cold war heats up! · cold war heats up! china at the end of world war ii, two chinese governments...
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COLD WAR HEATS UP!
china At the end of world war II, two chinese governments existed.
NATIONALISTS
LEADER: CHIANG KAI SHEK
• RULED AS CHINESE PRESIDENT IN SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL CHINA.
• RELIED ON FINANCIAL AID FROM U.S.
• STRUGGLED FROM INFLATION & A FAILING ECONOMY
• MILITARY SUFFERED FROM WEAK
LEADERSHIP.
COMMUNISTS
LEADER: MAO ZEDONG
• RULED IN THE NORTH
• RELIED ON FINANCIAL AID FROM SOVIET UNION
• PROMISED LAND REFORM, WHICH APPEALED TO PEASANTS
• EXPERIENCED ARMY WAS HIGHLY MOTIVATED
CIVIL WAR !
When efforts to form a
coalition government
in 1946 failed,
full scale war
between Nationalists
& Communists
broke out.
Mao’s Peoples Liberation
Army • WAS JOINED BY PEASANTS (FARMERS) FOR
PROMISES OF LAND.
• JOINED BY MIDDLE-CLASS, WHO FELT
ALIENATED BY CHIANG’S REPRESSIVE
POLICIES.
• JOINED BY MANY OF CHIANG’S TROOPS
WHO DEFECTED.
OCTOBER 1ST 1949 THE COMMUNISTS WIN THE CHINESE CIVIL WAR AND THE
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA IS ESTABLISHED WITH THE SOVIETS AS ITS MAIN ALLY. IN THE US, “LOSING
CHINA” BECOMES A POLITICAL ISSUE.
MAO ZEDONG, COMMUNIST
LEADER OF CHINA
TAIWAN
CHIANG KAI SHEK LEADER OF
NATIONALIST CHINA & 2 MILLION FOLLOWERS FLED TO THE ISLAND OF TAIWAN TO ESCAPE THE
COMMUNISTS.
IN FEBRUARY OF 1950 THE TWO COMMUNIST POWERS SIGNED THE SINO-SOVIET PACT. THIS CREATED A
BILATERAL DEFENSE COMMITMENT AND SETTLED BOUNDARY ISSUES. THE USSR ALSO AGREED TO PROVIDE LIMITED AID
TO CHINA.
U.S. Containment Fails!
• U.S. public is stunned that China had become communist.
• They felt that containment failed!
• Truman’s administration is attacked by Republicans & Democrats for supplying limited aid to Chiang.
• U.S. refuses to recognize Communist China under Mao.
• U.S. fear of communism burns out of control!
Zhou Enlai
• In 1949, with the establishment of the people’s republic of china, Zhou became Premier and Foreign Minister.
• Died Jan. 8, 1976, months before Mao.
PEACE IN CHINA Fall of 1949
• The New Democracy – Program of modified capitalism – Major industries under state
ownership – Most trading & manufacturing
companies in private hands – Peasants receive lands taken from
wealthy landlords •Two-thirds receive land
ECONOMY BEGINS TO GROW
DARKER SIDE of New Democracy
•Thousands of landlords and rich farmers lose their lands and lives.
•Communist party believes that this is necessary to destroy power of large landowners in countryside.
•New Democracy never meant to be permanent.
Great leap forward
• 1958 Mao begins new radical program. • Mao hopes program will speed up
economic growth & reach final stage of communism – a classless society.
• Farms, size of traditional village combine into people’s communes. – Contained more than 30,000 people. “hard work for a few years, happiness
for a thousand”
Disastrous results!
• Bad weather and peasants hatred for system drive food production down.
• Over several years 15 million starve to death.
• 1960, communes abandoned, return to collective farms.
•
•
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
• Mao launches new movement to achieve final stage of communism.
• Red guards take to streets to cleanse
• 1966 all schools & universities close for 6 months to prepare for new educational system based on mao’s ideas.
• Lasted for 10 years (1966 – 1976)
Red guards
• Began in 1966 • Were between the
ages of 15-20 • Revolutionary
units composed of unhappy party members & discontented young people
• Carried out vast reforms
Red Guards Cleanse
• Set out to purge Chinese society of capitalism
• Red guards eliminate Four olds: Old ideas, culture, customs & habits
• Red guards destroy temples, books, jazz records & anything pro western
• Replace street sign names with revolutionary names
Red guards
mao’s little red book
• A collection of his thoughts
• Hailed as most important source of knowledge in all areas
• Studying the book was required in school & work
•
Mao zedong dies
• In sep. 1976
• Eighty-three years old
• mao’s widow, Jiang Qing
• Deng Xiaoping seizes power
Jiang Qing
• Third wife of Mao Zedong
• Deputy director of cultural revolution
• Formed the gang of 4
• Most powerful figure in china during mao’s last years
• Was arrested after revolution ended
• Sentenced to death & then changed to life in prison
Deng Xiaoping
• Seized power from radicals & ended revolution
• Created new policy called the 4 modernizations
• Invited foreign investors to china for technological advances
• Sent students abroad to study
• Made strides to end poverty & underdevelopment
Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989
in late 80’s as more chinese studied abroad, (western society) they demanded economic improvements – Better living conditions – More freedom to choose jobs after
graduation This Led to massive demonstrations in
Tiananmen square in Beijing where student protestors carried signs & called for an end to corruption & resignation of Communist party leadership
Government Declares Martial Law
On May 20, the government declares martial law.
Government orders a forceful military resolution. Troops
& tanks advance into Tiananmen Square. On June 3 and
4, the People’s Liberation Army violently confronted the
pro-democracy supporters. Chinese Red Cross &
Students maintain over 7000 were killed, including
casualties among PLA troops. Following the violence,
the government conducted widespread arrests to
suppress the remaining supporters of the movement.
The violent suppression caused widespread
condemnation of the Chinese government.