We explain what the Chinese revolution was like and what the main events were. We also explain how communism spread.
In 1949, the communist army managed to prevail and established the government of Mao Zedong.
What was the Chinese Revolution of 1949?
The Chinese Revolution is the name given to the revolutionary process that China went through from the civil war that began in 1947 to 1949. During the process, the communists, organized in the Chinese Communist Party led by Mao Zedong, and the nationalists, linked to the Chinese Nationalist Party (known as Kuomintang) led by Chiang Kai-Shek, clashed. The communists gained greater support among the civilian population and the nationalists eventually ceded major Chinese cities to communist forces.
In October 1949, Mao Zedong founded the People’s Republic of China and established a communist state. As a result, the Nationalists and the civilian population that supported them took refuge on the island of Taiwan, which declared itself an autonomous and capitalist republic.
History of the Chinese Revolution of 1949
The decline of the former imperial China had led to European colonial intervention in the 19th century. China under the last emperors of the Qing dynasty suffered repeated humiliations at the hands of European powers, the US and Japan.
The proclamation of the Republic in 1912 did not bring the stability that an impoverished country needed. Two important forces emerged from this period of crisis:
- The Kuomintang was a nationalist group supported by the urban bourgeoisie and led by Chiang Kai-shek, which exercised government over most of the country.
- The Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It was a group with an essentially peasant social base and led by Mao Zedong.
The civil war between the two factions broke out in 1927 and lasted until 1937, when both armies joined forces to fight off the Japanese invasion. The Sino-Japanese War continued into World War II. When the world conflict ended with the Japanese defeat in 1945, China emerged as one of the big beneficiaries.
However, the Japanese occupation and the war had left the country in ruins. In this context, the civil war between the Kuomintang and the communist People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was rekindled.
The economic crisis, high inflation and widespread state corruption meant that, despite receiving American aid, Chiang Kai-shek’s government gradually lost popular support.
The Communist army, meanwhile, implemented land reform in the areas it controlled and saw millions of peasants join it. Eventually, Chiang Kai-shek and the remnants of the Kuomintang army fled to the island of Taiwan.
On October 1, 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People’s Republic of China in BeijingThe war ended in May 1950, when the PLA finally gained control of western China and Tibet.
Communism in China
Traditionally, The ideas of communism were based on the Marxist thesis that the working class was the main revolutionary agent.
Mao introduced his own vision of Marxist theory, in which he analyzed how to make revolution and implement communism in China, a country where the working class was essentially non-existent.
Before the 1949 revolution, the majority of the population was peasant and the country’s production was essentially agrarian. In his version of communism, Mao held that the peasantry should be the main revolutionary class.
Mao Zedong’s Government
Mao established strong control over public administration through the Chinese Communist Party.
During his government, Mao carried out various reforms to establish economic and political communism in the country.. It established a one-party government, controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, and organized a planned, centralized, state-controlled economy.
In order to exercise real control over state administration, he carried out the “Three Anti” and “Five Anti” campaigns between 1951 and 1952. Under the pretext of cleansing the administrative system of bureaucratic corruption, he succeeded in expelling the enemies of the new state and ideological opponents from the government system.
His government was also characterized by explicit repression of dissent, censorship and control of the press, and by programs for the “re-education” of the population. Following the economic crisis generated by his economic policies, his leadership was compromised and he was harshly criticized.
In response, he carried out a program known as the “Cultural Revolution” aimed at reestablishing his political status within the party. The program was essentially a purge of the opposition at different levels of government and the party.
Economy during Mao’s rule
In the early years of government, Mao sought stabilize the national economy ruined by the Japanese occupation and civil war. He also introduced a series of reforms aimed at consolidating communism in China. Initially, he established moderate reforms in the agrarian sphere and the nationalization of certain industrial activities.
However, at the end of the first decade of his government, he sought to accentuate reforms to consolidate communism in China. In 1958, he launched his “Great Leap Forward” program, in which he established a program of collectivization and relocation of workers. Millions of peasants were sent to work in steel factories.
The outcome of the program was very negative for the Chinese economy, politics and society.. Harvests failed, creating a serious food shortage and, consequently, famine for a large part of the population. This situation led to strikes and demonstrations against the government, which responded by harshly repressing them. It is estimated that more than 50 million people died due to famine and political violence.
International politics during Mao’s rule
In the context of the Cold War, Mao’s Communist Revolution in China was welcomed by the Soviet Union, which was then beginning to form the Eastern Bloc. However, over time, China demonstrated that it would not remain under the control of the Soviet Union.
During the Korean War (1950-1953), the CCP feared that the US military would gain ground in Korea and continue its advance into China to reestablish Kuomintang rule and put an end to the communist revolution. As a result, sent troops to support communist forces in Korea and stop the American advance.
In the 1960s, Mao pushed his nuclear development program, a key element in gaining power in the Cold War arms race. Mao argued that China must maintain a strong leadership against war against the Western Bloc. He accused imperialism of being a “paper tiger” and He believed that if necessary, a nuclear war would have to be waged against the West..
This belligerent attitude created some problems for the Soviet Union in its relations with the Western Bloc. In addition, this discord was compounded by disputes over territorial claims and doctrinal differences. Consequently, in 1961, China and the Soviet Union broke off their formal relations.
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References
- Tato, MI, Bubello, JP, Castello, AM and Campos, E. (2011). History of the second half of the 20th century. Road.
- Bianco, L. (1967). The origins of the Chinese Revolution. Bellaterra Editions.
- Moreno, J. (1991). Contemporary China: 1916-1990. Istmo Editions.