2. the chinese communist party

Question 1

what is Marxism

Answer 1

creator of the basic text for communist revolutionaries by Karl Marx, German Philospher

Question 2

what was Comintern

Answer 2

1917, worlds first communist revolution led by Lenin, established international Communist revolution organisation to spread communist ideas to other counteries

Question 3

help provided by Russia

Answer 3

via comintern CCP recieved money and training as its members were trained in moscow
ccp would follow strategy from Russian Communist advisers
also gave money to GMD
leaders like Jiang wersent to Moscow for military and political training
provided money to establish Whampoa Military Academy
Communists in Russia and leaders in Moscow saw the GMD as the most important revolutionary force in China
1923, instructed smaller CCP to join GMD to operate as a bloc within

Question 4

Marxism stages of development said

Answer 4

China wasn’t yet ready for a revolution as they were in the feudal system in the 1920s
Russia saw GMD as vital for leading China to the next stage to develop a bougeois capitalist society

Question 5

1920s CCP growth

Answer 5

1927, CCP becomes important political
jiang is concerned so launches an attack on Communists in Shanghai
followed by series of military campaigns to eradicate communists
communists survive Long March

Question 6

what was The Long March

Answer 6

1934-1935 from Jiangxi
trekked 6000 miles under attack to Yan’an
5,000 out of 80,000 reached Yan’an

Question 7

Mao Zedong

Answer 7

born, 1893
son of grain merchant
claimed to come from peasant background to reinforce his image as a man of the people
in reality his father started as a peasant farmer but had long since stopped
his family background ment he was educated in Beijing
where in 1919 joined a Marxist study group
was involved in the May Forth student protests against the treaties following the end of WW1

Question 8

Mao’s journey to leader of the CCP

Answer 8

a founding member of the CCP in 1921
via united front became Head of Peasant Training Institute in 1924:
improved peasant’s basic literacy and organised the peasant association to challenge landlords
his help with the peasants led him to devlope his own version of Marxist theory which stressed the importance of the revolutionary potential of the peasants
after GMD asult on CCP in 1927, shanghai Mao attempted a revolutionary uprising in Changsha called the Autumn Harvest uprising failed as Mao was arrested by GMD
escaped and led CCP to retreat to rural areas of Jiangxi province where CCP established Chinese Soviet Republic
Mao elected as Chairman of Politburo of Soviet republic and chairman of the Politburo
Mao leads long march

Question 9

What was the Autumn Harvest Uprising

Answer 9

shanghai Mao attempted a revolutionary uprising in Changsha called the Autumn Harvest uprising failed as Mao was arrested by GMD

Question 10

what was the Politburo

Answer 10

the ruling council of the CCP

Question 11

power struggles in the CCP

Answer 11

between those who unquestioningly followed the lead of Comintern and those who wanted to establish a more independent Chinese Communist party

ideological struggle between those who believed Orthodox Marxism should be followed and those who thought it should e adapted to Chinese society

Question 12

who were Orthodox Communists

Answer 12

led by those trained in Moscow in the early 1920s known as the Twenty-Eight Bolsheviks

Question 13

who were the Twenty-Eight Bolsheviks

Answer 13

otherwise knowns as the ‘Returned Students’
Chinese communists who were sent to Sun Yat-Sen university in Moscow for training by the Russian Communist Party (Bolshevik Party)
had upperhand and ingluence in the CCP

Question 14

Mao’s important allies: Zhou Enlai

Answer 14

well educated and trained
served as prime minister of People’s Republic of China 1949-1947
studied in: China, Japan and France
when in France joined a branch of the CCP
worked in political department of Whampoa Academy
became Political Commissar of Red Army after Communists escaped to Jiangxi
1935, in Yan’an became vice-chairman of the CCP

Question 15

Mao’s rivals: Zhang Guotao

Answer 15

1938 defected to GMD

Question 16

Mao’s rival’s: Wang Ming

Answer 16

1941 outvoted in important Poliburo meetings

Question 17

what was Mao’s purge

Answer 17

1942, Mao launched a purge onto remaining cities and doubters within the party
known as the Rectification Campaign included forcing party members to study prescribed texts many written by Mao
had to attend ‘struggle meetings’ where they had to make humiliating self-critisms
enforced by torture and beatings by secret police force led by Kang Shang
1943 campaign finished and Mao Zedong was the ofical ideology of the CCP and his position was formalised in 1945

Question 18

Mao’s important allies: Kang Shang

Answer 18

Kang Shang was Mao’s secret police chief in Yan’an, trained by Soviet Secret Police in Moscow, when he supported the Twenty-Eight Bolsheviks, returned a supporter of Mao
used his knowledge of torture to help the Yan’an Rectification Campaign

Question 19

CCP propaganda around the Long March

Answer 19

emphasises his heroism and correctness of his decisions
1937 first official portrait of him where he is illuminated by sun rays
reoffered to as ‘Chairman Mao’ or ‘Great Helmsman’
new song ‘ the East is Red’ published where he is eulogised

Question 20

elements of Mao Zedong thought

Answer 20

based on Marxism and adapted to Chinese Society, plus Mao’s added ideas:
importance of peasants as revolutionary class
national self-reliance
continuing revolution
class struggle
learning from the people
mass mobilisation
a national revolution