Communist China

Why Communists Gained Control 1949 Mao Zedong won support of China’s peasants b/c of his plan for land redistribution Women backed Mao b/c he said everyone was equal His army was able to outfight Jiang’s armies Nationalists lost popularity

Mao in Power Nationalized all businesses- government controlled all of them Drew up 5 year plans to develop agriculture and heavy industry Built hydroelectric plants, railroads, and canals Created a totalitarian society- government controls everyone and everything; many cases of people being tortured and/or killed for many different reasons

Collectivization Pooling of peasant land and labor in an attempt to increase efficiency Did not work No incentive to work harder

Great Leap Forward 1958 plan to increase farm and industrial output Created communes-thousands of acres with up to 25,000 people; had to meet production quotas or entire commune would be punished Created low quality goods Led to a famine that 30 million people died between 1959 and 1961

Cultural Revolution - 1966 Plan to purge China of nonrevolutionary tendencies (people who wanted freedom) Created Red Guard who attacked and killed anyone who might have been against Mao

Life after Mao Mao died in 1976 Deng Xiaoping took over Reformed economy- allowed more capitalism Standard of living increased Government, laws, and punishment still harsh

Tiananmen Square 1989- tens of thousands of protestors demanded democracy and freedom When demonstrators refused to leave, government sent in troops and tanks Thousands were killed or wounded Many others were arrested and tortured or executed

China Today China is still Communist No freedom of speech, religion, or the press No right to a fair trial or a jury trial Many people are arrested each year and tortured or executed Business is more open and capitalistic