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Before WWII
The people of China were unhappy with imperial rule. Their unhappiness led to revolution and civil war. Power struggles existed between two groupsthe Nationalists, led by Chiang Kaishek, and the Communists, led by Mao Zedong.
Chiang Kai-shek was a Nationalist and unyielding Anti-Communist. He led the military unification of China in the 1920s and helped the Allied powers defeat the Japanese in WWII. When the Nationalists lost China to the Communists, Chiang maintained the republic by moving it to the island of Taiwan where he established economic development and political stability.
Chiang Kai-shek
Public Support
Communists promised to take land from landlords and distribute it to peasants. By 1949, Communists had driven the Nationalists almost entirely from China Nationalist control was limited to small areas on the mainland, and several islands, including Taiwan.
Opposition to Mao
China faced many difficulties, including a crippled economy and lack of a functional government. Some countries opposed to communism refused to recognize Mao and his new government. They claimed that Chiang Kai-sheks government on Taiwan was the true Chinese government.
Mao set about building a Communist China. His first concern was rebuilding a country that had been torn apart by years of civil war.
The government also seized the property of rural landowners and redistributed it among peasants.
By 1957, Chinas small industrial output had doubled. Early efforts to build the economy were successful. Improved economy and reduced poverty
Famine spread through rural China; tens of millions starved to death between 1959 and 1961.
By the early 1960s, relations had broken down completely; China was virtually isolated in the world community.
Red Guards
The campaign meant eliminating intellectuals who Mao feared wanted to end communism and bring back Chinas old ways. Mao shut down schools, encouraged militant students, called the Red Guards, to carry out work of Cultural Revolution by criticizing intellectuals and values.
Destruction of Society
Mao lost control; The Red Guards murdered hundreds of thousands of people; by late 1960s, China was on the verge of civil war before Mao regained control. The Cultural Revolution reestablished Maos dominance, caused terrible destruction; civil authority collapsed and economic activity fell off sharply.
Maos Death
Died in 1976
Tiananmen Square
Reforms Begin
In 1976, Mao died; his death was followed by retreat from many of his policies. China began to end isolation from rest of world in the early 1970s. Chinas new leader, Deng Xiaoping, helped put in place far-reaching economic reforms.
Tiananmen Square
More Freedoms Pro-Democracy Protestors
inspired by movement toward spring 1989, democratic economic freedom reforms in Eastern Europe Chinese demanded more political freedom Leaders Impatient Chinas leaders repeatedly asked protestors to leave square protestors remained, met with force one million pro-democracy protestors occupied Beijings Tiananmen Square Freedom Had Not Arrived June 1989, tanks, troops moved into square killed protestors in Tiananmen Square Massacre