a century of upheaval china’s march to communism
TRANSCRIPT
A CENTURY OF UPHEAVAL
CHINA’S MARCH TO COMMUNISM
COMMUNISM ENTERS CHINA IN 1949• Unlike Russia, China arrived at
Communism after a prolonged struggle
• The Party was founded in 1921 and grew under Mao Zedong
• Guomindang and Communists
• CCP was driven from the cities in the early 1930’s and focused on rural areas and developed a peasant strategy
• CCP gained converts as a result of Japan’s invasion of China
• CCP was deeply opposed to imperialism and exploitation of peasants
• Step one: create a rural communist society
• Communist party the only party in town
• State controlled economy-industrialization not a primary goal
• China embraced communism much easier than USSR
• Much less political violence
• Step one: industrialize
• Communist party was the only party in town
• State controlled economy
• Totalitarian system needed to root out resistance
BUILDING A COMPARISON AND COMMUNISM
Soviet Union under Stalin China
• Communes established as peasants confronted landlords
• Collectivization was peaceful in China, violent in USSR
• China’s moved farther
REDISTRIBUTION
Land Reform
• USSR: industrialization an early goal
• China: goal not realized until the 1950’s as they followed USSR model
• Major growth followed
• Both cases advocated heavy industry and militarization
• Party controlled resources.
• Mao applauded results…
INDUSTRIALIZATION
Comparison
• Tried to apply principles of rural development to industrialization
• Industrialization was a backyard endeavor.
GREAT LEAP FORWARDMao tries to combat social elements of industrialization
• Attitudes had gone too far from Great Leap Forward…
• Communist ideas needed to be reinforced, independent ideas of GLF needed to be purged.
• Stalin had his show trials and purges to reign in independent thinking…China had this
REIGNING IN SOCIAL REFORMS
The Cultural Revolution
• Both events eventually had to be calmed by military intervention
• Both events discredited socialism by and contributed to the collapse of each system.
LONG TERM IMPACTS OF STALIN’S TERROR AND MAO’S CULTURAL REVOLUTION?
Impacts A Stalin Era Mass Grave
• Deng Xiaoping
• One time exile to most powerful man in China.
• Oversaw the entrance of China onto the world economic stage
• Increased freedoms and explosion of China as a commercial entity.
CHINA AFTER MAO
The Little Tiger He even wore cowboy hats
BASHING MAO’S GHOST?• Relaxed censorship
• Released 100,000 prisoners
• Dismantled communal farms
• Stunning economic growth
• Political monopoly kept in tact
OPPOSITION TO A ONE PARTY STATE• 1980’s saw a contradiction between the economic growth and the freedoms people could
expect.
• Things spilled over with massive protests in 1989.
• Tank man