Modern China

Imperialism in China

  1. Westerners were interested in Chinese goods (ex.silk, spices, tea).

  2. European’s sought to exploit Chinas resources and conquer Chinese territory.

  3. Chinese sought to control trade, put restrictions against Europeans otherwise no trade.

Causes of the Opium War

  1. Unbalanced trade with Britain, so Britain exports opium to China

  2. British still continued to trade opium despite opium ban in China, Opium made illegal.

  3. China was overpowered, and loses.

Effects of the Opium War

  1. signing of the Treaty of Nanjing ended the opium wars, it was an unequal treaty

  2. Open door policy - China was forced to open ports to trade

  3. Sphere of influence - foreign nation controlled trade and investment in a particular area

Boxer Rebellion

  1. The boxers were anti foreigners and nationalists

  2. They attacked foreign delegations in Beijing, but were defeated after 55 days.

  3. Qing dynasty was weakened

Sun Yat-Sen

  1. Overthrew the Qing Dynasty, became president of the Republic of China

  2. Three principles of the people - Nationalism, Peoples rights, peoples livelihood.

  3. Only held his position for 6 weeks due to lacking authority and military support and securing national authority.

Post WW1

  1. China supports the allies, but was ignored at the Treaty of Versailles

  2. May fourth movement - Demonstrations occurred due to anger that China did not gain land despite helping the allies.

  3. China turns to Soviet communism.

Rule of Chiang Kaishak (Jiang Jieshi)

  1. Army officer and member of the Nationalist Party.

  2. Government became corrupt and did little to improve peasant lives, nationalists killed communist party members.

  3. Became President of the Nationalist Republic of China

  4. Civil War began between the Nationalists and Communists that would last for 22 years.

Communist Success - The Long March

  1. Mao Zedong (leader of the CCP) led communists on the Long March (over 6000 miles)

  2. Mao won the support of the peasant population, who were the majority, by promising to give land.

  3. Modeled by Lenins communism

Communists under Mao Zedong

  1. WW2 - Japan invaded China (1937) by taking advantage of the Communist vs. Nationalists civil war, which halted the war. Communist party wins.

  2. Communists set up the Peoples Republic of China

  3. Mao wanted China to be an industrial society, literacy increased and health care was provided.

  4. Established a one party dictatorship that denied people basic human rights and freedoms.

The Great Leap Forward.

  1. Goal: To increase farm and factory output

  2. Methods: Communes - (Group of people who live and work together and hold property in common), Production quotas.

  3. Results: It failed causing 2 years of hunger and low production.

The Cultural Revolution

  1. Goal: Renew Communist loyalties

  2. Mao feared revolutionary peasants, and workers were being replaced by intellectuals in running the country. (Basically Mao removing people from higher positions in suspicion of being a rival)

  3. Methods: Red Guards (student fighters) attacked and killed professors and other officials, books were burned, schools closed

  4. Instead introduced the Little Red book which explained the Chinese communist theory

Communism under Deng Xiaoping

  1. Deng Xiaoping took control after Mao’s death in 1976

  2. Economic reforms: The Four Modernizations

    • Farming

    • Industry

    • Science/Technology

    • Defense and military

  3. Goal: To make China more modern

Limited Privatization

  1. Eliminated Maos communes

  2. Land was leased individually to farmers and after meeting state quotas, farmers could grow and sell what they wished (similar to Lenins economic plan) and allowed some private businesses.

  3. Foreigners had special enterprise zones to own and operate businesses.

  4. Families were given responsibility on what to grow, but managers in factories have more say in what is produced.

Political Reform and Tiananmen Square

  1. Families feared violation of the “One Child” laws, if broken then they’ll have to pay a hefty tax and could lose their jobs, land, home and sometimes be deported to the countryside.

  2. 1989, Tiananmen Square demonstrations people demand rights and freedom.

  3. Government sent in troops and tanks to disperse the protestors leading to thousands being killed or wounded

  4. Showed that government didn’t value political freedom but had more importance to order and control. UN efforts had little effects.

Hong Kong

  1. Under the British the island became modernized and wealthy, but was returned to Chinese rule but agreed not to change its social of economic system for 50 years until they are under communist rule

Other issues

  1. During the 1990s China rapidly became an industrial power

  2. pollution

  3. one child policy became two child policy in 2016, and then three child policy in 2021

  4. Would the Chinese government allow political reforms to accompany economic reforms

  5. no freedom of speech or press.