Pre-1949

• Religion- Confucianism

  A philosophy based on social harmony, everyone must find a place in social order and show respect to authority and elderly. The family was central to ones life.
• Religion- Buddhism 


  Started in TIbet and led by the Dhali Lhama. Focuses on reincarnation until you reach nirvana and meditaiton.
• Puyi 


  The last emproer Of china in 1911. End of the Qing dynasty before china became a republic.
• What year did the nationalists rise to power?

  In 1927 they defeated the warlords and established a government.

  Led by Chiang Kai Shek
• War with Japan 


  1937-45

  20 mill killed, 15 mill injured

  A united front with communists and nationalists
• Chinese civil war 


  1946-49

  2.5 million killed
• When/Where was the people’s republic of china declared?

  October 1st 1949 in Beijing
• Where did the nationalists flee to?

  Taiwan
• Marxism theory 


  Wrote the communist manifesto in 1848

  ’workers of all lands unite‘

  social relations are dependent in either a worker or an owner

  Believed that communism was the key to future and one day every country would have a revolution.
• Economy 


  The Chinese economy was weak as 80% still lived in poor rural areas.

  The country had not yet industrialised so was quickly falling behind western ones as it was relient on small scale farming techniques

  It had been badly hit durning the depression as food prices had plummeted and forge in trade dropped
• Social 


  China was behind the western views as women were not viewed as equals and could not own their own property

  Education was limited and the standards of it were poor- 80% of the country was illiterate

  Sickness and disease were huge problems as the healthcare was poor and limited outside the cities

  Resources were becoming limited as the population was quickly growing and production was struggling to keep up

  Regualar famines
• Political


  China had never been a democratic country before it had been ruled by emperors or warlords who ran their own provinces

  There was a lot of battle over who should run the country, there had been frequent battles between warlords, Japanese invasion and the Chinese civil war

  Not everyone in china was for a communist government

  The new government faced pressing problems with the lack of industrial development
• when and where was the first communist meeting?

  Shanghai in july 1921
• How many people attemed the first communist meeting and how many people were members of the party at this point?

  12 people attend including Mao and there were 57 members of the party
• What background was Mao from? 


  Rich peasant
• The long march. 


  The communists embarked in the 1930s to escape the nationalists

  Walked 6,000 miles to north-west China

  Only 8,000 survived

  Made base at yan’an
• How many people were massacred in Nanjing?

  300,000
• What happened to the nationalist front after the war with Japan?

  Fell apart
• Who were the nationalists backed by?

  The USA
• What did the communists lack in the civil war?

  Manpower and machinery
• How many years after the fall of the empire did the communists take over?

  38