The Emergence of Modern ChinaGeography 9B
What is Communism?Don’t forget to answer number 1
on your worksheet, “What is communism?” using the answer from your spark
The Nationalist People’s PartyEmerged in China in the early
1900s◦They were influenced by Western
ideas but did not like foreign powers in China
Forced China’s emperor to abdicate (or give up) his throne in 1911
Declared China a republicSun Yat-sen (soon yaht sen) was
chosen as the country’s first president
Sun Yat-sen
The Nationalist People’s PartyIt had been easier for them to
take control than it was to keep itThe former army fought against
the NationalistsMeanwhile local warlords took
power in their own areas◦Warlords are regional leaders with
their own armies
Zhang Zoulin, Chinese Warlord, 1927
The Nationalist People’s PartyWhen Sun died, Chiang Kai-shek
(chyahng ky shek) took control of the party
He was a soldier, and quickly trained the Nationalist troops
Within two years Chiang defeated one warlord after another and took control over much of China
He became president by 1928
Chiang Kai-shek
The Long MarchIn the 1920’s the Nationalist party began
to split, as some members became fans of Karl Marx’s idea of communism
They thought this would bring prosperity to China
The Communists wanted to give power to the workers and give land to the peasants
Chiang Kai-shek did not agree and in 1927 he ordered all Communists be killed
The Long MarchThe Communists that survived
were forced to flee to the south China province of Jianxi (jyahng shee)
They built a stronghold here and their numbers grew
In 1933 Chiang sent a huge army to hunt and destroy the communists ◦He was scared they would try to
challenge him and the government in the future
The Long MarchThey fought for months, and the
Nationalists began to winIn 1934 the Communists left
Jiangxi and started “The Long March” a journey to northern China that lasted a year◦They crossed 18 mountain ranges,
more than 20 rivers◦March was 6,000 miles total
The Long March
The Long March100,000 people left on The Long
March, but only 8,000 survived◦They faced hunger, disease, and
attacks by Nationalist troopsTheir goal was safety in one of
China’s northern provincesThey set up a new headquarters
in a city called Yan’an (yahn ahn) under Mao Zedong’s (mow zhuh doong) leadership
The Long March
The Second Sino-Japanese War
In the early 1930’s the Japanese invaded China◦They took advantage of the Chinese
fighting amongst themselvesThey invaded the province of
Manchuria and tried to take over other parts of China
The Nationalists and Communists united to fight their common enemy
The Second Sino-Japanese War
Communists Take OverThe war ended in 1945 and the
two parties began to fight once more
During the war the Communists had made powerful reforms in areas of their control◦This included lowering rent for the
peasantsMany peasants then joined the
Communists and by 1949 the Nationalists were defeated
Communists Take OverChiang Kai-shek was forced to
flee to the island of Taiwan for safety◦He vowed to someday reconquer
ChinaOn Oct. 1, 1949 Mao Zedong
declared the establishment of a new Communist state: the People’s Republic of China
Mao Zedong