Contents
History of the People's Republic of China
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
History of the
People's Republic of China
1949–1976, The Mao Era
Revolution
Korean War
Zhen Fan
Three-anti/five-anti campaigns
Hundred Flowers Campaign
Anti-Rightist Movement
Great Leap Forward
Great Chinese Famine
Cultural Revolution
Lin Biao
Gang of Four
Tiananmen Incident
1976–1989, Era of Reconstruction
Economic reform
Sino-Vietnamese War
Tiananmen protests
1989–2002, A Rising Power
One country, two systems
Hong Kong (post 1997)
Macau (post 1999)
Chinese reunification
2002–present, China Today
Tibetan Unrest
Sichuan Earthquake
The Beijing Olympics
Ürümqi 7·5 riots
Shanghai 2010 Expo
See also:
Constitutional history
History of China
History of Beijing
History of Shanghai
Geography - Politics - Education
China Portal
History of China
ANCIENT
3 Sovereigns and 5 Emperors
Xia Dynasty 2100–1600 BCE
Shang Dynasty 1600–1046 BCE
Zhou Dynasty 1045–256 BCE
Western Zhou
Eastern Zhou
Spring and Autumn Period
Warring States Period
IMPERIAL
Qin Dynasty 221 BCE–206 BCE
Han Dynasty 206 BCE–220 CE
Western Han
Xin Dynasty
Eastern Han
Three Kingdoms 220–280
Wei, Shu & Wu
Jin Dynasty 265–420
Western Jin 16 Kingdoms
304–439
Eastern Jin
Southern & Northern Dynasties
420–589
Sui Dynasty 581–618
Tang Dynasty 618–907
( Second Zhou 690–705 )
5 Dynasties &
10 Kingdoms
907–960 Liao Dynasty
907–1125
Song Dynasty
960–1279
Northern Song W. Xia
Southern Song Jin
Yuan Dynasty 1271–1368
Ming Dynasty 1368–1644
Qing Dynasty 1644–1911
MODERN
Republic of China 1912–1949
People's Republic
of China
1949–present
Republic
of China
(Taiwan)
1945–present
A failed attempt
During 1931 to 1934, with the support from Soviet Union, Chinese communist party established another country inside the Republic of China, it was called Chinese Soviet Republic, it had its own bank system, printed its own money, etc. It was the first time when two Chinas occurred. It was officially dissolved on 22 September 1937, when the Chinese Communist Party issued, in the context of the Second United Front, its manifesto on unity with the Kuomintang, as the Second Sino-Japanese War was only a few weeks old[1].
History
The history of the People's Republic of China details the history of mainland China since October 1, 1949, when, after a near complete victory by the Communist Party of China (CPC) in the Chinese Civil War, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic of China (PRC) from atop Tiananmen (the gate of heavenly peace). The PRC has for several decades been synonymous with China, but it is only the most recent political entity to govern mainland China, preceded by the Republic of China (ROC) and thousands of years of imperial dynasties.
1949–1976: Socialist transformation under Mao Zedong
Before the formation of the People's Republic of China, the Chinese communist party established the Chinese Soviet Republic between 1931 to 1934. It was the first time since the end of the Song Dynasty(1279 CE) that China was split in more than one country. It was eventually destroyed by the Government of the Republic of China.
Following the Chinese Civil War and the victory of Mao Zedong's Communist forces over the Kuomintang forces of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, who fled to Taiwan, Mao declared the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. Mao's first goal was a total overhaul of the land ownership system, and extensive land reforms. China's old system of landlord ownership of farmland and tenant peasants was replaced with a distribution system in favor of poor/landless peasants. Mao laid heavy emphasis on class struggle and theoretical work, and in 1953 began various campaigns to persecute former landlords and merchants, including the execution of more powerful landlords. Drug trafficking in the country as well as Foreign investment were largely wiped out. Many buildings of historical and cultural significance as well as countless artifacts were destroyed by the Maoist regime, since they were considered reminders of the "feudal" past.
Mao believed that socialism would eventually triumph over all other ideologies, and following the First Five-Year Plan based on a Soviet-style centrally controlled economy, Mao took on the ambitious project of the Great Leap Forward in 1958, beginning an unprecedented process of collectivization in rural areas. Mao urged the use of communally organized iron smelters to increase steel production, pulling workers off of agricultural labor to the point that large amounts of crops rotted unharvested. Mao decided to continue to advocate these smelters despite a visit to a factory steel mill which proved to him that high quality steel could only be produced in a factory. He thought that ending the program would dampen peasant enthusiasm for his political mobilization, the Great Leap Forward.
The destruction of balance constitutes leaping forward and such destruction is better than balance. Imbalance and headache are good things. - Mao, May 1958, in a speech. [2]
The implementation of Maoist thought in China may have been responsible for over 70 million excessive deaths during peacetime,[3][4] with the Great Leap Forward, Anti-Rightist Campaign of 1957-58,[5] and theCultural Revolution. Because of Mao's land reforms during the Great Leap Forward, which resulted in massive famines, thirty million perished between 1958 and 1961. By the end of 1961 the birth rate was nearly cut in half because of malnutrition. [6] Active campaigns, including party purges and "reeducation" resulted in the imprisonment or execution of those deemed to hold views contrary to Maoist ideals. [7] Mao's failure with the Leap reduced his power in government, whose administrative duties fell to Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping.