Civil War and the People's Republic

Main article: History of the People's Republic of China

Further information: Proclamation of the People's Republic of China; Retreat of the
government of Republic of China to Taiwan; Taiwan, China; and Cultural Revolution

The founding ceremony of the People's Republic of

China was held at 3:00 pm on October 1, 1949. The picture above shows Mao
Zedong's announcement of the founding of the People's Republic of China
in Tiananmen Square. [104]

Before the existence of the People's Republic, the CCP had declared areas of the
country as the Chinese Soviet Republic (Jiangxi Soviet), a predecessor state to the
PRC, in November 1931 in Ruijin, Jiangxi. The Jiangxi Soviet was wiped out by the
KMT armies in 1934 and relocated to Yan'an in Shaanxi where the Long
March concluded in 1935. It would be the base of the communists before major
combat in the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949. Afterwards, the CCP took control of
most of mainland China, and the Kuomintang retreating offshore to Taiwan.

On 1 October 1949, CCP Chairman Mao Zedong formally proclaimed the People's
Republic of China in Tiananmen Square, Beijing.[105] In 1950, the People's Liberation
Army captured Hainan from the ROC[106] and annexed Tibet.[107] However, remaining
Kuomintang forces continued to wage an insurgency in western China throughout the
1950s.[108]

The government consolidated its popularity among the peasants through the Land
Reform Movement, which included the execution of between 1 and 2 million
landlords.[109] China developed an independent industrial system and its own nuclear
weapons.[110] The Chinese population increased from 550 million in 1950 to 900
million in 1974.[111] However, the Great Leap Forward, an idealistic
massive industrialization project, resulted in an estimated 15 to 55 million
deaths between 1959 and 1961, mostly from starvation.[112][113] In 1964, China's first
atomic bomb exploded successfully.[114] In 1966, Mao and his allies launched
the Cultural Revolution, sparking a decade of political recrimination and social
upheaval that lasted until Mao's death in 1976. In October 1971, the PRC replaced
the Republic of China in the United Nations, and took its seat as a permanent
member of the Security Council.[115] This UN action also created the problem of
the political status of Taiwan and the Two Chinas issue.

Reforms and contemporary history

Further information: Chinese economic reform
The 1989 Tiananmen Square protests was ended by a military-led massacre which
brought condemnations and sanctions against the Chinese government from various
foreign countries.
After Mao's death, the Gang of Four was quickly arrested by Hua Guofeng and held
responsible for the excesses of the Cultural Revolution. Deng Xiaoping took power in
1978, and instituted large-scale political and economic reforms, together with the
"Eight Elders", CCP members who held huge influence during this time. The CCP
loosened governmental control over citizens' personal lives, and the communes were
gradually disbanded in favor of working contracted to households. The Cultural
Revolution was also rebuked, with millions of its victims being rehabilitated.
[116]
Agricultural collectivization was dismantled and farmlands privatized, while foreign
trade became a major new focus, leading to the creation of special economic
zones (SEZs). Inefficient state-owned enterprises (SOEs) were restructured and
unprofitable ones were closed outright, resulting in job losses. This marked China's
transition from a planned economy to a mixed economy with an increasingly open-
market environment.[117] China adopted its current constitution on 4 December 1982.

In 1989, the country saw large pro-democracy protests, eventually leading to

the Tiananmen Square massacre, bringing condemnations and sanctions from
various foreign countries, though the effect on external relations was short-lived.
[118]
Jiang Zemin was selected to replace Zhao Ziyang as the CCP general secretary;
Zhao was put under house arrest for his sympathies to the protests. Jiang later
additionally took the presidency and Central Military Commission
chairmanship posts, effectively becoming China's top leader. Li Peng, who was
instrumental in the crackdown, remained premier until 1998, after which Zhu
Rongji became the premier. They continued economic reforms,[119] further closing
many SOEs and massively trimming down "iron rice bowl" (occupations with
guaranteed job security).[120][121] During Jiang's rule, China's economy grew sevenfold.
[120]
British Hong Kong and Portuguese Macau returned to China in 1997 and 1999,
respectively, as special administrative regions under the principle of one country, two
systems. The country joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.[120]

Between 2002 and 2003, Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao succeeded Jiang and Zhu as
paramount leader and premier respectively.[120] Under Hu and Wen, China maintained
its high rate of economic growth, overtaking the United Kingdom, France, Germany
and Japan to become the world's second-largest economy.[122] However, the growth
also severely impacted the country's resources and environment,[123][124] and caused
major social displacement.[125][126] Hu and Wen also took a relatively more conservative
approach towards economic reform, expanding support for SOEs.[127]: 217 China hosted
the Beijing Olympics in 2008.[128]

Belt and Road Initiative and related projects

Xi Jinping and Li Keqiang succeeded Hu and Wen as paramount leader and premier
respectively between 2012 and 2013; Li Keqiang was later succeeded by Li Qiang in
2023. Shortly after his ascension to power, Xi launched a vast anti-corruption
crackdown,[129] that prosecuted more than 2 million officials by 2022.[130]: 171 Leading
many new Central Leading Groups to bypass traditional bureaucracy, Xi consolidated
power further than his predecessors.[131][132] Xi has also pursued changes to China's
economy, supporting SOEs[133] and making eradicating extreme poverty through
"targeted poverty alleviation" a key goal.[134] In 2013, Xi launched the Belt and Road
Initiative, a global infrastructure investment project.[135] Xi has also taken a more
assertive stance on foreign and security issues.[136] Since 2017, the Chinese
government has been engaged in a harsh crackdown in Xinjiang, with an estimated
one million people, mostly Uyghurs, but including other ethnic and religious
minorities, in internment camps.[137] The National People's Congress in 2018 amended
the constitution to remove the two-term limit on holding the Presidency, allowing for a
third and further terms.[138] In 2020, the Standing Committee of the National People's
Congress (NPCSC) passed a national security law that authorize the Hong Kong
government wide-ranging tools to crack down on dissent.[139] From December 2019 to
December 2022, the COVID-19 pandemic led the government to enforce strict public
health measures intended to completely eradicate the virus, a goal that was
eventually abandoned after protests against the policy in 2022.[140][141]