismantled communal farms

• Stunning economic growth

• Political monopoly kept in tact

OPPOSITION TO A ONE PARTY STATE• 1980’s saw a contradiction between the economic growth and the freedoms people could

expect.

• Things spilled over with massive protests in 1989.

• Tank man