1. Communists
Triumph in
China
33:2

2. 33:2 Notes

3. 
Main Idea: After WW2, Chinese
Communists defeated Nationalist forces
and two separate Chinas emerged

Why it matters now? China remains a
Communist country and a major player on
the world stage

4. 
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During WW2, China
fought on the Ally side
During WW2, Japan
occupation in China’s
major cities devastated
China
China’s civilian death toll
alone was in the millions
China was second in
causalities to USSR
Setting the Stage

5. 
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Civil War in China:
Communist vs. Nationalists
Nationalists were looking
like they were going to
win, when China was
attacked by Japan
Both sides now had to
team up to fight off the
Japanese
When the war ended, the
Communists and
Nationalists continued
their fight
Civil War in China

6. 
Communists

Nationalists
◦ Mao Zedong
◦ Stronghold in north & northwest
China
◦ Peasant loyalty
◦ Red Army
◦ Fought Japanese in north
◦ Jiang Jieshi (formily Chiang Kaishek)
◦ Southwestern China
◦ Supported by US with money
(most of the $ went to corrupt
officials)
◦ Few battles with the Japanese
◦ Nationalists saved their strength
for the Communists
Internal Struggles

7. Mao Zedong

8. 

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Civil War lasted 1946-1949
At first, Nationalists had the
lead (US provided aid)
Nationalists did little to win
support of the people like
the Communists did
China’s major cities fell to
Communists
Nationalist fled to the south
Mao claimed
China, proclaimed the
People’s Republic of China
Nationalist fled to Taiwan
Involvement of the United States

9. 
China split into two
nations
◦ Taiwan- Nationalists
◦ Mainland ChinaCommunists, People’s
Republic of China

Two Chinas intensified
the Cold War
Two Chinas and the Cold War

10. 
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US help Nationalists in
Taiwan establish a
government
Nationalists called it the
Republic of China
USSR gave support to
Communists
China and USSR
Divided up Korea between
the two superpowers
The Superpowers React

11. 
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Mao expanded into Mongolia,
Tibet, and India
1950-1951- China took brutal
control of Tibet
Chinese promised autonomy
(self rule) to Tibetans who
followed the religious leader,
the Dalai Lama
When China tightened control
of Tibet, the Dalai Lama fled to
India
Resentment between China and
India grew
Communist China Continues to
Expand

12. 
Communists claimed, “Mandate of
Heaven” and aimed to restore China as a
powerful nation
Transformation & Revolution

13. 


Chinese Communists
began to tighten their
hold on the country
Communist party made up
1% of the Chinese
population
Like the Soviets, the
Chinese Communists set
up 2 parallel
organizations- communist
party & government
◦ Mao ruled as both chairman
of the Communist Party and
head of state
Transformation Under Mao Zedong

14. 
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Mao was determined to
reshape China’s
economy based on
Marxist socialism
80% of Chinese
population lived in rural
areas
Mao seized the holdings
of all landlords and
divided them among the
peasants
Mao’s forces killed more
than a million landlords
who resisted this
Mao’s Marxist Socialism

15. Mao’s enforcement tactics

16. 
Mao forced peasants to join

Mao’s plan to advance society“Great Leap Forward”
Communes= large collective
farms
Peasants were organized into
“production battalions”
Worked landed together, owned
nothing, peasants had no
incentive to work
The Great Leap Forward was not
successful

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collective farms
◦ Crops failed, no incentive to work,
famine (killed 20 million)
◦ Government discontinued the
program in 1961
Mao’s Marxist Socialism

17. Mao’s Great Leap Forward

18. 
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Spirit of cooperation that had been
between the USSR and China was
fading, both wanted to lead the
worldwide Communist movement
1960, Soviets halted economic aid
to China
After the failure of the Great Leap
Forward and the split from USSR,
Mao reduced his role in the
government
New leader changes  farmers
could live on their own land, could
sell crops they grew on small
private plots, factory workers could
compete for wage increase
 Mao disapproved, and launched a
new program aimed at high school
and college students (Red
Guards= formed militia of Maos)

New Policies & Mao’s Response

19. Mao’s Red Guards

20. 
Red Guards led a major
uprising known as the
Cultural Revolution

Goal= establish a society of
peasants and workers in
which all were equal
◦ The new hero was the peasants
who worked with his hands
◦ Red Guards shut down colleges
and schools
◦ Thousands were executed and
killed
◦ Widespread chaos

By 1976, even Mao admitted
that the revolution had to
stop
The Cultural Revolution

21. Tiananmen Square= 1989, university
students marches in a large demonstration in
Beijing
Communismcrushed the rebellion
 Chinese military in China
 Many watched these events on TV


22. 20 Year after Tiananmen

23. 
Still communist, but applying some
democratic principles
Today