Mao Zedong and the People's Republic of China
Many today believe that China is on its way to becoming one of the world's top superpowers. Increased diplomatic talks with the United States and its recent admission into the World Trade Organization only emphasize its growing political and economic importance. According to an article in TIME Magazine: "the People's Republic is the buzz of all Asia as a candidate superpower of the next century." All this from a country that at the beginning of the last century lacked an effective central government, and was still holding fast to socio-political traditions that were centuries old. Today, China has achieved the unity that has so long been an issue in its history, and that eluded political leaders from 1912 to 1949. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, no one could have imagined such progress, and it is possible that China would not have progressed at such a rate were it not for one man. Mao Zedong led China through a successful revolution, and instituted vital changes that allowed China to begin its journey to superpower status. At the beginning of the Twentieth Century, China was a land of tradition, mostly untouched by time. About ninety-four percent of the Chinese population lived in small rural villages. With a popu
Mao was the unchallenged leader of the CCP from 1949 to 1957, and this gave the entire movement an incredible advantage. In most revolutions, most notably the French Revolution and the Russian Revolution, power changed frequently over a short period of time after the shift of power away from the original authority. In any revolution a solid central authority is key, since almost any social, political or economic reforms take time to implement. Coupled with this strong authority, Mao also had the added advantage of being able to look upon the example of the Russian Revolution of 1918. This gave him a historical model to analyze, and it was then possible to pick and choose various strategies for implementing socialism in China. Mao realized that socialist reforms would have to be adapted to suit different regions of the vast Chinese sub-continent, with their own unique economic and cultural conditions, agricultural patterns, and local customs. The new People's Republic was put to the test not even a year after its creation, with the Korean War. When the Korean war began on June 25th, 1950, the North made enormous advances into the South. After the arrival of UN troops, however, the advancement was halted, and the Northern troops began to be pushed upwards. The United States did not want to provoke China, and told US General MacArthur to stay clear of the Chinese border. However, as one State Department official put it: MacArthur [...] had much broader objectives. To take advantage of the attack, to attack China, because he saw the Chinese communists as a threat in the area. So he was continuously doing things that would bring China into the war. Ever since the Long March, support for the Communists had been growing throughout the countryside, especially in the North. The CCP even attempted to institute land reforms, redistributing land from the rich to the poor. Land reform, however, often turned into violent mob rule, and support amongst some people wavered. Because of this, the CCP went back to its moderate wartime policies. The size of the Red Army almost doubled between 1943 and 1945, and their unparalleled popularity sharply contrasted with Chiang Kai-shek's corrupt and impotent KMT. During the war, the corruption of the government and military became evident to the population from the stories soldiers brought home with them. For example, army officers would often steal rice and replace it with sand in an attempt to hide their theft. Things were so bad in the army that one out of every ten men drafted, about one million men, died. While soldiers in Chiang's government were dying from starvation by the thousands, Mao's Red Army was living comfortably in Yanan and being taught his version of socialism. Probably the most important idea that Mao formulated during these pre-Republic years was that of his "Mass Line". It said that in order for the CCP to be successful, disciplined leadership and responsiveness to the people's needs was necessary. The party also needed to always be in close contact with the populous. The role of the CCP was to monitor the effects of socialist reform, consult with the people, and then adjust policies accordingly. This policy gave the people of China the impression that they had something which they had never possessed before, control over their own fate. By 1948, the CCP numbered over 3 million. That same year, Chiang over extended his armies in the north, and the Communists launched a massive offensive into the cities. By November 1948, the Communists had occupied all of Northern China, and continued their advance. The Communists managed to easily advance through China mainly because they had the overwhelming support of the people. KMT forces, on the other hand, were so disliked that - as one solider put it - "They would not even give us road directions.". On January 21st, 1949, Chiang Kai-shek resigned and fled to Taiwan, taking with him all of the nation's monetary reserves. In Februa
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3097
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)
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