Matt+and+James+-+Chinese+Political+History+Q+&+A

1.What is communism and how did it begin in China?

===Communism is basically a political theory in which class war is advocated and a series of ideals are represented in such a way that it leads to all property being publicly owned with all people working and receiving payments according to their abilities and needs in society. Many developing countries use this old system which leads to inequality, poverty and unjust governance. In this case, communism began in China following the fall of the Qing Dynasty which caused China to be in a state of mass paranoia in terms of no sustainable power or governance existing. Therefor, China became a massive nation with little authority in the early stages of the 20th century. In response, the basic principles of communism slowly spread across the country with people of the lower strata in society fighting for supposed equality. The official rise of communism in China resulted from a man by the name of Mao Zedong who was strongly influenced by godless communistic philosophies of Karl Marx during China's Great Revolution from 1914-1918. Following this, and Mao's gradual rise in power with the communist party, he lead them to finally defeat the opposition Nationalists after several decades of Civil War and invasions by Japan. China's government then, officially became Communist in 1949 with Mao Zedong ushering in a new era of supposed equality, yet resulted in many of China's inhabitants' not benefiting from the system. This lead to wide scale, extreme poverty in many areas of China.===

2. Who is Chairman Mao?

===Mao Zedong who was also referred to as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese Communist revolutionary, Marxist political philosopher and leader of the Chinese revolution, specialising in guerrilla warfare. He was also the founding father of the People's Republic of China (PRC) and although received little education as a child, was a very intelligent individual. His personal traits and the way in which he approached things during the revolution lead to him having total authoritarian control over China from 1949 when communism was established until his death on 9th September, 1976. He slowly rose to power during decades of Civil War and Japanese Invasion.===

3. What was life like for the Chinese poeple between 1930-1980? === **Between 1930 and 1980, a political shift took place in China with the relatively young Chinese Republic forming, in 1949, into the modern day People's Republic of China. Li Cunxin, the protagonist in Mao's Last Dancer, grew up, and recounted the events of a time in which Mao Zedong was ruling as Chairman of the Republic. The communist lifestyle endured by the Chinese people was generally set at a low standard. Many were impoverished, in need of sustenance, as well as money. Simple lives were led with jobs allocated to an average person for their whole life, involving a wage barely enough to feed a family. This period was a time of struggle for the majority, including the Li family from the text.** === 4. What is The Long March?
 * The Long March was a large-scale retreat made between 1934 and 1936, by the Red Armies of China, taking place during the Chinese Civil War. In the civil war, two opposing ideologies were against each other, Chiang Kai-Shek's Nationalist forces, and Chinese Communist armies.**

**After the Communists were surrounded at their headquarters, and threatened by Chiang Kai-Shek's forces, they fled west and north. From the Communist base in southern China, the red armies began the march in October 1934, marching at a refined (original estimates were deemed incorrect) count of 6,000km.**

**The Long March is celebrated as a great victory, preserving the Red Armies from complete annihilation. The epic march also plastered the position of Chairman Mao as the Communist leader. During the march, an estimated 85,000 troops shrunk to 7,000 due to desertions and deaths. Rugged terrain and cruelly cold temperatures, as well as dangerous river crossings and attacks by Capitalist forces, were endured.**

**At the end of the march, in the somewhat safe haven of the north, the united Red Army was able to recover, regroup, and overthrow the Nationalist forces, as of 1949.**

5. What was the ruling structure in China before communism? 6. Outline historical Chinese achievements. **China can be proud of its large selection of historical achievements that it has earned over its long history. In areas such as politics, economic, warfare and culture, China has been one of the countries at the head of the list for its contemporary and historical success. When referring to this cultured nation, the Four Great Inventions spring to mind. These were some innovations established by the Chinese, signifying their historical achievements, symbolising their advances in the areas of science and technology, and highlighting the interaction between the East and the West. These four inventions were the compass, gunpowder, papermaking, and printing.**
 * China boasts one of the oldest civilisations in the world, with a long, mystifying history spanning almost 5,000 years. Throughout this time, many rulers have led the vast land of China. Following prehistoric time, which lasted from 1.7 million years B.C. to the 21st century BC, ancient civilisation began. From this point, a long line of dynasties ruled China, starting with the Xia Dynasty and finishing in 1911, with the Qing Dynasty. Each dynasty, which was a family whose members ruled China for a long period of time or a period of time during which members of the same family ruled China, lasted through the passing down of ruling power from generation to generation. A new dynasty would come about when it overthrew the original dynasty. This process continued into the 20th century, until the Republic of China was established in 1911. Led by various heads of state, including the infamous Chiang Kai-shek, the system was eventually turned to a communist one and made the People's Republic of China that is present today.**

7. How has China changed today? What is life like in China now? ===China, although still Communist, has changed rapidly since the revolution in which mass poverty and starvation was experienced. Today, China is the world's largest manufacturer of exports which can be seen first-hand in the fact that almost everything we own has the famous words, "Made in China". Also, it is a large tourist destination for its beautiful historic sights and unique events. China is even quite ahead in terms of its use of technology and transport. In fact, the transformation from the revolution in the early 1900's is astounding.===