COLD WAR HEATS UP!

china At the end of world war II, two chinese governments existed.

NATIONALISTS

LEADER: CHIANG KAI SHEK

• RULED AS CHINESE PRESIDENT IN SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL CHINA.

• RELIED ON FINANCIAL AID FROM U.S.

• STRUGGLED FROM INFLATION & A FAILING ECONOMY

• MILITARY SUFFERED FROM WEAK

LEADERSHIP.

COMMUNISTS

LEADER: MAO ZEDONG

• RULED IN THE NORTH

• RELIED ON FINANCIAL AID FROM SOVIET UNION

• PROMISED LAND REFORM, WHICH APPEALED TO PEASANTS

• EXPERIENCED ARMY WAS HIGHLY MOTIVATED

CIVIL WAR !

When efforts to form a

coalition government

in 1946 failed,

full scale war

between Nationalists

& Communists

broke out.

Mao’s Peoples Liberation

Army • WAS JOINED BY PEASANTS (FARMERS) FOR

PROMISES OF LAND.

• JOINED BY MIDDLE-CLASS, WHO FELT

ALIENATED BY CHIANG’S REPRESSIVE

POLICIES.

• JOINED BY MANY OF CHIANG’S TROOPS

WHO DEFECTED.

OCTOBER 1ST 1949 THE COMMUNISTS WIN THE CHINESE CIVIL WAR AND THE

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA IS ESTABLISHED WITH THE SOVIETS AS ITS MAIN ALLY. IN THE US, “LOSING

CHINA” BECOMES A POLITICAL ISSUE.

MAO ZEDONG, COMMUNIST

LEADER OF CHINA

TAIWAN

CHIANG KAI SHEK LEADER OF

NATIONALIST CHINA & 2 MILLION FOLLOWERS FLED TO THE ISLAND OF TAIWAN TO ESCAPE THE

COMMUNISTS.

IN FEBRUARY OF 1950 THE TWO COMMUNIST POWERS SIGNED THE SINO-SOVIET PACT. THIS CREATED A

BILATERAL DEFENSE COMMITMENT AND SETTLED BOUNDARY ISSUES. THE USSR ALSO AGREED TO PROVIDE LIMITED AID

TO CHINA.

U.S. Containment Fails!

• U.S. public is stunned that China had become communist.

• They felt that containment failed!

• Truman’s administration is attacked by Republicans & Democrats for supplying limited aid to Chiang.

• U.S. refuses to recognize Communist China under Mao.

• U.S. fear of communism burns out of control!

Zhou Enlai

• In 1949, with the establishment of the people’s republic of china, Zhou became Premier and Foreign Minister.

• Died Jan. 8, 1976, months before Mao.

PEACE IN CHINA Fall of 1949

• The New Democracy – Program of modified capitalism – Major industries under state

ownership – Most trading & manufacturing

companies in private hands – Peasants receive lands taken from

wealthy landlords •Two-thirds receive land

ECONOMY BEGINS TO GROW

DARKER SIDE of New Democracy

•Thousands of landlords and rich farmers lose their lands and lives.

•Communist party believes that this is necessary to destroy power of large landowners in countryside.

•New Democracy never meant to be permanent.

Great leap forward

• 1958 Mao begins new radical program. • Mao hopes program will speed up

economic growth & reach final stage of communism – a classless society.

• Farms, size of traditional village combine into people’s communes. – Contained more than 30,000 people. “hard work for a few years, happiness

for a thousand”

Disastrous results!

• Bad weather and peasants hatred for system drive food production down.

• Over several years 15 million starve to death.

• 1960, communes abandoned, return to collective farms.

•

•

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

• Mao launches new movement to achieve final stage of communism.

• Red guards take to streets to cleanse

• 1966 all schools & universities close for 6 months to prepare for new educational system based on mao’s ideas.

• Lasted for 10 years (1966 – 1976)

Red guards

• Began in 1966 • Were between the

ages of 15-20 • Revolutionary

units composed of unhappy party members & discontented young people

• Carried out vast reforms

Red Guards Cleanse

• Set out to purge Chinese society of capitalism

• Red guards eliminate Four olds: Old ideas, culture, customs & habits

• Red guards destroy temples, books, jazz records & anything pro western

• Replace street sign names with revolutionary names

Red guards

mao’s little red book

• A collection of his thoughts

• Hailed as most important source of knowledge in all areas

• Studying the book was required in school & work

•

Mao zedong dies

• In sep. 1976

• Eighty-three years old

• mao’s widow, Jiang Qing

• Deng Xiaoping seizes power

Jiang Qing

• Third wife of Mao Zedong

• Deputy director of cultural revolution

• Formed the gang of 4

• Most powerful figure in china during mao’s last years

• Was arrested after revolution ended

• Sentenced to death & then changed to life in prison

Deng Xiaoping

• Seized power from radicals & ended revolution

• Created new policy called the 4 modernizations

• Invited foreign investors to china for technological advances

• Sent students abroad to study

• Made strides to end poverty & underdevelopment

Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989

in late 80’s as more chinese studied abroad, (western society) they demanded economic improvements – Better living conditions – More freedom to choose jobs after

graduation This Led to massive demonstrations in

Tiananmen square in Beijing where student protestors carried signs & called for an end to corruption & resignation of Communist party leadership

Government Declares Martial Law

On May 20, the government declares martial law.

Government orders a forceful military resolution. Troops

& tanks advance into Tiananmen Square. On June 3 and

4, the People’s Liberation Army violently confronted the

pro-democracy supporters. Chinese Red Cross &

Students maintain over 7000 were killed, including

casualties among PLA troops. Following the violence,

the government conducted widespread arrests to

suppress the remaining supporters of the movement.

The violent suppression caused widespread

condemnation of the Chinese government.