Chinese Revolution

Question 1

What is a Dynasty?

Answer 1

-succession of rulers from same family

Question 2

What is the Qing Dynasty?

Answer 2

• 1644~1912
• last imperial dynasty of China
• overthrown by young military officers+students, led by Sun Yatsen

Question 3

What was the Mandate from Heaven?

Answer 3

• emperors believed to be chosen by God
• Confucian system allow overthrowing of government if leader is bad (John Locke)
• similar to Divine Right

Question 4

What was life like in China before the revolution?

Answer 4

• chaotic
• government did not help citizens
• starvation + miserable living conditions
• no modernization (still use hoe, use manure as fertilizer)

Question 5

What was the Boxer Rebellion?

Answer 5

• 1899
• rebels were unhappy with foreign intervention and droughts
• rebels oppose foreign imperialism and Christianity
• western powers + Japan crush boxers

Question 6

What foreign influences did China have?

Answer 6

• China resisted foreign trade even though they had healthy economy
• England tried to trade with China, but kept failing, so started opium business
• opium is addicting so Chinese continue to buy

Question 7

What is Opium?

Answer 7

• grown in India and traded with China
• very addicting
• banned by Chinese government, England called to stop trading

Question 8

What is the Opium War?

Answer 8

• 1839
• Chinese warships clash with British merchants
• China loses because of no modern technology

Question 9

What tension was there between China and Japan?

Answer 9

• 1868, Japan modernizes quickly
• 1894, war for control over Korea
• Japan’s military gets stronger, results in Japan taking over Taiwan

Question 10

What is the Taiping Rebellion?

Answer 10

• 1850~1864
• rebels attempt to spread communism and Christianity
• rebels defeated

Question 11

What is the Heavenly Kingdom of Great Peace?

Answer 11

-army of rebels during the Taiping rebellion

Question 12

Who is Sun Yatsen?

Answer 12

• 1912, becomes president of China, becomes Republic of China
• sought modern democratic government
• followed three principles of people
• died in 1925

Question 13

What are the Three Principles of People?

Answer 13

-nationalist, democracy, people’s livelihood

Question 14

What is the Warlord Period?

Answer 14

• 1912~1927, fall of Dynastic China results in chaos

- warlords fight with one another for control over provinces

Question 15

What is the Chinese Civil War?

Answer 15

-1926~1949, conflict between Nationalists and Communists

Question 16

What is the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang)?

Answer 16

• strive for nationalism, democracy, people’s livelihood

- famous leaders: Sun Yatsen, Yuan Shikai, Jiang Jieshi

Question 17

Who was Jiang Jieshi?

Answer 17

• AKA Chiang Kaishek
• leader of Kuo Min Tang (KMT)
• nationalist
• promise democracy and political rights
• 1928, become president of China, very bad leader

Question 18

What is the Chinese Communist Party?

Answer 18

• strive for communism, bring power to peasants, redistribute land + wealth
• led by Mao Zedong
• disagree with Lenin’s ideas
• want classless society, common ownership in everything

Question 19

Who is Mao Zedong?

Answer 19

• leader of CCP
• come into national power in 1949, declare People’s Republic of China, Jiang and nationalists flee to Taiwan
• have many failures
• reasons for success: gain support from peasants, superior army

Question 20

What foreign support did the two groups get?

Answer 20

• KMT: receive help from U.S

- CCP: receive help from Soviet Union (Russia)

Question 21

What is the Long March?

Answer 21

• 1934
• Mao and followers trek 6,000 mile journey seeking shelter
• symbolize communist heroism
• spread communism throughout countryside

Question 22

What is the Great Leap Forward?

Answer 22

• 1958
• Mao tries to catch up with Britain in 15 years
• results in massive failure (famines and deaths)
• “Great Leap Backward”

Question 23

What is a Commune?

Answer 23

• a rural community in which people work together and share ownership (share fields, homes, food, schools, etc.)
• cause peasants to have motivation in working because of no personal profit

Question 24

What is the Cultural Revolution?

Answer 24

• goal: establish society in which everyone is equal

- intellect considered useless + dangerous

Question 25

What are the Red Guards?

Answer 25

• students leave school to form military units called Red Guards
• power becomes too strong, unexpected for Mao
• Mao sends them to fields to be too tired to think

Question 26

Who is Deng Xiaoping?

Answer 26

• politician and reformist for CCP

- no governmental leadership position, but still considered important

Question 27

What is a Cult of Personality?

Answer 27

-when an individual uses media/propaganda to create an idealized image (usually god-like)

Question 28

What are the Four Olds?

Answer 28

• old customs, old culture, old habits, old ideas

- cultural revolution’s goal was to bring an end to these

Question 29

What is the Gang of Four?

Answer 29

• group of four people who tried to control the CCP
• included Jiang Qing (Mao’s last wife), Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wunyuan, Wang Hongwen
• charged of serious crimes

Question 30

What are the Righteous Harmonious fists?

Answer 30

-rebellion group in the Boxer Rebellion

Question 31

What is the Sphere of Influence?

Answer 31

-a spatial region over which a state or organization has significant economic, social or political influence

Question 32

What is the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)?

Answer 32

-military army of PR China