Mao’s China, c.1930–1976

Why did China become a Communist state?

• Why did the Communists start the Long March?
• How far was the Long March a success?
• How far did the Second World War weaken the Nationalist government and strengthen the Communists?
• Why did the Communists win the Civil War?

How far had Communist rule changed China by the mid 1960s?

• What changes in agriculture did Communist rule bring?
• What was the impact of the Communists’ social reforms?
• How successful were the Five-Year Plans in increasing production?
• Did the Chinese people benefit from Communist rule?

What was the impact of Communist rule on China’s relations with other countries?

• What have been China’s changing relationships with neighbouring states?
• Why did China try to improve relations with the USA after 1970?
• How far was China established as a superpower by the time of Mao’s death?

Did Communism produce a cruel dictatorship in China?

• How successful was ‘The Hundred Flowers Movement’?
• Why did Mao launch the Cultural Revolution?
• What was the impact of the Cultural Revolution on China?
• How far was Mao a great leader of China?

How far did the Second World War weaken the Nationalist government and strengthen the Communists?

Narrative

During the Second World War the civil war between the Nationalists and the Communists ceased and both sides fought against the Japanese.

At the end of the war the Communists had troops controlling approximately one quarter of mainland China. The Nationalists controlled the remainder of the country. The end of the war saw the Nationalists move troops towards the coast in order to ensure that they, not the Communists, received the surrender from the Japanese.

At the end of the war the Soviet Union passed captured Japanese weapons to the Communist Party. The Nationalists received funding from the USA.

The war years provided the Communists with an opportunity to show the population that they practised what they preached. In the areas that they controlled they helped the peasants and had progressive, supportive policies and practices. This helped to engender the support of the population, which proved invaluable after the war.

The Second World War also allowed the Communists to recover from the relatively weak tactical position that they had been in prior to the Second World War.

Sources

Links

China Defensive - very detailed account of military operations in China during the Second World War.

WW2 Database - Description of China in WW2.

WW2 Info - short account of the impact of war on China.

HBC - detailed narrative of the Sino-Japanese conflict.

Marxists.org - China after the Second World War.