Essential Question: How did the Communists take over China?

Before WWII… What is a dynasty? – A line of hereditary rulers of a country – China was ruled by dynasties a long time. The people of China were unhappy with imperial rule. Their unhappiness led to revolution and civil war. Power struggles existed between two groups—the Nationalists, led by Chiang Kai-shek, and the Communists, led by Mao Zedong.

Who is Sun Yat Sen? – Sun yat Sen established republic of China. What is the Kuomintang? – the political party founded by Sun Yat-sen in 1911 – dominant in China from 1928 until 1949 – under the leadership of Chiang Kai-shek. – Since then it has been the official ruling party of Taiwan. Who is Chang Kai-shek? – Chinese military and political figure who led the Nationalists against the rising Communist forces and was driven from the mainland to Taiwan (1949), where he served as president of Nationalist China until his death.

Communists Take Over China During World War II the Chinese Communists and the Nationalists put aside differences to fight Japanese invaders. Civil War Resumes Once Japan was defeated, civil war resumed. Nationalist forces outnumbered Mao’s Communists, but Communists had wide support among China’s peasants. Rural Chinese peasants had long been oppressed by brutal landlords, high taxes, policies of corrupt government. Public Support Communists promised to take land from landlords and distribute it to peasants. By 1949, Communists had driven the Nationalists almost entirely from China Nationalist control was limited to small areas on the mainland, and several islands, including Taiwan.

Communists Take Over China People’s Republic of China On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong stood before a huge crowd in Beijing. He announced the formation of the People’s Republic of China. Mao’s strategy of using guerrilla warfare in rural China worked. Opposition to Mao China faced many difficulties, including a crippled economy and lack of a functional government. Some countries opposed to communism refused to recognize Mao and his new government. They claimed that Chiang Kai-shek’s government on Taiwan was the true Chinese government.

Chiang Kai-shek was a Nationalist and unyielding Anti-Communist. He led the military unification of China in the 1920s and helped the Allied powers defeat the Japanese in WWII. When the Nationalists lost China to the Communists, Chiang maintained the republic by moving it to the island of Taiwan where he established economic development and political stability. Chiang Kai-shek

Mao Zedong

Chairman Mao Defeated Chiang and the Kuomintang Forced Chiang Kai-shek to flee to Taiwan. Used propaganda ideas, facts, or allegations spread deliberately to further one's cause or to damage an opposing cause to win over the people. ExamplesExamples Established the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution Made religion illegal Appealed to farmers and workers Died in 1976

Great Leap Forward The Great Leap Forward, 1958, was Mao’s attempt to modernize China’s economy It was a failed attempt at industrialization and mass agriculture. nwg nwg

Cultural Revolution Occurred in the late 1960’s Destroyed all aspects of China’s past. Introduced the Little Red Book and the Red Guards Was a plan to make Mao popular again with the younger masses Used propaganda KMOE KMOE

The Little Red Book The Little Red Book also known as Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong ( 毛主席语录 ) has been published by the government of the People’s Republic of China since It is a collection of quotations excerpted from Mao Zedong's past speeches and publications. 900 million copies of The Little Red Book have been sold--second only to the Bible which has been around much longer. It was essentially an unofficial requirement for every Chinese citizen to own, to read, and to carry it at all times during the Cultural Revolution. The punishment for failing to produce the book upon being asked would range from being beaten by Red Guards to being given years of hard-labor imprisonment. Studying the book was required in schools, as well as at workplaces. Workplaces have specified reading sessions during working hours for workers to study the book.

China A mixed economy Little political freedom, as evidence at Tiananmen Square 1989 Students wanted more rights and freedoms, many killed and imprisoned Violation of human rights

Tiananmen Square nanmen_s_taboo_twenty/