China Quiz Prep

Question 1

When did Europe and US use their military strength to force their way into China?

Answer 1

mid-1800s

Question 2

What were the results of Western nations forcing their way into China?

Answer 2

Disruption of the internal trade network, widespread famine, and the establishment of “spheres of influence”.

Question 3

What were the values of the Nationalist People’s Party?

Answer 3

They dislike foreign powers in China, but were greatly influenced by Western ideas.

Question 4

When did the Nationalists seize power?

Answer 4

1911

Question 5

Who was China’s first president and which party did he support?

Answer 5

Sun Yat-sen; Nationalist Party

Question 6

When did Sun Yat-sen die, and who took charge after him?

Answer 6

mid-1920s; Chiang Kai-shek

Question 7

What did Chiang Kai-shek do to defeat the warlords?

Answer 7

He molded the Nationalist troops into a disciplined fighting force and established himself as president of the Nationalist Republic of China by 1928.

Question 8

When did the split in the Nationalist party happen, and how did Chiang Kai-shek respond?

Answer 8

In the 1920s, some Nationalist members like Marxism (aka Communism), and so Chiang Kai-shek ordered those with those beliefs killed in 1927.

Question 9

Explain the rise of communism.

Answer 9

The communists who survived Chiang Kai-shek’s killings fled to Jiangxi in south/central China. After 6 years, in 1933, Chiang sent a huge army to hunt and destroy them. After months of fighting, the Nationalists were winning. In late 1934, the communists left Jiangxi and started a year-long northward journey known as the Long March. In the safe northern province Shaanxi, they set up their new headquarters under the leadership of Mao Zedong. In the early 1930s, Japan invaded the north of China. In 1937, they tried to take over other areas. Nationalists and Communists united to fight against this common enemy. After the war’s end in 1945, they resumed fighting and the communists won in 1949. On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong announced the establishment of the People’s Republic of China.

Question 10

When was the establishment of collective farms?

Answer 10

1953

Question 11

When was the Great Leap Forward introduced?

Answer 11

1958

Question 12

What happened in the Great Leap Forward and how long did it last?

Answer 12

The 750,000 collectives were combined into 23,500 communes. It was abandoned after two years.

Question 13

When was the start of the Cultural Revolution?

Answer 13

1966

Question 14

What happened during the Cultural Revolution?

Answer 14

The Red Guards destroyed the Four Olds: ideology, thought, habits, and customs. Teachers, artists, writers, and other intellectuals were humiliated and killed.

Question 15

What were the effects of the Cultural Revolution?

Answer 15

Farm production fell, factory work ground to a halt, schools closed. Economy in ruins, and an entire generation uneducated.

Question 16

When did Mao Zedong die?

Answer 16

1976

Question 17

What happened after Mao’s death?

Answer 17

There was a power struggle between his widow and Deng Xiaoping. Dang won, and he started the Four Modernizations.

Question 18

What were the Four Modernizations?

Answer 18

Goal was to improve agriculture, industry, science, and technology, and defense

Question 19

What was the effect of the Four Modernizations?

Answer 19

Huge success; increased farm production, light industry grew, and Special Economic Zones were established.

Question 20

What were the Special Economic Zones?

Answer 20

The zones hoped to attract foreign capital, companies, technology and investment. They are mostly along the southern coast. There are more than 2,000.

Question 21

When was the Beijing demonstration in Tiananmen Square?

Answer 21

1989

Question 22

How many people were killed in Tiananmen Square?

Answer 22

Around 2,000