"Mao's use of terror and propaganda were his most effective methods of winning support of the peasants and common people." To what extent do you agree with this claim?
This claim is largely accurate; Mao made very effective use of propaganda and terror during his rise to power in China, with propaganda being particularly helpful toward achieving the goal of gaining the support of the common people. Source A points out that life in Communist controlled "liberation areas" was very appealing to peasants who lived in Guomindang China, because the news had spread that the Communists gave their people more freedom and abandoned certain unpleasant traditions such as forced marriages and the murder of unwanted children. This source also shows an example of Communist propaganda, portraying peasants working together to help the Red Army fight Japan. The fact the Communists seemed to support the idea of war with Japan while the Nationalists did not made many people side with the Communists.
Source B seems to argue that it was Mao's economic policy, specifically his methods of land reform, that gained the support of many peasants. A counterclaim to this might be that it was not the land reform itself, but rather Mao's promises of successful land reform in contrast with the poor economic policies of the Nationalists, that appealed to peasants, making this another example of the use of propaganda.
Source C states that "Mao's most formidable weapon was pitilessness," supporting the claim that terror had a large role in increasing Mao's support. The use of terror was very effective at decreasing opposition to the Communists, because Mao was ruthless with his enemies. However, it was not as effective as propaganda in terms of actually gaining the support of the peasants.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Causes, Practices, and Effects of the Chinese Civil War Assessment
Explain two major political causes of the Chinese Civil War.
One major political cause of the Chinese Civil War was the downfall of the Manchu dynasty, which ruled China until 1912. Many Chinese people saw the Manchus as being weak, because they had let China become heavily influenced by foreign nations and cultures. Several Western countries had established spheres on influence in China, where they had large amounts of economic control. In addition to this, Christianity was spreading very quickly in the area. The fact that the Manchus had allowed all of this to happen caused multiple revolutions, such as the Boxer Rebellion and the Revolution of 1911. Certain groups of people felt that they could do a better job ruling China than the Manchus did. The contest for power between these groups after the Manchu dynasty collapsed was an important cause of the civil war that followed.
Another political cause was the Russian Revolution, which started in 1917. This revolution occurred due to the increasing popularity of communism, with major leaders in the movement including Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. The communist party in Russia began a violent revolution against the tsarist dictatorship that ruled over them. The events that happened in China seem to have been inspired by this revolution in some ways. The political, social, and economic ideals of the Soviet Union eventually reached China, resulting in the formation of the Chinese Communist Party in 1922. This party became one of the two major factions that would fight in the Chinese Civil War, with the other being the Nationalists led by dictator Chiang Kaishek.
Analyze three strategies or tactics that were most helpful in the Communists winning the Chinese Civil War.
The three strategies that were most helpful to the Communists were the use of guerrilla warfare, attempts to gain the support of the common people of China, and the use of assistance from Russia. Using guerrilla warfare against the Guomindang was largely Mao's idea. The communists used indirect tactics, such as leading Nationalists into their territory where they could be ambushed or isolated from help and supplies. They would also lead raids on the Nationalists at night and destroy any infrastructure that might help their enemies. This was essential to the Communist victory, because the Guomindang had a much larger and better equipped military, so the Communists likely would have been defeated if they attacked Chiang Kaishek's forces head-on.
The Communists also ensured that they received the support of China's peasants. They took advantage of the fact that peasants were being mistreated by the Nationalists by improving conditions for them ending traditional practices like arranged marriages and by effectively using propaganda in the form of artwork to convince the people that the Nationalists were cruel and corrupt while the Communists were willing to work together for the common good. Gaining the support of peasants greatly increased the size of the People's Liberation Army, giving it a good chance of successfully attacking the Guomindang directly.
Despite the importance of the above strategies, some historians argue that assistance from Soviet Russia was the most important factor of the Communists' victory. Russia sent help to the Chinese Communist Party in the form of spies and military advisors. Spies gathered intelligence from the Nationalists to give to the Communists, while advisors like Otto Braun provided knowledge of strategies and tactics that could be used against the Guomindang.
Explain two major political effects of the Chinese Civil War.
One major political effect of the Chinese Civil War was the alliance that was formed between Russia and China during the Cold War. When the Communists won the civil war in 1949, they set up the government known as the People's Republic of China, which shared some policies and ideals with the USSR. Because of this, when tensions increased between Communism and the West, China and Russia agreed to help each other, signing a Mutual Aid Treaty in 1950.
Similarly to how Communism spread from Russia to China, it also began to spread from China to the rest of Asia. The United States saw this as a major threat, and so it adopted a policy of containment, meaning that it would try to stop the spread of Communism throughout the world at all costs. This resulted in multiple wars, including the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Explain two major economic effects of the Chinese Civil War.
The fighting that took place during the Chinese Civil War caused much of China's infrastructure to be damaged, which had a very negative effect on the nation's economy. Inflation was a large part of this, with the price of food increasing greatly beyond what it had been in the past. In an attempt to improve the economic situation, the People's Liberation Army was put to work repairing infrastructure such as bridges and railways.
Another economic effect of the war was the implementation of collective farming among peasant communities. This was very similar to what was done by other communist leaders, such as Stalin. Rather than giving land to individual peasants, land was taken away from wealthier peasants and land owners to be shared and farmed by groups of peasants collectively.
One major political cause of the Chinese Civil War was the downfall of the Manchu dynasty, which ruled China until 1912. Many Chinese people saw the Manchus as being weak, because they had let China become heavily influenced by foreign nations and cultures. Several Western countries had established spheres on influence in China, where they had large amounts of economic control. In addition to this, Christianity was spreading very quickly in the area. The fact that the Manchus had allowed all of this to happen caused multiple revolutions, such as the Boxer Rebellion and the Revolution of 1911. Certain groups of people felt that they could do a better job ruling China than the Manchus did. The contest for power between these groups after the Manchu dynasty collapsed was an important cause of the civil war that followed.
Another political cause was the Russian Revolution, which started in 1917. This revolution occurred due to the increasing popularity of communism, with major leaders in the movement including Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. The communist party in Russia began a violent revolution against the tsarist dictatorship that ruled over them. The events that happened in China seem to have been inspired by this revolution in some ways. The political, social, and economic ideals of the Soviet Union eventually reached China, resulting in the formation of the Chinese Communist Party in 1922. This party became one of the two major factions that would fight in the Chinese Civil War, with the other being the Nationalists led by dictator Chiang Kaishek.
Analyze three strategies or tactics that were most helpful in the Communists winning the Chinese Civil War.
The three strategies that were most helpful to the Communists were the use of guerrilla warfare, attempts to gain the support of the common people of China, and the use of assistance from Russia. Using guerrilla warfare against the Guomindang was largely Mao's idea. The communists used indirect tactics, such as leading Nationalists into their territory where they could be ambushed or isolated from help and supplies. They would also lead raids on the Nationalists at night and destroy any infrastructure that might help their enemies. This was essential to the Communist victory, because the Guomindang had a much larger and better equipped military, so the Communists likely would have been defeated if they attacked Chiang Kaishek's forces head-on.
The Communists also ensured that they received the support of China's peasants. They took advantage of the fact that peasants were being mistreated by the Nationalists by improving conditions for them ending traditional practices like arranged marriages and by effectively using propaganda in the form of artwork to convince the people that the Nationalists were cruel and corrupt while the Communists were willing to work together for the common good. Gaining the support of peasants greatly increased the size of the People's Liberation Army, giving it a good chance of successfully attacking the Guomindang directly.
Despite the importance of the above strategies, some historians argue that assistance from Soviet Russia was the most important factor of the Communists' victory. Russia sent help to the Chinese Communist Party in the form of spies and military advisors. Spies gathered intelligence from the Nationalists to give to the Communists, while advisors like Otto Braun provided knowledge of strategies and tactics that could be used against the Guomindang.
Explain two major political effects of the Chinese Civil War.
One major political effect of the Chinese Civil War was the alliance that was formed between Russia and China during the Cold War. When the Communists won the civil war in 1949, they set up the government known as the People's Republic of China, which shared some policies and ideals with the USSR. Because of this, when tensions increased between Communism and the West, China and Russia agreed to help each other, signing a Mutual Aid Treaty in 1950.
Similarly to how Communism spread from Russia to China, it also began to spread from China to the rest of Asia. The United States saw this as a major threat, and so it adopted a policy of containment, meaning that it would try to stop the spread of Communism throughout the world at all costs. This resulted in multiple wars, including the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Explain two major economic effects of the Chinese Civil War.
The fighting that took place during the Chinese Civil War caused much of China's infrastructure to be damaged, which had a very negative effect on the nation's economy. Inflation was a large part of this, with the price of food increasing greatly beyond what it had been in the past. In an attempt to improve the economic situation, the People's Liberation Army was put to work repairing infrastructure such as bridges and railways.
Another economic effect of the war was the implementation of collective farming among peasant communities. This was very similar to what was done by other communist leaders, such as Stalin. Rather than giving land to individual peasants, land was taken away from wealthier peasants and land owners to be shared and farmed by groups of peasants collectively.
Test Review
2 Political Causes
- Russian Revolution
- Downfall of the Manchu Dynasty
- Rise of Chinese nationalism
- New Tide
- Guerrilla Warfare (Long March)
- Aid from Russians (Advisors like
- Getting the support of civilians
- Russia and China form an alliance in the Cold War
- Communism spreads through Asia, causing the West to adopt a policy of containment
- Land reform/collectivization
- The PLA is put to work rebuilding China's infrastructure
Friday, February 26, 2010
Class Work 2/26
Aims of Mao
Mao's Methods
- Unite China under a single government and maintain control
- Gain support from the USSR (1950 Treaty of Mutual Aid and Assistance)
- Rebuild China (improve conditions in order to maintain support of the peasants/common people)
- Improve industry/industrialize China
- Improve agriculture
- Maintain power
Mao's Methods
- 1950 Marriage Law- no arranged/child marriages, no killing of female babies, joint ownership of property, maternity benefits (full wages for two months after the birth of a child)
- Agrarian Reform Law- redistribution of land, people were classified as landlords, rich peasants, middle peasants, or poor peasants, took land from the wealthy and gave it to the poor, "speak bitterness" meetings (peasants speak against landlords, 2-4 million landlords were killed)
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Effects of the Chinese Civil War (HW 5)
Political
- 1949 - Nationalists form a government in Taiwan (still exists today)
- 1949 - People's Republic of China (PRC) was formed (inherited the corruption left behind by the Nationalists)
- China becomes a single party state
- PRC forms an alliance with USSR during the Cold War, is immediately isolated by the West (Treaty of Mutual Aid & Assistance- 1950, USSR gives China advisors and credits)
- Fear and suspicion from USA + West about the spread of communism (1945-1991, United States opposes expansion of communism in Asia, containment policy)
- Wars in Korea (1950-1952) and Vietnam (1965-1975)
- Mao Zedong becomes the leader of the PRC (1949-1976)
- The PLA is put to work rebuilding China/infrastructure (a method Mao uses to unite China)
- Infrastructure (bridges, railways, dams, canals, farms) was destroyed
- Food shortages
- Inflation
- High unemployment
- June 1950 Land Reform Law (Mao's domestic policy)
- Land reform
- Collectivization
- Peasants Associations
- People who opposed the Communists were labeled as "reactionaries" and treated very strictly by the government
- Equality given to women
- Free speech/political rights taken away from reactionaries/nationalists
- Strikes (1945-49)
Monday, February 22, 2010
HW 4
1. The Communists made use of their territory; they were fighting on land that was familiar to them, so they were able to take advantage of it for guerrilla attacks. They were also able to convince the population to do what they wanted. Civilians helped the Communists by keeping their resources away from the Guomindang, and many even joined the Communists' army. A third reason for the success of the Communists was the aid they received from Russia, which helped them by setting up a Military Advisory Group.
2. This source suggests that foreign aid from Russia was the most important strategy that "tipped the scale" so that the Communists could defeat the Nationalists. Russia supplied the Chinese Communists with information and gave them advice about military tactics.
3. The sources all seem to agree that guerrilla warfare was a very important part of the Communists' victory. However, Jung Chang's view seems to be that Mao took such tactics to unnecessary levels, using terror in order to defeat the Guomindang. Jung Chang also puts a greater emphasis on the importance of Russian assistance.
4. The GRU was the organization responsible for Soviet military intelligence. CCP refers to the Chinese Communist Party. HQ means headquarters, likely referring to that of Chiang Kaishek, which was infiltrated by Russian spies.
5. It could be argued that Russia had a more important role in leadership than Mao did. According to Jung Chang, the advice and intelligence provided by the Soviets were what allowed Mao to lead his soldiers effectively in the first place.
6. This source claims that the Nationalists were more patriotic in fighting the Japanese, and that history has been rewritten to make the Communists look better.
7. Based on the other sources I have read, I do not believe the above claim. Other sources provided examples of Communist propaganda supporting the war against Japan, while this source offers no evidence to support the idea that the Nationalists were in fact the ones who wanted to form a united front.
8. This source says that the Japanese invasion helped Mao rise to power because the Nationalists suspended their war with the Communists in order to defend their country from Japan.
2. This source suggests that foreign aid from Russia was the most important strategy that "tipped the scale" so that the Communists could defeat the Nationalists. Russia supplied the Chinese Communists with information and gave them advice about military tactics.
3. The sources all seem to agree that guerrilla warfare was a very important part of the Communists' victory. However, Jung Chang's view seems to be that Mao took such tactics to unnecessary levels, using terror in order to defeat the Guomindang. Jung Chang also puts a greater emphasis on the importance of Russian assistance.
4. The GRU was the organization responsible for Soviet military intelligence. CCP refers to the Chinese Communist Party. HQ means headquarters, likely referring to that of Chiang Kaishek, which was infiltrated by Russian spies.
5. It could be argued that Russia had a more important role in leadership than Mao did. According to Jung Chang, the advice and intelligence provided by the Soviets were what allowed Mao to lead his soldiers effectively in the first place.
6. This source claims that the Nationalists were more patriotic in fighting the Japanese, and that history has been rewritten to make the Communists look better.
7. Based on the other sources I have read, I do not believe the above claim. Other sources provided examples of Communist propaganda supporting the war against Japan, while this source offers no evidence to support the idea that the Nationalists were in fact the ones who wanted to form a united front.
8. This source says that the Japanese invasion helped Mao rise to power because the Nationalists suspended their war with the Communists in order to defend their country from Japan.
Chapter 11 Questions
A.
B.2. The Guomindang did not seem to think ahead, causing them to lose land to the Communists after World War II. Also, the Guomindang did not seem to efficiently use its resources- it had many more weapons, soldiers, and supplies than the Communists, but it was unsuccessful in using them.
- After World War 2, the Communists were more spread out through China, and so they were able to gain control over the areas that had been taken by Japan more quickly than the Guomindang.
- The Communists' "People's Liberation Army" used guerrilla tactics (destroying railways, raiding Guomindang bases at night, ambushing patrols)
- The Guomindang was unable to maintain the support of the people, causing many of them to join the Communists.
- According to Chiang Kaishek, Guomindang soldiers were not disciplined enough.
- The Communists were flexible and willing to change strategies.
- The Communists fought very carefully, avoiding major battles that they could not win.
- The People's Liberation Army expanded very quickly, gaining more support with every success. It was eventually able to fight the Guomindang head-on, rather than through the use of guerrilla tactics.
- Corruption and poor economic management under the Nationalists caused peasants to join the Communists.
- America cut off all aid to China in 1947.
B.2. The Guomindang did not seem to think ahead, causing them to lose land to the Communists after World War II. Also, the Guomindang did not seem to efficiently use its resources- it had many more weapons, soldiers, and supplies than the Communists, but it was unsuccessful in using them.
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