Imperial China Collapses

Words to know Communism Nationalism Mao Zedong Cultural Revolution Little Red Book Great Leap Forward Red Guards

Mao Zedong

Communism vs. Nationalism The Chinese choose Communism! Mao promoted land reform and better treatment for the peasants. (communist) Nationalists had done little for peasants.

The Long March Mao took the Long March to save the Communists who were being pursued by Nationalist forces.

The Cultural Revolution During the Cultural Revolution, the schools in China were closed and the young intellectuals living in cities were ordered to the countryside to be "re-educated" by the peasants, where they performed hard manual labor and other work. The Revolution led to the destruction of much of China's traditional cultural heritage and the imprisonment of a huge number of Chinese citizens, as well as creating general economic and social chaos in the country. Millions of lives were ruined during this period, as the Cultural Revolution pierced into every part of Chinese life, depicted by such Chinese films as To Live, The Blue Kite and Farewell My Concubine. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, perished in the violence of the Cultural Revolution.[52]

Little Red Book The most printed book in the twentieth century, Quotations had an estimated 5 to 6.5 billion copies printed during Mao's attempt to transform Chinese society. The book's phenomenal popularity may be due to the fact that it was essentially an unofficial requirement for every Chinese citizen to own, to read, and to carry it at all times during the later half of Mao's rule, especially during the Cultural Revolution.[1] If a Chinese citizen was caught without the book, he was usually beaten by the Red Guardists.[1] During the Cultural Revolution, studying the book was not only required in schools but was also a standard practice in the workplace as well. All units, in the industrial, commercial, agricultural, civil service, and military sectors, organized group sessions for the entire workforce to study the book during working hours. Quotes from Mao were either bold-faced or highlighted in red, and almost all writing, including scientific essays, had to quote Mao. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quotations_from_Chairman_Mao