The Chinese Revolution and Communist China
The Communists under Mao won the civil war in 1949.
About this topic
After the Qing dynasty fell in 1911, China became a republic under Sun Yat-sen but fractured into warlord rule. The Nationalists (Kuomintang), led by Chiang Kai-shek, and the Chinese Communist Party, founded in 1921 and later led by Mao Zedong, first cooperated and then fought a civil war. The Communists survived the Long March of 1934 to 1935, a gruelling retreat of thousands of kilometres, and gained peasant support by promising land reform.
Japan's invasion in 1937 paused the war, and then fighting resumed. In 1949 the Communists won, Mao proclaimed the People's Republic of China on October 1, and the Nationalists fled to Taiwan. Mao pursued collectivization and the Great Leap Forward (1958 to 1962), a failed attempt at rapid industrialization that caused a catastrophic famine killing tens of millions. The Cultural Revolution (1966 to 1976) attacked traditional ideas and intellectuals with Red Guards and brought chaos.
After Mao died in 1976, Deng Xiaoping introduced market-oriented reforms from 1978, opening special economic zones to foreign investment, which created rapid growth and made China the second-largest economy. Politically the party kept control, as seen in the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown. The one-child policy (1979 to 2015) slowed population growth. Misconception: modern China is not a purely communist economy but a mix of state control and markets.
Key ideas
- Great Leap Forward
- Cultural Revolution
- Reforms under Deng
Quick check
Use cases: where The Chinese Revolution and Communist China helps
- Homework: review the key idea behind The Chinese Revolution and Communist China before you start a problem set.
- Exam revision: use the quick check to test whether you can recall The Chinese Revolution and Communist China without notes.
- Visual learning: play with the interactive lab to see how The Chinese Revolution and Communist China changes when you adjust its inputs.
- Teaching a friend: explain The Chinese Revolution and Communist China in your own words, then compare your version with the key ideas.
Studying the past helps explain today’s politics, borders, cultures and institutions.
Frequently asked questions
What is The Chinese Revolution and Communist China?
The Communists under Mao won the civil war in 1949.
What will I learn in The Chinese Revolution and Communist China?
Great Leap Forward. Cultural Revolution. Reforms under Deng.
Is The Chinese Revolution and Communist China part of World History?
Yes. It is one of 80 World History topics on LearnViz HighSchoolEdu, with 3 key ideas, a live animation and a quick check.
Does the The Chinese Revolution and Communist China lab work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. The animation resizes to fit your screen and supports touch, so you can drag, tap and slide with your finger.
How should I study The Chinese Revolution and Communist China?
Read the summary and key ideas first, play with the interactive lab to see the idea in motion, then answer the quick check. If you get a question wrong, go back to the key idea it tests.
Do I need an account, and is my progress saved?
No account is needed. Marking a topic as learned is saved in your own browser, so it stays on that device and is not sent to a server.