Outline 5 Mao Zedong - 3.1 and part of 3.2

3.1 -

The establishment of the People's Republic, 1949

• Mao declared the PRC on 1 October 1949 from Beijing

  • Symbolized communist victory after years of civil war

• Mao began building a one-party, authoritarian state

• Seen as a liberator by some, and a dictator by others

Conditions in China before 1911

• Imperial China ruled by emperor with Confucian values for over 2000 years

  • Strict hierarchy, peasants exploited by landlords and aristocrats

• Foreign imperialism (British, French, Russian, Japanese) eroded Qing authority

• Natural disasters, famine, overpopulation worsened rural suffering

• Growing revolutionary ideas inspired by western models and Japan's modernization

The 1911 Revolution and the creation of the republic

• Qing dynasty collapsed after a revolutionary uprising in 1911

  • Sun Yatsen appointed president but lacked military control

  • Yuan Shikai took presidency in 1912 in exchange for Qing abdication

  • Yuan ruled dictatorially, weakening the new republic

The warlord period, 1916–1927

• After Yuan's death in 1916, China fragmented under rival warlords

• Constant warfare devastated peasants and made unity impossible

  • Foreign powers continued to dominate parts of China

• May Fourth Movement (1919) showed popular anger against humiliation and weak leadership

The emergence of Mao and the CCP

The First United Front

• CCP and GMD alliance formed in 1924 to defeat warlords

  • GMD dominant partner, CCP members worked within GMD

• Soviet Comintern supported this alliance to spread revolution

Whampoa Military Academy (1924)

• Set up to train a modern army for the United Front

• Chiang Kaishek became head of the Academy and built loyalty among officers

Northern Expedition (1926–1928)

• Launched by GMD to defeat warlords and unify China

• Chiang made deals with warlords to strengthen GMD’s control

• CCP activism grew during campaign, causing tensions

White Terror (1927)

• Chiang Kaishek turned on CCP allies in a violent purge

  • Thousands of communists and sympathizers murdered, United Front collapsed

• GMD set up nationalist government in Nanjing

Jiangxi Soviet (1927–1934)

• Mao and surviving CCP fled to rural Jiangxi province

• Created a stronghold based on land reforms and peasant support

• Defied Comintern advice focused on urban revolution

Futian Incident (1930)

• Mao ordered brutal purge of 4000 Red Army soldiers he distrusted

• Consolidated Mao’s control over CCP, showing early use of terror

Long March (1934–1935)

• CCP fled Jiangxi under GMD attacks, journeyed 6000 miles to Shaanxi

  • Only 20,000 survived from 100,000

• Became a heroic legend that strengthened CCP morale and Mao’s leadership

Yanan Period (1935–1945)

• Mao rebuilt CCP strength through land reforms and popular policies

• Launched rectification campaigns to purge rivals and strengthen ideological unity

• Promoted mass line policy to connect CCP with peasants

• “Mao Zedong Thought” became party orthodoxy

Mao's ideology

• Adapted Marxism to Chinese conditions, focusing on peasants as revolutionary force

  • Believed in two-stage revolution: national liberation first, socialism second

    • Emphasized mass mobilization, rural reform, and ideological purity

  • Published key works like On New Democracy (1940) to define CCP goals

The Japanese occupation, 1931–1945

• Japan invaded Manchuria in 1931, expanded further in 1937

  • GMD slow to resist; CCP seen as true nationalists fighting Japan

• Second United Front formed between CCP and GMD in 1937, but collapsed by 1941

• GMD plagued by corruption, mismanagement, and conscription abuses

• CCP expanded control of rural areas and won mass support during the war

The Chinese Civil War, 1945–1949

• GMD had numerical and equipment advantage at first

  • CCP used guerrilla warfare and captured northern China

• GMD weakened by corruption, inflation, and unpopular leadership

• US pulled support from GMD by 1948, seeing the cause as hopeless

• Mao’s leadership cult and discipline won over population and soldiers

• By 1949, CCP had defeated GMD; Chiang fled to Taiwan

3.2 -

Chairman Mao and the People's Republic

Moderate beginnings

• Former officials and managers kept to maintain stability

• “New Democracy” aimed for cooperation with middle classes at first

• Only hardcore enemies targeted in early purges

The structure of the PRC

• China divided into six regions under CCP and PLA officials

• Central authority held by Central People’s Government Council

• Mao ultimate leader as Chairman

The reunification campaigns

• PLA invaded Tibet (1950), Xinjiang, Guangdong to assert control

• Brutal suppression of regional and religious resistance

• Cemented CCP control over China's borders

The anti-movements

• 1951: Three-Anti Campaign (against waste, corruption, inefficiency)

• 1952: Five-Anti Campaign (against bribery, tax evasion, fraud, sabotage, theft)

• Turned former middle-class allies into enemies

Censorship and propaganda

• Newspapers tightly controlled and promoted only CCP news

• Mass rallies, slogans, and songs glorified revolution and Mao

• Thought reform campaigns re-educated citizens to adopt Maoist ideology

The Great Terror

• Citizens given class labels (“good,” “middle,” “bad”) determining fate

• Mass surveillance and neighborhood informers spread fear

• Enemies arrested, tortured, and sometimes executed

Labour camps

• Laogai system of forced labor camps modeled on Soviet gulags

• By 1955, about 2 million people imprisoned in harsh conditions

• Around 25 million estimated deaths in camps during Mao's rule

Mass killings

• Mass executions during early 1950s to eliminate “counter-revolutionaries”

• Death quotas issued to local cadres; executions often exceeded targets

• Some areas saw death rates of 1–2% of population

The one-party state

• CCP held total monopoly on political power

• Other parties allowed only if completely loyal to CCP

• Elections, press, and education all tightly controlled by the Party

The Korean War, 1950–1953

The impact of the Korean War on China

• China entered war in 1950 to support North Korea against US and UN

• War caused huge casualties and economic strain (1 million Chinese deaths)

• Strengthened Chinese nationalism and justified tightening domestic control

• Boosted Mao’s personal prestige and CCP’s power

Party purges

• Korean War used as excuse to purge “unreliable” cadres and critics

• Loyalty to Mao became the ultimate test for survival in the Party

• CCP became even more centralized and militarized after the war