IB History DP HL - The Chinese Civil War and Mao, 1946-75

The Chinese Civil War (Second Stage), 1946-49

Causes of the War

  • After Japan's defeat, the US attempted to broker peace, but neither the KMT (Kuomintang) nor the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) were interested in sharing power.
  • The conflict occurred within the context of the Cold War: the US supported the KMT until 1948, while the USSR aided the CCP in gaining Manchuria.
  • KMT advantages: Larger army (4 million vs. 1 million), and weapons received from the US.
  • CCP advantages: Effective leadership and organization, increasing popularity of communism.

Course of the War

  • 1945-47: With US support, Chiang Kai-shek’s forces struggled for control of Manchuria, seizing cities and forcing Mao into the countryside.
  • 1947-48: The KMT secured temporary control of Manchuria. The US attempted another peace negotiation. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) responded with guerilla warfare, won control of Manchuria, and turned the tide of the conflict.
  • 1949: The PLA launched a conventional assault on central and southern China, capturing Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, and Shanghai. Nationalists retreated to Taiwan.

Effects of the Chinese Civil War

  • The People’s Republic of China was established on October 1, 1949.
  • Estimated 3.5 million people died in the war, and another 10-15 million died during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
  • Economic impact: China’s economy was devastated, leading to state control of the economy.
  • Political impact: Transition to authoritarianism, with purges causing 2 million deaths by 1951.
  • International impact: Pivotal moment in the early Cold War, seen as a victory for the USSR, leading to the US policy of containment, despite tensions in Sino-Soviet relations.

Mao’s China, 1949-75

Origins

  • Mao Zedong was born on December 26, 1893, into a relatively prosperous peasant family. He came of age during the fall of the Qing Dynasty.
  • Became an anti-Western activist during the May Fourth Movement (1919). He was drawn to communist ideas while working at the Peking University Library.
  • Inspired by Leninism and the success of the USSR, he was increasingly drawn to radical leftist ideology.
  • He was a founding member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP/CPC) in 1921.

Mao's Ideology

  • Key features of Maoist Thought:
    • Extreme left-wing authoritarianism, a variation of Marxism-Leninism.
    • Mao argued that the peasantry in China could be the primary force for revolution, instead of the proletariat.
    • Emphasized the “mass line,” a leadership method requiring leaders to keep communication between the party and the peasantry.
    • Emphasis on the military potential of the peasantry, who could be mobilized to fight a People’s War.
    • Utilized Lenin’s notion of democratic centralism, where central leaders make decisions “for the People” that cannot be challenged.

Rise to Power

  • 1924-49: The CCP fought with and against the KMT.
    • First United Front (1924-27)
    • Chinese Civil War (1927-37)
    • Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-45)
    • Chinese Civil War (1945-49)
  • Mao rose through the ranks during the era of the Jiangxi Soviet (1927-34). He was pushed out of leadership by the 28 Bolsheviks.
  • Became the undisputed leader of the CCP after the Long March (1934-35). He held the position of Chairman of the CCP from 1943-76.

Consolidation of Power

  • Political parties were banned; the CCP was the only party allowed. China became a single-party state ruled by the Politburo of the CCP.
  • 1950s: “Anti-movements” involved purging (arrest or execution) any remnants of Nationalists in China, as well as Christians, Buddhists, landlords, or dissidents.
  • The Hundred Flowers Campaign (1956-57):
    • A campaign launched by Mao that encouraged intellectuals to criticize the government.
    • Mao was appalled by the extent and intensity of criticism and ordered the arrest of “rightists” and deportation to labor camps for “thought reform.”

Maintenance of Power

Economic Policy
  • After 1949, China developed a command economy, which it kept until the late 1970s.
  • 1953-57: The First Five Year Plan focused on rapid industrialization, land reform, and a move to collectivized agriculture.
  • 1958-63: The Great Leap Forward:
    • Two goals: Develop a food surplus through collectivization and mass production of steel to create a modern industrial economy.
    • Features: Establishment of People’s Communes and backyard furnaces to produce steel instead of using modern technology.
    • Results: Economic disaster, widespread inefficiency, crop yields fell drastically, and famine occurred (estimated 40 million starved).
  • Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi took over, and the economy recovered by the mid-1960s through “capitalist” reforms.

Maintenance of Power

Social Policy
  • After the failure of the Great Leap Forward, Mao sought to regain control of the CCP.
  • He published the Little Red Book in 1964.
  • 1966-76: Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution:
    • Goals: Preserve socialism by purging “rightists” and implementing Maoist Thought, allow Mao to reassert authority over the CCP, ideological motives.
    • Millions of students, young people, and children formed paramilitary groups loyal to Mao, called the Red Guards. They caused chaos and committed violence around China from 1966-67.
  • The revolution was fueled by an intense cult of personality surrounding Mao; however, Mao used the PLA to suppress the Red Guards.
  • 1968-72: PLA squads continued purges of the party, known as “cleansing the class ranks.” Hundreds of thousands were executed or sent to laogai camps.
  • 1972-76: Power was shared between rival factions, Deng Xiaoping and the Gang of Four.
  • 1976: The revolution ended with the death of Mao. The Gang of Four lost power, and Deng took over.
  • Results: Mao became the undisputed authoritarian ruler of China, the CCP was purged of Mao’s opponents (Liu, Deng, and Lin), millions were imprisoned, tortured, or killed, the economy took a severe downturn, and there were massive cultural changes.
Impact on Women
  • Qing Dynasty: Roles were determined by Confucianism, a rigid, patriarchal society. Women faced arranged marriage, concubinage, and infanticide.
  • Marx argued that women and men should be equal. Marxism-Leninism was supposedly a “feminist” ideology.
  • 1950s: The New Marriage Law banned concubinage and arranged marriage, guaranteed property rights, brought women into the workforce, and provided greater representation in the National People’s Congress.
  • Problems: Peasants tended to hold on to traditional roles, and elite leadership positions were occupied by men.
  • Cultural Revolution: Assault on traditional family structures, and the woman’s role as mother was diminished by the state.

Maintenance of Power

Foreign Policy
Mao and the Soviet Union
  • Mao always clashed with Stalin for ideological and geopolitical reasons.
  • 1950: The Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship granted 300million300 million in loans to the PRC and provided military aid.
  • 1953: Stalin died, and Nikita Khrushchev emerged as the new leader after a power struggle.
  • 1956: Khrushchev announced destalinization, which deepened the rift with Mao. This was furthered as the USSR and US entered a period of détente.
  • 1961: The official Sino-Soviet Split occurred, and relations were severed after disapproval of the Great Leap Forward, territorial disputes, and Mao’s distrust of Khrushchev. Relations remained severed until after Mao died.
  • 1962: Mao condemned Soviet leadership during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Mao and the United States
  • In general, relations were tense and bitter until the 1970s.
  • 1950-53: The Korean War - China fought with North Korea, successfully standing up to the “imperialist” US.
  • 1964: China became a nuclear nation, which shocked and frightened the West.
  • 1964-75: The Vietnam War - China supported Vietnamese Communists.
  • 1972: There was a shift in policy, a period of détente. Nixon’s famous visit to China in February eased tensions with the US and bolstered China’s global power and status.

After Mao

  • 1976: Mao died after a lengthy illness. Deng Xiaoping emerged as ruler after a power struggle, and the “opening” of China began.
  • How should we view Mao’s rule?

Key Terms

  • Chiang Kai-shek
  • Kuomintang (KMT)
  • Mao Zedong
  • Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
  • Deng Xiaoping
  • People’s Liberation Army (PLA)
  • People’s Republic of China
  • containment
  • Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
  • Red Guards
  • Maoist Thought
  • cult of personality
  • Marxism-Leninism
  • laogai
  • “mass line”
  • Gang of Four
  • democratic centralism
  • patriarchal society
  • 28 Bolsheviks
  • New Marriage Law
  • Long March
  • Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship
  • Politburo
  • Nikita Khrushchev
  • “anti-movements”
  • destalinization
  • Hundred Flowers Campaign
  • détente
  • command economy
  • Cuban Missile Crisis
  • First Five Year Plan
  • Korean War
  • Great Leap Forward
  • Vietnam War
  • People’s Communes
  • Sino-Soviet Split
  • Liu Shaoqi
  • Little Red Book
  • May Fourth Movement