Essay Structure

Question 1

What will the essay be looking at?

Answer 1

The key similarities between Mao and Hitler
- political and economic circumstances before rising to power
- use of terror
Key differences
- ideology
- how they came to power
- garnered support from different sectors

Question 2

What is the first point?

Answer 2

Both lost land
- Treaty of Versailles targeted both Germany and China (Germany suffered worse) 
- Qing Dynasty weak led to the loss of:
• Taiwan
• Hong Kong
• Korea

Question 3

What is the second point?

Answer 3

Use of terror:
Mao:
- The Red Guards (mostly youth)
- persecution of the educated
- elimination of the 4 olds (old habits, old ideas, old culture, and old customs)
- anti-rightist campaign after failure of the hundred flowers
- Use of the terror caused by the badly behaved conscripted nationalist army
Hitler:
- Use of SS to annihilate opposition (night of long knives)
- Reichstag fire (fear of communism)
- Role of the Gestapo

Question 4

What is the third point?

Answer 4

Major differences:
Ideology
• Fascism vs hard left socialist, communism
Obviously but
they also catered to different audiences
Hitler tried to gain the support of upper society
while Mao gained the support of the peasants

Question 5

What is the 4th point?

Answer 5

How they came to power:
Hitler: political manoeuvring • Enabling Act, Reichstag Fire vs Mao: Military force • occupying Beijing 1949, civil war and the Long March