part 5
* Communist China - Civil War & Rise of Mao Zedong
* Who? Chiang Kai-shek (Nationalists) vs. Mao Zedong (Communists)
* Key Factor in Communist Victory: Widespread support from the Chinese peasantry (90% of the population)
* Outcome: Communists win, rename China the People's Republic of China (established October 1, 1949). Nationalists flee to Taiwan.
* Mao Zedong's Title: Chairman Mao
* Mao Zedong's Policies - Great Leap Forward
* Goal: Rapid industrialization and agricultural collectivization to modernize China
* When: 1958-1962
* Method:
* Collective agriculture in massive communes
* Forced peasants to stop farming and produce steel in "backyard furnaces"
* Impact: Caused the worst famine in human history (15-55 million deaths) and significantly hurt the Chinese economy.
* Mao Zedong's Policies - Cultural Revolution
* Goal: Reconsolidate Mao's power and create a "cult of personality"
* When: Began 1966, lasted about 10 years.
* Method:
* Purged political opponents and those considered "old"
* Used students (the "Red Guard") to spread his message and denounce elders
* Impact: Economically damaging and resulted in at least a million deaths.
* Deng Xiaoping - Economic Reforms
* When? After Mao's death in 1976, Deng Xiaoping becomes the next leader.
* Stance: Economic reformer
* Policies (Four Modernizations):
* Agriculture: Quota system with ability to sell surplus on the free market for profit (combining capitalism with communism)
* Manufacturing: Forced manufacturing into China with cheap labor
* One-Child Policy: Implemented to control overpopulation (started 1979, later relaxed)
* Impact: Extremely successful, leading China to become the second-largest economy in the world.
* Deng Xiaoping - Political Stance & Tiananmen Square
* Stance: Not willing to politically reform
* Event: Students protested for democracy and transparency in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, in 1989.
* Response: Deng Xiaoping sent in the military, killing hundreds to thousands of students.
* Takeaway: The Chinese Communist Party is not willing to politically reform and remains a one-party state.
* Decolonization in Africa
* When? Primarily after World War II (post-1945)
* Causes: European countries were financially strained and colonies were expensive to maintain, coupled with growing nationalism in Africa.
* Key Concept: Pan-Africanism - Idea of solidarity and togetherness among all people of Africa and their descendants, promoting independence.
* Examples:
* Ghana: Led by Kwame Nkrumah, gained independence peacefully in 1957.
* Kenya: Led by Jomo Kenyatta, gained independence by 1964.
* Enduring Issue: Post-independence, African countries often remained economically dependent on former colonizers due to reliance on natural resource exports.
* Apartheid in South Africa - Overview
* When? 1948 to 1994
* Meaning: "Apartness" in Afrikaans; legal segregation of races.
* Goal: Maintain white supremacy. White South Africans (a minority) controlled a 100% white-led government.
* Disenfranchisement: Black South Africans could not vote, be in the military, or have political control.
* Apartheid in South Africa - Racist Laws & Discrepancies
* "Pass Laws Act": Forced black South Africans to carry passports, restricting travel and residence.
* Citizenship Revocation: Black South Africans' citizenship was revoked, forcing them to live in the poorest areas.
* Societal Segregation: Every aspect of society was segregated.
* Discrepancy: Immense financial, medical, and infant mortality disparities between black and white South Africans.
* Apartheid in South Africa - Resistance & Repression
* Resistance Group: African National Congress (ANC), led by Nelson Mandela.
* ANC Goal: Remove apartheid and create an equal South Africa.
* Mandela's Approach: Non-violent civil disobedience (like Gandhi).
* Mandela's Imprisonment: Arrested in 1963, imprisoned for 27 years.
* Government Repression:
* Sharpeville Massacre: Police shot black South Africans protesting pass laws in 1960.
* Soweto Uprising: Military shot hundreds of students protesting forced Afrikaans instruction in schools in 1976.
* Apartheid in South Africa - End of Apartheid
* International Pressure: Widespread global protests, US pulling investments (1980s).
* Internal Pressure: Continued ANC resistance.
* Mandela's Release: Released in 1990 after 27 years.
* First Free Election: Universal suffrage in 1994; ANC won, and Nelson Mandela was elected president. Apartheid officially ended.
* Truth and Reconciliation Council: A unique approach to justice where perpetrators spoke to victims' families, potentially receiving leniency if truly remorseful, aiming to build a peaceful new country.