Dean+and+Harrison+-+Chinese+and+Political+History

1. By definition, communism means "A political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs". However, despite the promised equality described in communism, it also means giving up your freedom, which is against human nature. It therefore is seen as a system that controls and oppresses the people. Communism in China is largely thanks to Mao Zedong. Following the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, the Chinese people experienced mass starvation and extreme poverty and grief, resulting in the loss of many innocent lives. This is why the Chinese people of the time greatly encouraged and supported the growth and rise of communism to power. The Chinese people were under the belief that communism would bring about equality for everyone, and starvation and poverty would finally be abolished. When communism did finally rise, Mao found that his government had to support 85% of the population, which was poor farmers. This proved to be a difficult task.

2. Chairman Mao (1893 – 1976) Chairman Mao was a Chinese Communist revolutionary and the leader of the Chinese Revolution. He was the founding father of the People’s Republic of China from its establishment in 1949 until his death in 1976. He was also one of the founders of the Chinese Communist Party in 1921. In 1949, Mao declared the founding of the People’s Republic of China and made significant changes to the country. He had no respect for existing laws and did not allow anyone else to challenge him. He destroyed the traditional Chinese culture, replacing it with his own. He also gave women the same rights as men, but destroyed the traditional value of women. During the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1966 – 76), everything took a long pause except for the constant struggle and population growth. Education was badly damaged and salary freezed for everyone.

Most people respected and loved Chairman Mao, but a large number of people disliked him.

4. What is the Long March?

The Long March was a military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Communist Party of China. There was a series of marches as Communist armies in the south escaped to the north and west. It occurred from October 1934 to October 1935 between the Jiangxi and Shaanxi regions of China.