The Spread of Communism After 1900
Unit 8: c. 1900-Present
Main Ideas:
-
Internal tension & Japanese aggression allowed Chinese communists to gain support of the Chinese population & seize power, controlling the economy with strict measures
​
-
Many postcolonial states in Africa, Asia, and Latin America had movement to redistribute land & other resources, often advocating communism or socialism
Chinese Communism
Internal Turmoil Allowed the Chinese Communist Party to Take Over
Key Ideas:
-
Internal turmoil + Japanese Aggression → Allowed Chinese Communist Party to appeal to the Chinese Population → Chinese Communist Party took over in 1949 after winning the Chinese Civil War (1927-49)
-
China had lots of economic problems in early 1900s → Many peasants hated the current Qing Dynasty government
-
Chinese communist party promised economic equality to all → Very appealing for the Chinese population
-
Chinese Civil War (1927-49) between Guomindang (nationalists) vs CCP (communists) → CCP (Chinese Communist Party) won
-
​​​
-
Chinese Communist Party implemented strict measures to boost the national economy
-
The Great Leap Forward was an economic plan meant to transform China into a communist economy (by implementing collectivization of agriculture)
-
This failed, causing a famine that killed tens of millions of people​
-
-
Other Communist Movements
Many People Wanted Land Redistribution, Often Advocating Communism/Socialism
Key Ideas:
-
Many postcolonial states in Africa, Asia, and Latin America had movements to redistribute land & other resources, often advocating communism or socialism
-
Many people were influenced by the spread of Marxist communism from USSR or China and wanted more economic power
-
Most of these people were poor peasants who had little economic power, which is why communism's promise of economic equality appealed to them​
-
-
Vietnam and Korea both had communist movements
-
K. R. Gouri Amma was a Marxist communist leader of the Indian state of Kerala, and she implemented land reform policies
-
White Revolution was a program in Iran, launched in 1963, and did many socialist reforms, such as land reform​​​​
-