The Rise and Rule of Mao Zedong IB 20th Century Topics

Referred to as Chairman Mao Chinese communist revolutionary guerrilla warfare strategist author political theorist and leader of the Chinese Revolution. He was the architect of the People's Republic of China (PRC) from its establishment in 1949, and held authoritarian control over the nation until his death in 1976. His theoretical contribution to Marxism-Leninism, along with his military strategies and brand of political policies, are now collectively known as Maoism.

Early Life Born in 1893 in Shaoshan, China His father was a poor peasant who was able to become a landowner and businessman Received a basic education and learned a lot about political and economic problems in China (e.g. widespread famines) 5

Based on these sources, what is one problem the Chinese were facing when Mao was growing up? 6

China As Mao Was Growing Up: Problems With the Manchu Dynasty The emperors were not strong leaders, which trickled down to other government officials, who were incompetent Heavy taxes were put on the people Large disparity between the rich and poor Widespread poverty Gov’t officials accepted money and gifts for political appointments Foreign countries had spheres of influence where they dominated

Communism Moved to Peking in 1918 and worked for a Marxist thinker Quickly became a strong believer in Communism and edited radical magazines, organized trade unions, and started schools of his own. Became one of the 50 founding members of the Chinese Communist Party Failed in his early attempts to be a leader in the Party and his role in Party activities was decreased dramatically 8

Focus on the Peasants Mao went back to his hometown and had very little communication with the Party He studied the peasants and learned about their financial situation and the ways they were being abused by the landowning class His new knowledge of the peasants allowed him to rise again as a leader in the Party, where he advocated that peasants should lead the revolution 9

Based on this map, what struggles is China having in the 1930s? 10

The Long March

Mao Zedong forms Communist Party and works with Nationalists Sun Yat-Sen dies. New Nationalist leader Chaing Kai-Shek declares war on Communists Mao and followers flee into mountains: The Long March In mountains Mao rebuilds Communist party

Mao Zedong- becomes leader of Chinese Communists during the “Long March” 1. advocated land reform & tax reform = gained peasant support Result: - peasants joined Communists - many join Red Army (Communist Army) - could resist Nationalists

The Chinese Civil War Fought between the Kuomintang (KMT or Chinese Nationalist Party), the governing party of the Republic of China and the Communist Party of China (CPC), for the control of China led to China's division into two Chinas, Republic of China (now commonly known as Taiwan) and People's Republic of China (Mainland China). The war began in April 1927, amidst The Long March and ended in 1949 (other wars like WWII were fought in between)

Relationship Between Leadership and the Masses Mao developed a program of contact with the masses that became known as the “mass line”. The process includes: Investigating the conditions of people Learning about and participating in their struggles Gathering ideas from them Creating a plan of action based on these ideas and concerns It was a powerful tool of propaganda. By 1945, the communists had reached 100 million people and the mass line was carried to the people by 1 million members

Based on the following quotes, what is one of Mao’s ideas about society? “[A] great many so-called intellectuals are actually exceedingly unlearned . . . The knowledge of workers and peasants is sometimes greater than theirs.” “Books cannot walk, and you can open and close a book at will; this is the easiest thing in the world to do, a great deal easier than it is for the cook to prepare a meal . . . [or] for him to slaughter a pig.” 16

The “Cult” of Mao Mao became the chairman of the Communist Central Committee All the leaders in the party praised him and encouraged people to listen to his wisdom In 1943, several leaders in the Party began to rewrite Chinese Party history so that Mao would be seen as responsible for all the advances of the Party 17

What does the following excerpt suggest about Mao’s Power? “The Chinese Communist Party takes Mao Zedong’s thought – the thought that unites Marxist-Leninist theory and the practice of the Chinese revolution – as the guide for all its work, and opposes all dogmatic or empiricist deviations.” ~Preamble to the Constitution of the Communist Party 18

People’s Republic of China - 1949 The Communists defeated the Kuomintang and took complete control of China in 1949 Mao’s ideas formed the basis for all Party activities and government decisions They took control of the media and the education system and began taking land away from the wealthy and distributing it among all people 19

Great Leap Forward In January of 1958, five-year plan Planned to develop agriculture and industry

Great Leap Forward - 1958 Attempt to modernize China People were forced to grow grain and melt metals down to produce steel Led to widespread famine and death Damaged Mao’s reputation 21

Great Leap? Hoped to catch up to England and surpass America Unproven and unscientific new agricultural techniques were implemented Under this plan the economy nearly collapsed

Great Leap Backward The entire country were forced to recycle steel, and food reserves were depleted In some regions, after all mice, insects, and tree bark were consumed, some resulted to cannibalism About 30 million people died, mainly due to famine

Cultural Revolution Mao needed a comeback He organized students and mobilized them throughout the country to spread his ideas and wipe out anyone who tried to contradict him He created an extremely effective propaganda campaign that again brought him back to power. 24

The Cultural Revolution 1966-1976 Mao’s tactic to secure his power against reforms Red Guards were formed in 1966

The Red Guards Red Guards were a mass movement of civilians, mostly students and other young people in the People's Republic of China (PRC), who were mobilized by Mao Zedong in 1966 and 1967, during the Cultural Revolution

The Cultural Revolution the Cultural Revolution Group directed the Red Guards to attack the 'Four Olds' of Chinese society (old customs, old culture, old habits and old ideas). Old books and art were destroyed, museums were ransacked, and streets were renamed with new revolutionary names and adorned with pictures and the sayings of Mao Many famous temples, shrines, and other heritage sites in Beijing were attacked and, in total, 4,922 out of 6,843 were destroyed.

Cultural Rev Con’t Forced bureaucrats, professors, technicians, intellectuals, and other non-peasants into rural work It is estimated that seven million were killed during the decade China’s economy suffered

Mao’s End At the age of 82, Mao died September 9, 1976 He died of Lou Gehrig’s disease After his death there was a power struggle in China, but eventually moderates came to power and Mao’s regime came to an end

Mao’s Legacy Has produced great controversy Some see him as a great revolutionary leader who made some big mistakes later in his life Mao’s made huge mistakes such as the Great Leap Forward, Cultural Rev., and birth control

Legacy Con’t Some statistics say that the illiteracy rate and life expectancy was greatly improved while Mao was in power It is argued that he developed them into a major world power By abolishing prostitution, some think he improved women’s rights

Mao vs. Other Genocides Murdered more people than Hitler, estimated 40 million or more

Mao vs. Other Genocides Tyrannized the world's most populous nation for more than a quarter century Mao never really succeeded in destroying entire opposition Mao set up a Chinese Gulag - an empire of slave labor camps filled with poorly fed "counter-revolutionaries."

Mao Destruction Con’t The majority of Mao’s killings were because of man-made famine Mao executed nearly 10 million educated professionals, and others