The Modernization

of China

1911-1976

Chapter 9

China

• World’s oldest continuous civilization• Its isolation allowed it to develop without

European influence• History of dynasties

– Dynasty: series of rulers from the same family– Ruler was viewed as the son of heaven

• Rulers were given their authority from heaven, they must be fair or they will lose their mandate

– Emperors who ruled for many years were considered to be good

Development of China’s Culture

• Three major religious or ethical traditions

• Confucianism– Confucius lived from 551 BCE-489 BCE– Was bothered by disorder, developed ideas

to restore peace and harmony– Teachings are found the The Analects

Development of China’s Culture

• Taught about the five relationships– Ruler and ruled– Father and son– Husband and Wife– Older brother and younger brother– Friend and Friend

• All relationships (except friends) had one person of authority over another

• Believed that the superior person should set an example for the other

• Teachings stressed loyalty, honesty, and good work

Development of China’s Culture

• Taoism– Based on the teachings of Lao-tzu 604

BCE-531 BCE– Taught that individuals should seek harmony with

nature– Government should leave people alone to do as little

as possible

• Buddhism– Came to China from India– Includes ideas from Taoism & Confucianism

Isolation

• Remained Isolated until Marco Polo wrote his book The Travels of Marco Polo – Caused Europeans to travel to China for silk

and spices

End of Dynastic China• Opium Wars – 2 wars from 1830s-1860s – British Indian

merchants were smuggling opium into China’s ports – wars ended with China signing unequal treaties that allowed other countries unrestricted access to China (spheres of influence)

• Taiping Rebellion – 1850-64 – civil war to oppose opium war treaties and western imperialism

• Boxer Rebellion – Aug. 1900 – “Boxers” in China (secret groups pledged to rid China of foreign powers) killed hundreds of Christian missionaries and foreigners from Europe/US and their spheres of influence – Europe/US sent soldiers to end rebellion

• Qing Dynasty ended in 1912 – last Qing emperor lost power and favor with the people – result of these previous 3 events…

1912-1920s1912-1920s

Sun Yat-sen, President of the Nationalist People’s Party (Kuomintang - KMT)

• Forged alliances with Soviet Union

• Tried to re-unify China into republic so people would have a say in the

government (provinces had been ruled by warlords)

• Yat-sen died of cancer in 1925

Chiang Kai-shek takes over the leadership of the Nationalist Party

(KMT)

•Continued the task of reunification of all of China.•Did not like Communists, so he tried to kill them off.•Mao Zedong was one of the few who escaped.

The Long March – a series of marches around China

•For a year in 1934 Nationalists chased down the Communists, trying to eliminate them.•Communists had 100,000 people when they started, ended up 6,000 miles later with only 4,000-8,000 people.Why?Did not know where they were going.

Japanese Involvement

•1937 Japan invades China from Manchuria to take advantage of fighting within country.

•After Pearl Harbor attack, Japanese focus turned to fighting the Americans.

•20 million Chinese die at the hands of Japanese by 1945.

Post WWII China•Nationalists vs. Communists – fighting.•Nationalists have too much debt…solved problems by printing money, which led to hyperinflationOctober 1949•Nationalists & Kai-shek flee to Taiwan.•Mao Zedong proclaims the creation of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Communism

• Communist leader was Mao Zedong

• Communism appealed to the poor because it offered land reform– Welcomed the idea that foreign imperialism

would end

• Communist leaders promised to modernize China by encouraging industry

1958 Great Leap Forward aka

“A Serious Leap Backward”Purpose: Increase China’s production

capacity because the agricultural output was not living up to its potential.

•Communes and Industries set up for people to farm and produce steel.

•People told to reproduce to be able to run family farms… beginning of

overpopulation problems!

The rest of the story…•Ended up being the greatest man-made famine in all of history – communes were

not self-sufficient!

•Officially “bad weather” was blamed.

Cultural Revolution 1966-1976• Mao’s attempt to erase the

influence of Confucius or the “old order”

1.Ideology2.Thought3.Habits4.Social Order/Customs

•Everyone should live a peasant’s life…academics taken away to work farms, farmers given open entrance to universities (didn’t want academics to revolt!)•Dissenters killed.•Books, music, libraries, museums, cultural centers destroyed.•The rest of the story…it was a miserable failure!

• Mao dies 1976

• Deng Xiaoping became president of PRC

• He didn’t want death & destruction anymore!

1976 Reforms: Four Modernizations

1. Modernization and mechanization of agriculture.

2. Immediate upgrade of defense forces.

3. Modernization and expansion of industry.

4. Development of science, technology, and medicine.