UNIT III - The

Modern World

COMMUNISM

AND CHINA

What is communism?

Equality for all

Everything provided by the people, money not important

Process

Violent overthrow of democracy, then dictatorship, then permanent revolution with no government

Democracy (political term)

Power lies with the people generally through voting privileges

Capitalism (economic term)

Means of producing goods lies with private individuals not government

COMMUNISM

Mao Tse Tung (Zedong) (1943-1976)

Chairman of the Communist party

and leader of China

“The Chinese people have stood up.

Nobody will insult us again.”

Collectivizing Agriculture

Government takes over farms and

industry

“The Great Leap Forward”

Farms divided into huge communes

Each farm had 30,000 people

LIFE UNDER MAO

The Final Stage of

Communism

The classless society

Mao believed it would happen in

China by the year 2000

“Hard work for a few years,

happiness for a thousand.”

Economic Disaster

Bad weather and no incentive

15-30 million people starve to

death

CHINA AND THE CLASSLESS SOCIETY

The Cultural Revolution

Effort to revive interest in Mao’s ideas

after the failed Great Leap Forward

Mao’s Little Red Book

“Bible” for Chinese Communists

Most important source of information

The Red Guards

Mao appeals to the youth

Purge China/communism of impurity

“The Four Olds” – old ideas, old culture,

old customs, old habits

VIDEO – Chairman Mao Declassified

GREAT PROLETARIAN

CULTURAL REVOLUTION

Relationship with Soviet Union?

Terrible!

Wants Soviet aid to take back Taiwan, wants Soviets to promote world

revolution and domination of Communism, and want Soviet nuclear

bombs

Soviets refuse

Relationship with United States?

Terrible!

Finally, Mao Dies At 82

People tired of Mao’s ideas

Under Mao, at least 45 million people dead

What about Hitler and Stalin?

CHINA AFTER MAO

Communism Continues

Deng Xiaoping

“Four Modernizations” – industry, agriculture, technology, and defense

What is missing here?

Role of women increased

Isolation from world = far behind

Sends students abroad to study

What do they bring back to China?

Tiananmen Square Massacre (1989)

Students assemble to protest Communist Party

Tanks and troops kill 2,000

VIDEO – Tiananmen Square

One-Child Policy (1979)

Incentives offered / Infanticide

LIFE AFTER MAO

Still Governed by the Communist Party of China

Government opening up for people to vote democratically

Trying to balance limited capitalism with communist ideals

The Communist Government Still…

Restricts internet access

Controls what the press can write in newspapers

Has a policy where couples can only have one child (infanticide)

Doesn’t allow protests

Has no other opposition parties

IS CHINA STILL COMMUNIST?

THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA

THE BIRD’S NEST STADIUM

SHANGHAI SKYLINE

THE FORBIDDEN CITY - BEIJING

HANGZHOU

HONG KONG

THE HIMALAYAS

DIFFERENT STANDARD OF LIVING

Your Task…

You will write two separate letters. One letter will be as if you are living in a communist country writing to a relative living in a capitalist democratic country.

The other letter will be as if you are living in a capitalist democracy writing to a relative living in a communist country.

Each letter should give AT LEAST 5 examples of each respective type of government. Make sure to describe in detailwhat life would be like in each situation. Each letter should be AT LEAST three paragraphs (5-7 sentences in each)

COMMUNISM VS. DEMOCRACY