China, 1921-Present

World HistoryLibertyville High School

Foundation of Party

• Formed in 1921 with help from Soviet Union

• Part of Soviet effort to make communist revolution international

• Eventually, Soviets and Chinese communists split in their beliefs, ideologies

Chinese Civil War, 1927-49

• Chinese Nationalists (KMT), under Chiang Kai-Shek vs. Chinese Communists, under Mao Tse-Tung

• KMT supported by West, Communists by Soviets

• KMT winning in 1920s, 1930s

Chinese Civil War

• “The Long March” (1934-35)– Series of Communist

retreats covering 8000 miles in 370 days

– During March, Mao reorganized Party, setting self as leader

– Reached safety in mnts near Soviet border

Japanese Invasion, 1937-45

• Civil war interrupted by Japanese invasion, in 1937– United both sides against

Japanese• KMT retreated to

mountains– Saved strength, but morale

and prestige hurt• Communists fought as

guerillas vs. Japanese– Won over peasants

End of Civil War• Civil war resumed after

Japanese defeated• Communists have smaller

army, BUT…– Better soldiers– Peasants on their side

• KMT demoralized, lost war– Retreated to Taiwan, an

offshore island• Even today, Communist

China claims Taiwan as breakaway province

“The Great Leap Forward” (1958-61)

• Forced collectivization of agricultural sector (1949-58)– Peasants forced into communes– Private ownership of land

eliminated– Done prior to industrialization, so

peasants not mechanized• Industrialization at local level

(1958-61)– “Backyard” furnaces for steel

production (melt down old products to make steel - impossible)

– Quietly abandoned in 1960s

“The Great Leap Forward” (1958-61)

• Social Changes, 1949-61– Religious worship and opium

made illegal– Religion replaced by political

meetings and propaganda– Coercion, violence common

• Results– 20-43 million dead (mainly

starvation)– Steel production FELL– Mao discredited for 5-6 years

“The Cultural Revolution” (1966-76)• Official goal was to enforce

socialism by eliminating capitalist, traditional and cultural elements from society– Struggle for power between Mao,

other communist leaders– Became an anti-intellectual purge of

Chinese society• “Red Guards”

– Mao’s followers, mainly students– Mao ordered them to overthrow the

party establishment and replace them with Revolutionary Committees

– Much violence ensued in power struggle

“The Cultural Revolution”• Social changes: “Abolishing

the Four Olds”– Old Customs, Old Culture, Old

Habits, Old Ideas– Red Guards destroyed old

buildings, religious shrines, temples, mosques

– Education stopped b/c teachers were sent to labor camps

– Anyone with skills above a peasant was considered in need of “revolutionary re-education”

“The Cultural Revolution”• Consequences– Generation of illiteracy– Establishment of “Cult of

Personality” of Mao– 36 million Chinese

persecuted, “re-educated”– 500,000 killed– Ended with death of Mao in

1976– Today, regarded as a

negative event in Chinese history

Western Economic Ideas, 1982-Present• With death of Mao in 1976,

succession struggle ensued– Deng Xiaoping won

• Created “Special Economic Zones”– Few state regulations in areas,

to encourage foreign investment

– Essentially allowed capitalism in these zones

– Experimented with limited political freedoms as well

Western Economic Ideas, 1982-Present• Results– GDP has grown 1000%

since 1978– China’s GDP is second only

to USA– World’s #1 exporter– BUT GDP per capita of

$8400 is below international avg.

– About 51% Chinese live in cities, in 2011

• SEE CIA World Factbook

Tiananmen Square (4/89 to 6/4/89)

• Hundreds of thousands of college students & democratic reformers gathered in Beijing

• Protests centered on…– Human rights violations– Lack of freedom in China– Demands for political

liberalization

Tiananmen Square

• Government’s response– Attempted to rally support

of people to its side (failed)– Next came threats against

protesters– Purge within ruling

committee• Leaders sympathetic to

protesters ousted– Troops sent in to crush

protests• Nationwide crackdown on

liberalization followed

Challenges Facing China• Demographics

– From 1964-1982, population increased from 694 to 1,008 million

• “One Child Policy” implemented in 1979– About 36% of pop. subject to

strict 1 child policy (urban)– About 53% allowed 2nd child

if 1st is a girl– About 10% allowed 2 kids– Tibetans, Hong Kong have no

limits

Challenges - Demographics

• Consequences– From 1979 to 2011, about

400 million births prevented– “Prevention” includes use of

contraceptives, enforced abortion, female infanticide, offering girls for adoption

– Too many Chinese males (117:100 in 2000)

– Too few young Chinese to support aging population