The Chinese Revolution
Essential Question
How did the Communist Party of
China take power?
Introduction
 1912 – Qing Dynasty ends, & long
struggle to establish new government
begins
 Universities provided theoretical
foundation for political reconstruction
 Secret societies plotted to restore Chinese
Emperor
 Japan & Europe wanted to divide China
into imperial zones
Revolution in China
 Revolutionary Alliance opposed Qing
Dynasty in 1911
 Claimed right to establish government,
but lacked the power to do so
 Revolutionary Alliance elected president,
but warlords continued to dominate
 Yuan Shikai, most powerful warlord, tried
to take power, plans interrupted by
Japanese intervention
Revolution in China
 1915 – Japan presented Shikai with 21
Demands, he tried to ignore them
 Another warlord opposed Japan more
strongly, Shikai was overthrown
 In the chaos Japan seized control of
northern China
May 4th Movement
 May 4, 1919 – Massive demonstrations
protested invasion by Japanese
 Movement was meant to create liberal
democracy
 Called for abandonment of Confucianism
in favor of Western ideals
 Led to emergence of Communism in China
Russian Influence
 Russian Revolution served as model for
possible reform in China
 Marxist groups started in universities &
coastal cities
 Founded Socialist Youth Corps in 1920
 1921 – Marxist leaders met in Shanghai &
formed Communist Party of China
Seizure of Power by the Guomindang
 1919 – Sun Yat-sen tried to revitalize
reform movement by creating Nationalist
Party of China (Guomindang)
 Militarized in order to drive out warlords
 Power came from commercial groups,
warlords, & criminal organizations
 Yat-Sen formed alliance with Communist
Party in 1924
Seizure of Power by the Guomindang
 Nationalist Party received support from
Soviet Union
 Chiang Kai-Shek became associate of YatSen
 Chaotic economic situation got worse
 Failure to address problems of peasants
hurt Nationalists
Mao & the Peasant Option
 Mao Zedong was a peasant, but joined
nationalist movement
 Influenced by Marxists, saw peasants as
key to successful revolution
 Rose to power in Communist Party after a
split between Nationalists & Communists
 1925 – Yat-sen died, Kai-Shek began to
expand Nationalist territory
Mao & the Peasant Option
 1927 – Seized Shanghai, later captured
Beijing & was seen as most powerful
leader in China
 Kai-Shek was most influential warlord,
ruthlessly eliminated rivals
 Kai-Shek’s army eliminated all
Communists in Shanghai
 Purges spread to other cities, & caused
civil war between Nationalists &
Communists
Communist Victory
 Nationalists supported by businesses,
intellectuals, landlords, & military
 Kai-Shek asked West for support against
Communists, but only Soviet Union helped
 Mao started Communists movement, but
was forced to Northwest China by
Nationalists
 1937 – Japan invaded China
Communist Victory
 Nationalists continued to attack
Communists until they had to unite to
confront Japanese
 Japanese defeated Kai-Shek’s army,
Communists successfully attacked
Japanese & regained much of northern
China
 Nationalists confined to northern cities, &
Communists had upper hand after WW2
Communist Victory
 Mao drove Nationalists to Taiwan in 1949
 Proclaimed “People’s Republic of China”
 Key to Success – Program of rural reform
 Mao concentrated on social & economic
reform for peasants, which gained him
many supporters
Mao’s China
 Communists took control of a unified
country
 Government had strong political & military
organization
 People’s Liberation Army accepted the
Communist Party’s Leadership
 China’s power grew, & they eventually
split with the Soviet Union
Economic Growth & Social Justice
 1950-1952 – Land redistributed to
peasants
 Communists’ goal was industrialization,
just like in Russia
 Mao introduced the Mass Line approach,
which brought peasants together in
production groups
 Mao introduced the Great Leap Forward in
1958
Economic Growth & Social Justice
 Industrialization was based in rural
communities rather than urban factories
 Immediate consequences were disastrous
 Famine & falling production
 Population grew fast, which increased
economic problems
 Government limited families to 1 child
 Mao removed from office in 1960
Women’s Role in China
 Mao’s programs increased the status of
women
 Nationalists failed to support women’s
rights, so many women turned to
Communism
 Communist Party used women as
teachers, laborers, soldiers, & some had
influence in the government
 Communist victory brought full legal rights
to women
Mao’s Last Campaign
 Launched Cultural Revolution in 1965
 Student demonstrators began mass
criticism of Mao’s political enemies, called
pragmatists
 Support grew in army, but pragmatists
regained control of government
 “The Gang of Four” attempted to continue
the revolution until Mao’s death in 1976
Mao’s Last Campaign
 Military & pragmatists arrested Gang of
Four, & forced them out of the Communist
Party
 Pragmatists opened China to Western
influence
 Chinese have been the most successful
revolutionary regime at redistributing
wealth
 Standard of living increased, & industrial &
agricultural sectors have been more
productive