Slide 1

Revolution in China

and Communist China

(How does this compare with the

Russian Revolution and Stalin’s

Soviet Union)

This presentation relies heavily on a power point created by Dan

McDowell. Teaching Point, ©2003

Slide 2

Background

• Manchu / Qing Dynasty maintained limited power while other nations held major concessionsin the 20th

century.

Slide 3

QING DYNASTY FELL

• Rural & urban workers, nationalists, communists, and intellectuals protested against the government.

• The dynasty fell in 1911 and a weak provisional government took its place.

• 1911 – 1925 Chinese Republic

Slide 4

CIVIL WAR 1925-1937

• After the provisional government failed,

the NATIONALISTS led by Chiang Kai-

shek, the COMMUNISTS led by Mao

Zedong, and various WARLORDS began

a CIVIL WAR for control of China

Slide 5

Mao Zedong

• Led the army in

developing

guerilla warfare

tactics to fight the

Nationalists and

later the

Japanese

Slide 6

1937 – Japan invaded China

• Communists &

Nationalists fought

the Japanese

“separately

together”.

• Communists were

more effective in

their guerilla war

against the

Japanese.

Slide 7

Civil War Continued 1945-

1949• The West

supported the

Nationalist

Army and the

USSR sent

some support

to Mao

Slide 8

Communist Victory

1949

• the Communists

founded the People’s

Republic of China.

Slide 9

China under Communist

• Foreigners were kicked out

• Redistribution of land by the government

• Industrialization began

• Women gained power

Slide 11

Slide 12

Mao consolidated power

• Many who were nationalists, upper-class, or dissidents were imprisoned in forced labor camps or killed.

Mao Zedong

“Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy.”

“The danger of democracy lies in the fact that it wrecks the Communist Party organization and weakens or even completely undermines the Party's fighting capacity.”

Slide 14

Social Class Changes

• Wealthy upper class

(including ruling

aristocracy) was

removed.

• Landowning class

was destroyed.

• Intellectuals attacked

Slide 15

Great Leap Forward 1950s-

• Mao’s government took control of all the land.

• Started “back yard industrialization”

Great Leap Forward

• The plan failed miserably – famine caused over 20 million deaths in rural areas, steel production dropped drastically.

BOTH USSR and CHINA

• Totalitarian government and leader

– TOTAL control of all of the gov, econ, culture

• LAND collectivization /Industrialization

• “gains” in industrialization & women’s status

• Millions of political “opponents” imprisoned

and/or executed

• Millions died in famines

• U.S. and its allies are enemies

Slide 17