1. Was the Korean war worth fighting? (for China)
Use p. 221 – 223 of Hodder communist states book
LO: to examine the costs and the benefits of China’s involvement in the Korean War.

2. A quick history of the Korean War.
Lesson 1: They complete their sheet with brief notes as they watch the clip (good to give context as not all studied it at GCSE) – just the 1st box
A quick history of the Korean War.

3. Why did China join the Korean war?
Mao was concerned about opponents to his regime.
China was a vast and diverse nation; this made it difficult to govern.
The Communists have only just come to power.
China has been previously humiliated by Foreign powers.
China desperately needed to borrow industrial equipment.
Imagine you are Mao. Use the 5 problems to come up with ideas about how the Korean War could help you.
EXT: Imagine you are an advisor trying to dissuade Mao from involvement, what would you say? Complete on bottom half of sheet with the thought bubbles
Why did China join the Korean war?

4. Key debate: Why join? A pre-mediated plan Manipulated by the USSR
Mao was eager to use the war to convince Stalin to provide him with technology and industrial equipment
Mao was manipulated into helping because it helped the USSR’s cold war agenda.
Nice link to Russia – Mao’s choice vs. Stalin manipulating him to help USSR’s agenda?
Key debate: Why join?

5. The significance of the Korean War 1950-53
The CCP could claim to have resisted the major capitalist powers.
BUT huge drain on Chinese economy.
Established hostility as its default position vs the USA.
Justified increasing political & social repression within China.
They note these down. Emphasise 1950s – worst years of the Terror, KW gives a common cause, good PR if they win etc. We’re going to look at the war’s significance and whether it was worth fighting
Good PR e.g. pushed USA back, but drain on economy and increased repression (inc purges in party after KW which you’ll look at for homework)
The significance of the Korean War

6. Increasing repression
Antis campaign – directed against waste and corruption within government, so mainly against party members. Method = denunciation and self-criticism.
Antis campaign – targeted the middle class business groups.
Increasing repression

7. Increasing repression
Suppression of political plurality – by 1952 all other political parties had disappeared.
1954 Purge of Gao Gang & Rao Rashi – seen by Mao as too ambitious and dismissed from their positions (Gao Gang committed suicide).
(Indicative of Mao’s suspicion of his own party.)
Set research as homework – use the internet as not much in your book. By this point, Mao feels more confident to be able to purge party (like Stalin)
Increasing repression

8. Work with a partner. One should collect evidence of all the benefits to China of their involvement.
The other should note the costs.
Feedback to each other and begin to evaluate – was it worth fighting?
EXT: Is your answer different if you think about who benefits?
Lesson 1/2 Use evidence on double sided sheet – for rest of this lesson you’ll collect evidence for your view, then we’ll feedback at the start of next lesson and make our judgements
Was it worth fighting?

9. Conclusion: Party Benefit Not Benefit People
Huge cost to Chinese people but huge gain to party / Mao  terror to secure position and his relations with USSR
Benefit but at a huge cost. Also, personal cost to Mao e.g. loses his son in KW – we can’t really be sure of what effect this had on him
Conclusion:
People

10. Mao believed that the force of will and mobilisation of the masses could overcome technological weakness – a mistaken idea that would later be harnessed for attempted economic advancement (e.g. Great Leap Forward).
They write this down. Key for next topic – agriculture and industry planning. Leads to HUGE FAMINE
To get enough resources for the war effort, PRC uses propaganda and the people rally behind the cause – leads Mao to believe that sheer force of will can overcome technological weaknesses – he takes this thinking into his agricultural and industrial planning which will have huge consequences. Famine kills 20-50m people all because of Mao’s mistaken policies based on an idea that the will of the people beats technological weakness
Key point to highlight

11. The Hundred Flowers Campaign
Read the extract from ‘Son of the Revolution’ to get some contextual understanding of what happened
Homework – complete the worksheet (use your textbook)
Due: 16/12
Extract context. All – an extract from “Son of the Revolution” by Liang Heng about the experiences of the author as a young boy. His Mum was encouraged to speak up in the 100 Flowers movement then labelled a Rightist in the crackdown that followed. Excerpt covers the stigma this created for his family, his Mum being packed off for thought reform, and the resulting breakdown of his parents marriage.
After 100 Flowers, we move on to Great Leap Forward and agriculture and industry
The Hundred Flowers Campaign