Posts Categorized: Chapter 10

The Sino-Soviet Split

As China was suffering through the Great Leap Forward internally, Mao also attempted to remake the global communist power structure. Mao did not respect Russia’s new leader, Nikita Khrushchev, who Mao felt lacked revolutionary zeal. Relations between the two communist powers soured, as Mao’s extremism and belligerence increased.

The Great Leap Foward

These revolutionary movements culminated in one of human history’s most epic catastrophes, the Great Leap Forward (1958-1961). This movement completed the full-scale collectivization of Chinese agriculture, which proved disastrous. The resulting famine killed an estimated 30 million people. Ignoring calls for prudence from some advisors like Chen Yun, Mao thought he could: …lead the Chinese… Read more »

Permanent Revolution

Mao was convinced his new government would slip into complacency if the revolution wasn’t made “permanent.” In his first decade in office, he enacted many reforms, including the following: Land confiscation and reform (1950), executing million landlords. Marriage law reform (1950), fundamentally changing the status of women. Joining the Korean War against the United States… Read more »

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