Chinese Communist Revolution

Origins of the Revolution• Chinese Communist Party (CCP) established by young radicals

in Shanghai (1921)• First welcomed by Sun Yat-sen’s Nationalists

***Unified against Imperialist nations***• Chiang Kai-shek takes over for Sun Yat-sen in 1925• Shanghai Massacre (1927)

– Thousands killed by Chiang’s forces• Communist leaders go into hiding• Mao Zedong becomes important leader for CCP

– Believes peasants will lead revolution opposed to urban workers• Nationalists (aka. Kuomintang or KMT) attacked CCP forces• The Long March

– People’s Liberation Army (PLA) broke through Nationalist lines– Only 9,000 out of 90,000 survive but provides hope for future

Chinese Civil War (1945-1949)• Chiang’s government oppressive and very

unpopular (especially to China’s rural population)– Supposed to be moving toward republican form of

government (struggles to effectively do so)• During Japanese occupation (W.W.II) KMT and

CCP had united against common threat - Japanese

• Once war is over (1945) civil war breaks out between Nationalist and Communist forces

• PLA defeats Nationalist forces by 1949• Chiang and followers flee to Taiwan

Aftermath of Civil War• People’s Republic of China (PRC) established

under Chairman Mao and Communist party– Had promised peasants land reform for their support – Want socialist society - private land collectively owned/most industry and

commerce nationalized– Hoping food production increases (doesn’t happen)

• Great Leap Forward (1958)– Radical plan intended to speed up economic growth – Collective farms combined into Communes – Ends up being a disaster (approximately 15-20 million people die) Why?– Destroys incentive – people hated communal living (drought/famine)

• Cultural Revolution (1966)– Red Guards (army made up of China’s youth) carry out brutal attacks on

intellectuals, artists, and pro-Westerners and anyone else who represented “old ways” or ideas contrary to the regime.

– Heroes of the Revolution – the peasants (work with their hands)

Korean Conflict (1950-1953)• Why does it begin?– Two Koreas – post W.W.II • North Korea (occupied by Soviets/USSR)• South Korea (occupied by U.S.)

– North attempts to install communist regime in South Korea• Result? – U.N. sponsors invasion led by U.S. (90% of troops)• Other major nations involved

– North - China (directly) and USSR (indirectly) – South – numerous other nations join coalition forces

– Ends in a stalemate between two sides at 38th parallel– Armistice (longest cease fire in history) – Tension/instability along border DMZ