Communism in China

Communism in China• During WWII, Japan partially

occupied China, thus temporarily quelling the battle between Chiang’s republican government & Mao’s communists

• After the war, however, Mao’s army defeated Chiang’s troops– Chiang’s republic driven to the

island of Taiwan– Mao established the People’s

Republic of China

China Under Mao

• Early on, Mao worked with & imitated many communist models of the Soviet Union

• Mao’s focus on the peasants, however, caused him to eventually break away from Soviet-style communism

China Under Mao

• Late 1950s, Mao instituted the Great Leap Forward– Emphasized agricultural & industrial development

• Collectivized farms, make private farming illegal, set quotas on industrial production– Focused too strongly on industry, resulting in mass famine & failure of the

program• Severely damaged Chinese economy

China Under Mao• 1966, Mao instituted the Cultural

Revolution– Another program focused on

economic development, but also strongly tied to social & political change

– Called for a removal of all “old China” vestiges• Removal of hierarchal bureaucracies,

Confucianism & Buddhist ideology, institutes of higher education, etc.

– Focus was on strict equality & Mao’s personal ideologies• Ex. The Little Red Book

• Like the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution severely damaged China