The Rise of Communism in
China
• In 1911, a new government called the
Chinese Nationalist Party had taken
over but was failing due to poverty.
Peasants became interested in a new
party, the Communist Party, headed by
Mao Zedong, who promised better
living conditions.
• In 1949, following WW2, Mao was elected.
Communist governments have complete control
over all decisions, so Mao had almost unlimited
power.
• Mao took land from the wealthy and distributed to
the poor. Communism was popular amongst the
poor until bad planning made them victims of the
regime.
Great Leap Forward
• The Great Leap Forward was a five year plan
meant to build China’s industry and agriculture
and make it’s economy rival the U.S
• Mao’s idea in 1958 was to boost the economy by
creating collective farms. These failed within a
year due to natural disasters, high death tolls
and loss of people’s confidence in the
government.
Great Leap Forward
continued…
• By 1960, it was obvious that the Great
Leap Forward was a failure and it was
abandoned.
The Cultural
Revolution
• 1965 – Mao attempts to stop any opposition to
the Communist Party in China. Mao shut down
schools and recruited students into his Red
Guard, which attacked people who opposed
communism.
• China’s economy became weak and caused
mass chaos. The government denied healthcare
and transportation and only created more
distrust of China’s communist government.
Tiananmen Square
• Mao died in 1976, but the government still stuck
to his Communist ideas. The people were not
given basic human rights like freedom of speech
or a fair trial.
• The events of Tiananmen Square in 1989 will be
remembered as one of China’s most cruel
actions against human rights.
• Protestors had filled Tiananmen Square for seven weeks
speaking against Communism and calling for
Democracy. After the protestors were warned, the
government sent tanks into the square and opened fire,
killing hundreds of people.
• The worldwide disapproval of the massacre inspired
China to improve the human rights of its citizens.
Mini Documentary of Tiananmen Square Incident
(internet connection required)
The Tank Man, or the Unknown Protester, is the nickname of an anonymous man who stood
in front of a column of tanks on June 5, 1989. The man achieved widespread international
recognition due to the videotape and photographs taken of the incident. Some have identified
the man as Wang Weilin , but the name has not been confirmed and little is known about him
or of his fate after the confrontation that day.
The Communist Party in China
today, explained:
(internet connection required)