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Communists Take Power in China 17.2
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Soviets had been training revolutionaries across the world to spread communism Communists Gain Control of China
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Prior to Japanese invasion (1937): Civil war in China Between nationalism led by Chiang Kai-shek (Jiang Jieshi) and communism led by Mao Zedong Civil War Divides China
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Soviet Union supported Mao U.S. sent billions of $$$ to aid the Nationalists Corrupt Nationalist leaders (anti-communists) pocketed most of $$ Generals were reluctant to fight as well Ppl were starving + Mao promised the peasants food + land and by 1945 Mao controlled most of Northern China Civil War Divides China
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Renewed Chinese Civil War lasted from 1946-1949 Nationalists at first had the advantage over Mao’s Red Army b/c of the size of the Nationalist army but… Nationalist army lost many supporters who deserted to the Communists as China’s economy collapsed Civil War Resumes after WWII
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1948 – Mao’s forces dominated the war 1949 – The Red Army captured all of China’s major cities. He won the countryside w/ the promise of land for the peasants. Jiang fled China + took control of the Chinese island of Taiwan ∴ Mao + Communists took over China naming it the People’s Republic of China Communists now controlled ¼ of world’s land, 1/3 world’s ppl Communists Win China
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China had split into 2 nations and the Superpowers react: Taiwan Nationalist China This is the China that the Western world supported + recognized. U.S. gave Taiwan financial aid. People’s Republic of China Communist China The Soviets pledged their support. S.U. + China promised to come to each other’s aid if attacked. This intensified the Cold War The Two China’s Affect the Cold War
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Chinese troops expanded into Tibet, India, and southern Mongolia. In 1951 China brutally gained total control over Tibet and forced the Dalai Lama (their religious leader) out. He fled to India along w/ other Tibetan refugees. Led to lasting conflict b/w China and India. China Expands Under the Communists
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Communists had to strengthen their rule over 550 million ppl China had been at war for decades + needed to rebuild. The Communists Transform China
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Communists had to tighten their rule as their 4.5 million members made up only 1% of the Chinese pop. Set up two entities to rule China: Communist Party National Government (Mao was the leader of both). Communists Claim a New “Mandate of Heaven”
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Mao enacted the Agrarian Reform Law of 1950: Mao seized land holdings of wealthy landlords Killed approx. 1 million+ of these landlords + divided the land among the peasants. Then, Mao transformed these areas to collective farms w/ 200-300 households on each. Nationalized private companies (took them under gov’t control). Launched a 5 Year Plan and greatly increased industrial output. Mao’s Brand of Marxist Socialism
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Mao’s second 5 Year Plan called “The Great Leap Forward” Called for larger collective farms called communes. 1958: 26,000 communes had been created @ 25,000 ppl each Life was strictly controlled: all ate, slept, lived in the same space. Had no motivation to work hard b/c they weren’t benefiting from the output at all. “The Great Leap Forward”
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Was actually a GIANT step backward: Inefficient and poorly planned communes 1961 crop failures killed 20 million ppl + Mao ended the program https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujbapnrAKXA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujbapnrAKXA “The Great Leap Forward”
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Good relationship b/w China + Soviet Union was fading. Competed to be leader of worldwide communist mvm’t + both wanted longest country boarder in world = territorial disputes Mao Has International Trouble
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Mao reduced his role in gov’t after failure of Great Leap Forward + split w/ S. Union New leaders were less strict: Allowed families to live in individual homes w/ small plot of land to sell crops from + factories allowed wage competition Mao thought this weakened China’s Communist goal of social equality ∴ He encouraged millions of high school + college students to revive the Communist revolution They formed militia’s and called themselves the Red Guards New Policies and Mao’s Response
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Red Guards led a major uprising called the Cultural Revolution. Goal of the Cultural Revolution: Establish a society of workers + peasants in which all were equal Peasants = heroes, Intellectuals = dangerous ∴ Red Guards shut down schools + colleges Intellectuals had to “purify” themselves by doing hard labor Took down anyone who resisted The Cultural Revolution
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Chaos across China due to the Cultural Rev. Seriously hurt farm production + factory output 1968: Mao ordered the Cultural Rev. to stop Called out the Chinese army to put down the Red Guards Zhou Enlai (new Chinese leader) began to restore order. The Cultural Revolution
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoc_09s_p08 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoc_09s_p08
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