1. A Communist Nation
China under Mao Zedong

2. World War II
China was brutally occupied by the Japanese army throughout the war
Allied victory in 1945 led Japanese troops to withdraw
Civil war between Nationalists and Communists resumed

3. Competing Chinese visionaries…
Chiang Kai-shek
Mao Zedong

4. The Communist Victory
Mao’s forces triumphed over the Nationalists in 1949
People’s Republic of China became the world’s second communist nation
Nationalists forces escaped to the island of Taiwan and established the Republic of China

5. Mao’s Plans Wants a “new” China. Increase agricultural productivity.
Eliminate private ownership.
Establish collectives.

6. Great Leap Forward
Combined 700,000 collectives into 26,000 People’s Communes.
Pop. About 25,000
Had farms & industry
Communist Party officials decided what to produce and who would receive what.

7. Mao visits peasants in the countryside, encouraging them to collectivize

8. Some of the Great Famine victims, 1958-1961

9. It was a failure. No incentive for hard work. Production fell.
Environmentally damaging.

10. Reaction to Mao. On one side, Mao is heavily criticized.
“A donkey is slow, but at least it rarely has an accident.”
Deng Xiaoping - advisor to Mao

11. Great Cultural Revolution
Response to the Great Leap Forward.
Began in 1966, ended in 1969.
Designed to smash the old order and bring in a new, socialist society.
Unleashed the Red Guard.
Radical young men & women highly idealistic and loyal to Mao.

12. Task of the Red Guard Destroy the 4 Olds: Old Ideology Old Thought
Old Habits
Old Customs

13. Who was Targeted? Disagree with Mao Writers Teachers Artists
Those who were not killed were sent to the country to work as peasants…or they were imprisoned.

14. Statues of the Buddha and other religious objects are burned

15. Enormous Failure Innocents were jailed or fled to the countryside.
Farm production fell
Schools closed
Economy fell apart
Lack of educated, skilled workers made economic recovery difficult.

16. The End of this Revolution
Destruction was so great that Mao declared an end to The Cultural Revolution in 1969.
Called for the army to disband the Red Guard.

17. Results Resulted in a ruined economy.
Hundreds of thousands had been beaten or jailed.
Left a very undereducated generation.

18. The Cult of Mao

19. Poster demonstrating the “personality cult” of Mao created during the Cultural Revolution

23. Reform Begins Mao died in 1976
Deng Xioping set out to modernize the country
Free market reforms were adopted
Communist Party retained a monopoly on political power