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The History of the People’s Republic of China

The History of the People’s Republic of China. General Information. Capital – Beijing Area – 3,705,286 mi 2 (slightly larger than U.S.) Population – 1,306,000,000 Unitary system of gov’t Constitution – published in 1982 GDP: $1.16 trillion Literacy – 91%. General Information.

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The History of the People’s Republic of China

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  1. The History of the People’s Republic of China

  2. General Information • Capital – Beijing • Area – 3,705,286 mi2 (slightly larger than U.S.) • Population – 1,306,000,000 • Unitary system of gov’t • Constitution – published in 1982 • GDP: $1.16 trillion • Literacy – 91%

  3. General Information • Despite great economic growth, estimated 1/3 of population live in poverty • 2/3 live in rural areas and make living off land • Biggest coal producer and was self-sufficient in oil production until mid-1990s

  4. General Information • China is relatively homogeneous • Vast majority are ethnic Han Chinese and only 8.1% from minority • 17 million Thais, 6 million Mongols, and 5 million Tibetans • Poor record of assimilating minorities as Chinese tend to see aliens as culturally inferior

  5. Imperial China • 1766 B.C.E. – 1911 C.E. • Dynasties had right to govern through Mandate of Heaven only so long as emperor ruled with honor and virtue – dynastic cycle • Confucianism played major role – emphasized importance of obeying the authority of emperor and citizens knowing their roles

  6. Imperial China • Emperors ruled though senior gov’t officials (Mandarins) who won appointment through civil service exam (merit-based) • Theoretically open to anyone but was based largely on test of “morality” and knowledge of Confucian ethics • HUGE BUREAUCRACY!!!!! • Urbanization occurred much sooner than in Europe

  7. Imperial China • Qing (pronounced Ching) was last dynasty • Manchus (seen as foreigners) were in power • Were unable to respond to needs of growing population for land & food • Further weakened by Opium War with Britain, which forced China to open doors to Eur. traders & missionaries (spheres of influence)

  8. Nationalism and Chaos • 1910-1911 – Fall of Qing dynasty; warlords battle for power • 1912 – Sun Yat-sen helped establish Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT) and attempts to address China’s problems • 1913 – Dalai Lama returns to Tibet & declares independence

  9. Nationalism and Chaos • Sun’s gov’t relied heavily on military for authority and Westerners continued to make inroads into China; lost control • 1916-1926 – warlords fight for power though Sun was leader with no power or credibility • 1921 – founding of CCP

  10. Nationalism and Chaos • Brief & acrimonious coalition formed between CCP and KMT • 1925 – Chiang Kai-shek took over after Sun’s death & he abhorred communism • 1927 – “Shanghai Massacre” – Chiang launched lightning strike against CCP & set up own gov’t

  11. Nationalism and Chaos • KMT centered in Nanjing and was recognized by West as legitimate gov’t of China • Chiang improved administrative & educational systems & modernized army in German style • But fatal mistake was ignoring peasants

  12. Nationalism and Chaos • Turn to CCP for solutions to land reform though was outlawed in 1927 • Mao Zedong goes underground and sets up gov’t in Jiangxi • 1934 – KMT campaign forced Mao to uproot 150,000 followers & move west

  13. Nationalism and Chaos • Became known as LONG MARCH (6,000 mile trek lasted 1 year) • 1936-1945 – Chiang obliged to ally w/CCP to stave Japanese invasion but clashed frequently • 1945 – Japan surrendered at end of WWII and China broke out into civil war

  14. Nationalism and Chaos • Attempts by U.S. to mediate and help KMT financially and militarily failed • 1949 – Chiang and KMT fled to Taiwan • Oct 1, 1949 – People’s Republic of China officially proclaimed in Beijing

  15. The Communist Era • CCP forge new political structures, w/network of party branches in every village • Declare men and women legally equal • People organized into work units, which provide housing, employment, health care, & edu

  16. Maoism • Peasantry much more important than traditional urban proletariat • Mass line – need to connect with peasants and workers so CCP policy is legitimized • Stressed communalism & rejected elitism • Thought reform & indoctrination

  17. The Communist Era • Mao first in authority followed by Liu Shaoqi, Zhou Enlai, and Deng Xiaoping • 1950 – 300 million landless peasants organized into cooperatives • Industry – 5-yr. plans which produced growth but…

  18. The Communist Era • Relied too heavily on professionals and bureaucrats, ignoring the peasants • China isolated itself except for reliance on USSR for loans & industry advisors • This alliance broke in 1958 when Mao threatened to invade Taiwan

  19. The Communist Era • 1958-1960 – disastrous Great Leap Forward – Mao said China would progress “20 years in a day” • Mobilized peasant masses, put unemployed to work, forced employed to work harder under military discipline, & to create classless society he promoted indoctrination

  20. The Communist Era • 1959-1960 – floods and famine led to 15-20 million deaths • Mao came close to losing power and Liu Shaoqi effectively became president • 1966 – Mao attempted to regain lost influence through Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

  21. The Communist Era • Deng Xiaoping exiled to remote village, Liu Shaoqi was attacked, beaten, & put under house arrest for 2 years (died in remote prison) • Red Guard – radical student factions who ran criticism sessions

  22. The Communist Era • Leaders, bureaucrats, “intellectuals”, those following “capitalist road” sent to rural areas to work on land and discuss Maoist thought (Little Red Book) • Education came to standstill • 1966-1976 – came to be known as Ten Catastrophic Years

  23. The Communist Era • 1976 – death of Mao • Power struggle between Mao’s successor (Hua Guofeng) and Gang of Four (Mao’s widow w/3 others) • Gang of Four arrested & jailed for life • Deng Xiaoping functioned as power behind the throne

  24. The Communist Era • Introduced FOUR MODERNIZATIONS • Industry, agriculture, national defense, & science & techno. • Combination of socialist planning and capitalist free market

  25. The Communist Era • 1978 – drafting of new constitution that established liberalizing tendencies, leading some to call democracy the FIFTH MODERNIZATION • But cracked down on Democracy Wall movement

  26. The Communist Era • 1982 – Thatcher visits & agreement signed regarding handover of Hong Kong • 1988-1989 – gov’t split b/t hardliners who want to restore old order and reformers seeking openness

  27. The Communist Era • 1989 – Tiananmen Square – student & worker demonstrations • Deng sees as challenge to his authority & joins hardliners in brutal crackdown • Reformers dismissed

  28. The Communist Era • Jiang Zemin named new Party chief • 1997 – takes over after Deng dies • Continued process of economic reform & growth • Admitted into WTO 2001

  29. The Communist Era • But CCP still repressed challenges to authority • 2002-2003 – Hu Jintao, Zemin’s protégé, brings renewal as new Party secretary • Hu and Jiang new type of leader

  30. The Communist Era • Technocrats – officials with academic training who worked way up party ladder through professional competence & political loyalty • Mao & Deng were career revolutionaries

  31. The Communist Era • Transfer of power from Jiang to Hu was predictable & orderly • First relatively tranquil top-level political succession in more than 200 yrs. • Hu holds 3 titles – CCP general secretary, PRC president, and Chair of Central Military Commission (controls armed forces)

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