The Chinese Revolution

(1949)
By Howard
What is the Chinese
Revolution?

 The Chinese Revolution refers to a series of great

political upheavals in China between 1911 and 1949
that brought the classical, Confucian, imperial era to
an end and eventually led to Communist rule and the
establishment of the People’s Republic of China.
Growth of Communism

 Sun Yat-sen appealed for Russian (Soviet) aid

following the Versailles Conference
 1921-1925 – China received advisors, arms,
communist propaganda, and loans
 Russia revoked its imperialist rights in China

Chinese flag, 1912-1928

Start of the Chinese
Revolution(1949)
The Communist Revolution began with the 1946 resumption of
open war between the Communist Party of China led by Mao
Zedong and the Kuomintang by Chiang Kai-shek after the end of
the Second World War.

With the breakdown of talks, an all-out war resumed. This stage

is referred to in mainland China and Communist historiography
as the "War of Liberation“. On 20 July 1946, Chiang Kai-shek
launched a large-scale assault to the Communist area with 1.6
million troops. The final phase of the Chinese Civil War broke out.
“War of Liberation”

Communis
Communis
t
t
Nationalist
Nationalist

Communis Communis
t t
Nationalist Nationalist
Communists in Control – 1949

 Communists and Nationalists resumed civil war following

World War II
 Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government wasted foreign
economic aid
 Many Kuomintang deserted to Communists
 Manchuria – taken over by Communists in 1948
 December, 1949 -- Communists in control
 Chiang Kai-shek and Nationalists retreated to Formosa
(Taiwan)
 Geographical Changes

 Communist China
gained control over:
 Chinese People
 Turkestan
(Xinjiang)
 Inner Mongolia
 Manchuria
 Tibet

PRC = People’s Republic of China (Communists) / ROC = Republic of China (Nationalists)

 Review Questions

1. Which group led the Republican Revolution of 1949?

2. Who led the Communist Revolution?
3. What led to the Chinese Revolution?
4. What were the geographical changes?