Understanding Mao Zedong and the Chinese Communist Party

These flashcards cover key terms, concepts, and historical figures related to the Chinese Communist Party, Mao Zedong, and the socio-political history of China.

Cultural Revolution

A political campaign launched by Mao Zedong to eliminate criticism of leadership, leading to widespread social and economic disruption in China.

People's Republic of China (PRC)

The socialist state established by Mao Zedong and the CCP in 1949 after defeating the nationalist Kuomintang.

Chinese Communist Party (CCP)

The ruling party of China, founded in 1921 and led by figures such as Mao Zedong, responsible for establishing the People’s Republic of China.

Mao Zedong

The founding father of the People's Republic of China and a key figure in the Chinese Communist Party, serving as an authoritarian leader until his death in 1976.

Chiang Kai-shek

The leader of the nationalist Kuomintang party who opposed the CCP and retreated to Taiwan after losing the civil war.

Long March

A strategic retreat by the Red Army of the CCP in 1934 to evade the pursuit of the nationalists, which established Mao's leadership.

Great Leap Forward

An economic campaign led by Mao aiming to rapidly transform China from an agrarian society to a socialist society, which led to widespread famine.

Proletariat

The working class in capitalist societies, whose struggle for rights and better conditions underpins Marxist theory.

Anti-Rightist Campaign

A campaign initiated by Mao to suppress and eliminate criticism of the CCP’s policies, paralleling the anti-communist period in the U.S.

Sino-Soviet Rrift

The split between the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China over ideological differences and leadership style.

Command Economy

An economic system where the state makes all decisions regarding production and distribution, contrasting with free market economies.

First Five-Year Plan

China's initial economic development plan that focused on industrialization and ended with reasonably successful outcomes.

Taiwan

An island that became the stronghold of the nationalist government after the Chinese civil war, officially known as the Republic of China.

Ping Pong Diplomacy

A term describing the exchange of table tennis players between the United States and China in the early 1970s as part of opening relations.

Marxism

A socio-political and economic theory derived from the ideas of Karl Marx, advocating for class struggle and revolutionary socialism.

Socialism with Chinese Characteristics

Mao's adaptation of Marxism-Leninism aligned to China's specific socio-political and economic conditions.