Mao Flashcards
“Century of Humiliation”
China had lost two opium wars to the “Western Devils” The power of the Qing Dynasty was growing weaker because they were failing to protect China.
The Boxer Rebellion
1900-1901: A rebellion against the colonial powers within China. They were soundly defeated by an 8 nation alliance.
China’s Industry
China was slow to industrialize because the colonial companies that had control over the nation did not implement more than the bare minimum to export goods from China.
Sun Yat-Sen
1911: Formed a rebellion against the Qing Dynasty which was particularly weak as it was ruled by a 6-year-old. The revolution successfully deposed the monarch and by 1912 the revolution had signed a treaty with Yuan Shikai to create the Chinese republic.
WWI
China was not permitted to join the war when Japan took several Chinese port cities. When in 1915 they were presented with the 21 demands they were forced to accede giving up many of their sovereign rights, and much of Manchuria.
The Treaty of Versailles
China never signed the treaty of Versailles as they were outraged because it didn’t:
- Revoke the 21 Demands
- Handover Shandong back to the Chinese
- Withdraw foreign concessions China had made
The May 4th Movement
1919: A movement amongst mainly young Chinese students protesting the Paris Peace Conference. Among them the two who would go on to form the Chinese Communist party in 1921.
Yuan Shikai’s Revolution
Yuan Shikai in 1916 made an attempt at power, hoping to re-establish the monarchy with him at the head. It failed, leading to the warlord era as the GMD was unable to unify China.
Sun Yat Sen’s Death
1925 Sun dies and Chain Kai Shek takes his place. He along with the CCP form an alliance and work together to subjugate the warlords.
Shanghai Massacre
Distrust of the CCP leads to a massacre wherein hundreds of communists were killed. This sparked another civil war.
Rise to Power - Civil War
By 1934 the CCP is almost entirely wiped out by the larger and more experienced GMD. They are down to their last stronghold the Jiangxi Soviet.
Rise to Power - Futian Incident
1930: Mao killed 4000 dissidents to strengthen his hold on power.
Rise to Power - The Long March
October 14th 1934: On October 14th 1934, 100,000 CCP soldiers and party members left Jiangxi to begin their retreat to a safer base. By January 1935, they had crossed the Xiang river with only 60,000. Resting in Zunyi to hold a conference, they elected Mao as head of the Politburo and de facto leader of the Red Army & Party.
Rise to Power - Long March Statistics
9,000 kilometers 370 days 24 rivers 18 mountain ranges 36,000/100,000 survived
Rise to Power - Maoism
Peasant-based Marxism: The Chinese peasants are the driving force behind the revolution
Land Reform: Every peasant has a right to own the land they farm (away with landlords!)
Continuing Revolution: The CCP should always learn from the peasants to adapt their policy based on the needs of the masses
Equal Rights: “Women hold up half the sky”
Consolidation of Power - The Race for Manchuria
the Japanese withdrawal from China meant that their former puppet state, Manchukuo, no longer existed in Manchuria. The “Race to the North” started in 1945 when the CCP and GMD (with Allied backing) tried to be the first into the region to accept the Japanese surrender, but more importantly to occupy strategic cities. The KMT gained many cities, but the countryside fell under the CCP.
Consolidation of Power - The US Intervention
In December 1945 the US attempted to negotiate peace with both the CCP and the GMD. They send General George Marshall to broker this agreement. Predictably the agreement fell apart and by June 1946 fighting resumed in the Manchuria region. The US tried to help the Guomindang, sending $4.43 billion worth of military aid. This aid helped the KMT secure most of Manchuria, except for Harbin in the far-north.
Consolidation of Power - Guerilla Warfare
By October 1946 the People’s Liberation Army switched gears to guerilla warfare, in which raids on GMD-held cities from remote countryside bases would:
- Disrupt communications and supply
- Lower the morale of GMD troops
- Weaken the offensive capabilities of the GMD
- Allow the CCP to regain strength
This campaign was carried out under the leadership of Lin Biao, a highly experienced military leader and often regarded as the PLA’s “best commander”.
Consolidation of Power - The Northern Offensives
Throughout 1947-1948, the CCP gradually weakened the GMD forces in Manchuria and successfully drove them out of the province by November 1948. Chiang Kai-Shek had lost 500,000 of his best troops, leaving the southern provinces poorly defended. He had made the crucial mistake of thinly spreading his forces, overconfident with the successes of the 1946 campaign.
Consolidation of Power - The Souther Thrust
Biao, acting under the orders of Mao, then moved his troops 1000 kilometers south to link up with other CCP armies and conquer Beijing & Tianjin. The two cities were encircled, cut off from GMD reinforcement and stormed in January 1949. The entire campaign had stunned even Mao, who did not expect the GMD, rife with corruption, to surrender so rapidly.
Consolidation of Power - Chiang Flees
By the end of 1949, mainland China had come under the CCP’s control. Chiang Kai-Shek had to flee with the remaining GMD troops to the island of Taiwan. On October 1st 1949, Mao proclaimed the People’s Republic of China in Beijing. From leading the party to safety in 1935 to its victory in 1949, Mao Tse-Tung had become the first Chairman and Premier of his new Communist China.
Consolidation of Power - Weaknesses of the GMD
- Brutal Civilian Treatment: Unlike the PLA, the GMD troops brutally tortured and massacred civilians & peasants alike who had collaborated with the CCP.
- Repressive Administration: As the war turned against them, the GMD experienced political in-fighting, with splinter groups breaking away and many purges occurring in 1948.
- Hyperinflation: The inept leadership bungled the economic situation, causing the currency to inflate 5000% in a few years.
- Army Corruption: Many officers looked down on their soldiers and as a result morale was constantly at a low. Many soldiers defected to the PLA over the war.
Domestic Policy - The First Five Year Plan
1953-1957: The Five Year Plan was a remarkable success:
- Heavy industrial output trebled
- Light industrial output rose by 70%
- Overall targets exceeded by 20%
- Major public works projects had been completed
- Huge industrial cities appeared everywhere
Collectivization: Just like the Soviets, the CCP also began to implement the collectivization of agriculture during this Five Year Plan. Unlike the Soviets, however, the CCP encouraged rather than forced the peasants to form collective farms. As a result, little resistance was met and no famines occurred. By 1956, 80% of households were in co-operatives. On the next slide is a table showing how the system worked.
Soviet Aid - In order to implement these planned economic initiatives, the CCP looked to their comrades in the USSR for help. The Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty of 1950 provided the People’s Republic with $300 million, 11,000 Soviet technical experts as well as machine tools. The focus here, just like with Stalin’s plans, was on heavy industry. By 1956, all industries had been fully nationalized as well.
Domestic Policy - The Hundred Flowers Campaign
By 1956, Mao had realized that his Maoist principle of ‘listening to the people’ had been neglected. Thus he and the CCP briefly lifted censors and encouraged intellectuals to voice their concerns, demands, and even criticisms of every aspect of the party and Mao himself.
“Let a hundred flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend”
Its End: By May 1957, the campaign was well underway. Many expressed views that the CCP had become a privileged elite, separated from the reality of the masses. In Beijing University, lecturers and students set up a “Democracy Wall”, calling for multi-party elections. The CCP leadership and Mao decided to put an end to this campaign. In the Anti-Rightist Campaign, over 500,000 intelligentsia were sent into the countryside to “learn from the peasants”. Many university teachers were removed from their posts.
