Communists take
power in china
Essential idea
Mao Zedong established his brand of
Marxist Socialism in China.
COMMUNISTS VS NATIONIALISTS
Communists
Nationalists
• Led by: Mao Zedong
• Led by: Jiang Jieshi
• Location: North
Western China
• Location: South
Western China
• Supported by: Chinese
peasants
• Supported by U.S.
• By 1945, controlled
much of Northern
China
• Won a few battles
against the Japanese
but saving strength for
battle against Mao’s
Red Army
Civil war resumes
• Nationalists- backed by U.S.
• Communists- had popular support
• October 1949- Mao gained control of the
country
• Declares it the People’s Republic of China
• China and Soviet Union sign a treaty of
friendship in 1950
Two Chinas
People’s Republic of
China
• China under Mao
• 3.5 million square
miles
• Expands to take
control of Tibet
• Dali Lama flees
to India
TIAWAN
• “Nationalist
China”
• 13,000 square
miles
• U.S. supported
Mao’s brand of
Marxist socialism
• Seized holdings of
landholders and
divided land among
peasants
• Forced to join
collective farms
• Private companies
nationalized
• Set high production
goals for industry
Communism weakens
The Plan: “The Great
Leap Forward”
Goal: Larger collective
farms (communes) by end
of 1958
Weakness: Poorly
managed
Result: Crop failures
caused a famine that
killed 20 million people
(1961)
Split with soviet
union
The Split: with
Soviet Union
Reason 1: Territorial
disputes along
border
Reason 2: Both
wanted to be the
world leaders for
Communism
The rEd guard
Who: Millions of
college and high
school students who
dropped out and
formed a militia
Why: Mao urged
young people to
“learn revolution by
making revolution”
Cultural Revolution
Goal: to establish a society of peasants and
workers in which all were equal
Cultural
Revolution
What Happened:
• Intellectual and artistic
activity- seen as useless
and dangerous
• Colleges and schoolsshut down
• Those who resisted
regime- targeted by Red
Guard
• Thousands executed
or imprisoned
Cultural
Revolution
How it ended:
• By 1968, chaos
threatened farm
production and
closed factories
• Mao ordered the
army to put down
the Red Guard
• Cultural
Revolution