Chinese Communists vs. Nationalists
Communists controlled Northern China during World War II. They were led by Mao Zedong with the help of the peasants and their promotion of literacy and improvement of food production. They mobilized peasants for guerilla war against the Japanese, and were able to control much of northern China.
Nationalist forces led by Chiang Kai-Shek's controlled southwestern China. Also, the U.S. had sent them at least 1.5 billion dollars in aid to fight the Japanese. Unfortunately, this money was misused, and the Nationalists preserved their strength for fighting Mao Zedong. Even After Japan's surrender, the Communists and Nationalists began fighting again.
Nationalist forces led by Chiang Kai-Shek's controlled southwestern China. Also, the U.S. had sent them at least 1.5 billion dollars in aid to fight the Japanese. Unfortunately, this money was misused, and the Nationalists preserved their strength for fighting Mao Zedong. Even After Japan's surrender, the Communists and Nationalists began fighting again.
Civil War is Renewed from 1946 to 1949
The Nationalists had a larger army than the Communists, which immediately gave them an advantage because they greatly outnumbered them. Also, the U.S sent nearly 2 billion dollars for support. However, when China’s economy collapsed, the Nationalists went to the Communist's side. China’s big cities were conquered and Mao promised to return land to peasants. In October 1949, Mao Zedong gained control of China and claimed it to be the People’s Republic of China. Jiang and other Nationalist leaders retreated to the island of Taiwan. In 1950, the Chinese and Soviets signed a treaty of friendship and U.S viewed it as Communism taking over the world.
The Outcome
China was split into two nations. One of them was the Nationalist China on the island of Taiwan, and the other was the People's Republic of China on the mainland.
The Soviets reacted by giving financial, military, and technical aid to Communist China. Also, China and the Soviets formed a military alliance. On the other hand, the U.S. continued to attempt to prevent Soviet expansion in Asia.
Communist China expanded into Tibet, India, and Inner Mongolia. When China tightened control over Tibet, their leader, the Dalai Lama fled to India. This caused tenion between India and China because India had accepted Tibetan refugees from a failed revolt in 1959. In 1962, there was a brief fight between the countries' border, but it ended despite continued resentment.
The Soviets reacted by giving financial, military, and technical aid to Communist China. Also, China and the Soviets formed a military alliance. On the other hand, the U.S. continued to attempt to prevent Soviet expansion in Asia.
Communist China expanded into Tibet, India, and Inner Mongolia. When China tightened control over Tibet, their leader, the Dalai Lama fled to India. This caused tenion between India and China because India had accepted Tibetan refugees from a failed revolt in 1959. In 1962, there was a brief fight between the countries' border, but it ended despite continued resentment.
Mao's Policy: "The Great Leap Forward"
This was an effort by Zedong to transform China from a primarily farming society to a modern, industrial society in a matter of 5 years. China was turned into a series of communes, or large collective farms, and each supported over 25,000 people. People in the commune had to give up their possessions so that everything was owned by the commune. However, in 1959, this failed because of the deaths of millions of Chinese due to starvation. They were also rushed to do tasks that they could not achieve in a short amount of time, thus making their machines ineffective. The backyard furnaces used a lot of coal, and China’s rail system suffered because of it. Crop production declined because of the lack of farmers to harvest it. Most farmers were sent to steel production work.
The Cultural Revolution
Mao Zedong launched a revolt called the Cultural Revolution in order to affirm his authority over the Chinese government. The likely cause for this was the fact that his Great Leap Forward policy failed. He knew that the other party leaders were planning to treat him insignificantly, so he asked his supporters to join him in the Cultural Revolution. He created a group called the Red Guards who were a group of mostly teenagers that destroyed anything that was associated with China's pre-revolutionary past. Later on, members of the Red Guard turned against each other and Mao realized that his idea was out of control. China’s economy was stumbling badly and the industrial production fell to about 12% in two years. In reaction to this, he issued an appeal called “Down to the Countryside Movement", in which young people from the city were sent to live in farms and learn from the peasants. He even suggested to scatter the Red Guard so that they would not cause trouble anymore. By 1971, Lin Bao and Mao Zedong were attempting to assassinate one another. Later on, Lin died because his plane ran out of fuel, but speculation rose that it was shot down by Chinese or Soviet officials. Mao Zedong died on September 1976. His successor, Hua Guofeng, had the Gang of Four, who was Mao’s wife and 3 other people, arrested and thrown in jail. This declared the end of the Cultural Revolution.