NOTES- MAO ZEDONG

RISE

1911 end of Qing dynasty.

-Revolution proclaimed. Mao was a student.

-leader was Yuan Shikai- died of natural causes 1916.

May 4th 1919, riot after treaty of Versailles gave Germa territory to Japan.

-"New culture Movement"- Saw formation of C.C.C.P

-may 1921, Mao and 11 others founded the Chinese communist party in shanghai.

-joined forces with Sun Yat sen’s Kuomintang in an effort to reunited china.

1925 Sun Yat Sen’s death. -Chiang Kai-Shek takes over as leader of

KMT- very different attitude towards Mao & Communists.

1927 Shanghai massacres.- Chiang ordered KMT troops to fire on the Communists.

- Some commuists escaped to the hills, including Mao, set up bases in Hunan and Kiangsi provinces.

- At this point led by Mao and Chu The

1931 Mao elected Chairman of Commuist republic, lasted 3 years under constant attack.

At same time, Japanese forces invaded Manchuria, set up puppet government.

1934 Long March move from Kiangsi to Yemnan.

-propaganda focus, gained support from peasants. -100 000 went, 10 000 survivied.

-Mao emerged as clear leader of Communist party.

1935 Chiang pursuaded to form second united front against Japanese.

1937-1945 Communist party membership increased from 100,000 to 1.2 Million.

1945 end of war in pacific, start of civil war.

- Mao had support of peasants

- Red army was high in Moral, in contrast with KMT troops, also Red Army were kind to peasants, KMT were not.

- Tactics of Mao- Guerilla.

- Communists had a dedicated core of leaders.

1949 Communists had control of china.

RULE

Early 50’s

1950 Agrarian Reform Law

-Made redistribution of land legal

-Put landlords, money lenders etc on trial in "peoples courts"

-by 1952 Mao’s forces had virtually destroyed a privileged ruling class.

1950 Marriage law aimed at ‘liberating’ women.

1951 Religion has been discredited many missionaries, priests and nuns have left country.

1950-59 Communists seized all foreign property and nationalised their businesses.

1950,52 Chinese free enterprise system destroyed.

1952 First 5 year plan announced.

-developed heavy industry

-Russian assistance

-Roads and Railways, factories.

-neglected light industry and agricultural production.

1956 Hundred flowers campaign -"let a hundred flowers bloom"

-Relaxation of censorship, allowed freedom of expression

-probably feared that too severe control might lead to a counter revolution against his government, also suggested that open debate would lead to better ways of running government.

1958 Great Leap Forward

-5 year plan had left economy unbalanced.

-"Backyard furnaces" set up.

-huge projects begun which required labor of millions: dams, large factories.

-Was supposed to catch up to british industrial production within 15 years.

December 1959 Mao Resigns as head of state, Liu Shao-Chi takes over

-Differences in party ideology.

-result of failure of GLF

-failure of hundred flowers campaign.

-growing split with Russia.

1959-61 serious drought -factor in failure of GLF

1960 Sino- Soviet split. -factor in failure of GLF

-Russia withdrew all technical aid and personnel.

1962 Mao endorsed the "social education" movement

-aimed at stirring the younger generation with revolutionary ideas and fervor.

1966 Cultural revolution.

-Mao believed that the new influence of Liu Shao-chi was erroding the very soul of the Chinese revlolution.

-Called upon the youth of China to save the revolution

-Red guards formed.

-1967 little red book printed. "Quotations from chairman mao"

1967 Cultural revolution rapidly spinning out of hand.

1968 Mao called on Lin Bao and the PLA to disband the Red Guard.

1975 National peoples congress.

-new constitution accepted which abolished the position of head of state and placed supreme authority in the hands of the chairman of the communist party, (i.e. mao!)

1976 Death of Mao Zedong.

IB HISTORY

SL: SINGLE PARTY STATES

MAO: SUMMARY

What you need to know

(1) What were his philosophies

-Fighting/civil war

-Battle tactics

-Guerilla warfare

-Disciplined -(not corrupt)

-Treatment of peasants.

-Didn’t take anything from the masses

-"Replace all doors when you leave a house"

-"Be courteous and polite to the people and help them when you can"

-Returned anything borrowed, replaced anything damaged.

-Payed for anything purchased

-Thoughts of chairman Mao- Little red book- ideological conversion of a nation.

-linked with cultural revolution

-no private enterprise.

-After Cultural revolution, reversion back to Communist ideals.

-Uniformity in society-uniforms, jobs

-commitment to world communism.

(2) Major policies focussing on a change in direction

-Land reform-collectivization

-3 Stages, starting in early 50s.

-Stage 1: redistribution. -land taken from lords, peoples courts etc.

-Stage 2: The co-operatives - majority of land was worked in common.

-Stage 3: The communes - the 750 000 co-operatives were transformed into 26 000 communes. Communes looked after schooling, hospitals, homes for the aged.

- Great leap foward

(3) Relationship with Russia (foreign policy)

-Idealogical

-Mao did not believe in marxist-leninist ‘determinism’, that is, the belief that history follows certain and inevitable paths which will result in the establishment of communism throughout the world.

- Chines Communism was more kind than the Russian system, Mao believe that any man could be accepted as part of the people in the new society if his attitudes were correct. Thus there were no mass exterminations.

-Kruschev-help, scientists, aid

-withdrew 1960-disagreement with Great Leap forward.

-Later years of Maos rule.

(4) Chinas contribution to world events (foreign policy)

(5) Post Mao