The Emergence of Modern ChinaGeography 9B

What is Communism?Don’t forget to answer number 1

on your worksheet, “What is communism?” using the answer from your spark

The Nationalist People’s PartyEmerged in China in the early

1900s◦They were influenced by Western

ideas but did not like foreign powers in China

Forced China’s emperor to abdicate (or give up) his throne in 1911

Declared China a republicSun Yat-sen (soon yaht sen) was

chosen as the country’s first president

Sun Yat-sen

The Nationalist People’s PartyIt had been easier for them to

take control than it was to keep itThe former army fought against

the NationalistsMeanwhile local warlords took

power in their own areas◦Warlords are regional leaders with

their own armies

Zhang Zoulin, Chinese Warlord, 1927

The Nationalist People’s PartyWhen Sun died, Chiang Kai-shek

(chyahng ky shek) took control of the party

He was a soldier, and quickly trained the Nationalist troops

Within two years Chiang defeated one warlord after another and took control over much of China

He became president by 1928

Chiang Kai-shek

The Long MarchIn the 1920’s the Nationalist party began

to split, as some members became fans of Karl Marx’s idea of communism

They thought this would bring prosperity to China

The Communists wanted to give power to the workers and give land to the peasants

Chiang Kai-shek did not agree and in 1927 he ordered all Communists be killed

The Long MarchThe Communists that survived

were forced to flee to the south China province of Jianxi (jyahng shee)

They built a stronghold here and their numbers grew

In 1933 Chiang sent a huge army to hunt and destroy the communists ◦He was scared they would try to

challenge him and the government in the future

The Long MarchThey fought for months, and the

Nationalists began to winIn 1934 the Communists left

Jiangxi and started “The Long March” a journey to northern China that lasted a year◦They crossed 18 mountain ranges,

more than 20 rivers◦March was 6,000 miles total

The Long March

The Long March100,000 people left on The Long

March, but only 8,000 survived◦They faced hunger, disease, and

attacks by Nationalist troopsTheir goal was safety in one of

China’s northern provincesThey set up a new headquarters

in a city called Yan’an (yahn ahn) under Mao Zedong’s (mow zhuh doong) leadership

The Long March

The Second Sino-Japanese War

In the early 1930’s the Japanese invaded China◦They took advantage of the Chinese

fighting amongst themselvesThey invaded the province of

Manchuria and tried to take over other parts of China

The Nationalists and Communists united to fight their common enemy

The Second Sino-Japanese War

Communists Take OverThe war ended in 1945 and the

two parties began to fight once more

During the war the Communists had made powerful reforms in areas of their control◦This included lowering rent for the

peasantsMany peasants then joined the

Communists and by 1949 the Nationalists were defeated

Communists Take OverChiang Kai-shek was forced to

flee to the island of Taiwan for safety◦He vowed to someday reconquer

ChinaOn Oct. 1, 1949 Mao Zedong

declared the establishment of a new Communist state: the People’s Republic of China

Mao Zedong