How did China rise as a world power after 1949? (1) Flashcards
(20 cards)
What was the state of China after the Second World War?
At the end of the Second World War, China was in a state of political disunity and weakness, and there was no central government to maintain control.
When did China emerge as a major world power that strongly influenced the nature of the Cold War?
After 1949, when China became the second major country in the world to become a communist state.
How did the West view China becoming communist compared to the East?
At the time, it seemed to the West that the Soviet side had gained an important advantage in the Cold War. The USSR welcomed the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as an ally, and the two countries signed a treaty of friendship. The Americans, however, saw the communist victory as part of a Soviet plot to spread communism around the world.
Who did China break away from to become a superpower?
The Soviet Union.
When was the CCP established and who was one of the leaders?
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was established in 1921. One of its leaders was Mao Zedong.
Who was the CCP involved in a long civil war with?
The CCP was involved in a long civil war against the Kuomintang or Nationalist Party, led by Jiang Jieshi (also called Chiang Kai Shek).
When did the civil war start, end and pause?
The civil war started in 1927 and only came to an end in 1949, although there was a brief period when the two sides cooperated with each other to fight against the Japanese invasion of China (1937–45)
How did the CCP overcome their weakness during the Civil War?
During the long civil war, the CCP was initially weak and forced to retreat from Nationalist armies to the more remote regions of the interior. But the CCP built support there among the peasants by treating them with respect and introducing land reform policies.
What happened after the Japanese had been defeated at the end of the Second World War?
The civil war in China began again and the CCP began to defeat the Nationalists. In October 1949, the forces of the CCP, the Red Army, marched into Beijing and Mao Zedong announced the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. The remaining Nationalist forces - more than two million soldiers, government officials and refugees - withdrew from the mainland of China and established a separate government on the island of Taiwan, which they called Nationalist China.
Who did not recognise the Communist government as the official government of China?
The West did not recognize the Communist Chinese government as the official government of China but supported Nationalist China until 1979.
What changes did the communists put in place once they were in power? (4)
Once in power the communists introduced revolutionary changes.
- China became a one-party state, in which Mao, the party’s chairman, had enormous power.
- Collective farms replaced private land ownership.
- A massive effort was made to teach basic literacy skills, and by the mid-1960s over 90% of the population could read and write (compared to only 20% in 1949).
- Great efforts were also made to industrialize the economy, through an ambitious Five Year Plan.
Thousands of Soviet scientists, _____ and engineers went to China to assist with over 500 major ____, such as factories, dams and other infrastructure.
technicians
projects
What are the features of Maoism? (4)
- Promotion of ongoing revolutionary activity until a classless society was achieved.
- Transformation of society focusing on rural development and small-scale industry among the peasants.
- Promotion of the value of manual labor over mental labor. Need for communism in such a vast, poor country with manual labor as its main strength.
- The need to develop a collective identity and stamp out any sense of individual identity.
At first, there were similarities between the changes introduced in China and those introduced by the _____ in Russia.
Bolsheviks
What prompted Mao to launch the Great Leap Forward?
He believed transformation in China would have to be based in the rural areas, so in 1958 he launched the Great Leap Forward.
What was the Great Leap Forward?
The campaign undertaken by the Chinese communists between 1958 and early 1960 to organize its vast population, especially in large-scale rural communes, to meet China’s industrial and agricultural problems.
What did the Great Leap forward entail? (4)
- Industry was decentralized and combined with agricultural development.
- The entire population was divided into communes, each numbering about 250 000 people.
- All privately owned land or possessions were taken away.
- The people were organized into production brigades and children were cared for in day nurseries so that all adults were available for work.
Was there opposition to Mao’s reforms?
Yes, There was opposition to these policies but it was crushed. The Great Leap Forward was a failure.
What did the Great Leap Forward lead to?
Food production dropped and there was a serious famine in me as many as 30 million people died.
How did the Great Leap Forward affect Mao’s position?
Mao’s position was damaged by this failure. In the early 1960s he was forced out of his position as president of China, although he remained chairman of the Communist Party.
