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Revolution of 1911
The Revolution of 1911 happened after the death of former ruler Ci Xi ending dynasty rule in China. After her death, China declared itself a republic. China had no experience being a republic and the economy was badly depressed. People were loyal to their family rather than the government. Civil war broke out across the country. Farms and industries were destroyed throughout China as a result of the conflict. This was the start of the depression in China among the poor. -
Long March 1920s
Chiang's forces outnumbered the Communists and forced them to flee. Led by Mao, they trekked more than 6,000 miles to the Northwest province of Shaanxi. Mao knew that the peasants (the poor) were the key to ruling the country, so he paid the peasant farmers for their food. This was the start of the peasants trusting the government to help them. -
Great Leap Forward 1958
Mao attempted to modernize China in one great leap forward. Mao divided China into communes each with a job assigned to them. Although they were provided everything that they needed to live, people still resisted the communes. They would sometimes destroy crops and would not work hard on the farms because their life was guaranteed. This program ultimately failed and this caused people to start losing faith in Mao. People were starting to look for a new leader. -
Four Modernizations 1978
After Mao died, there was a power struggle between Mao's widow and Deng Xiaoping. Deng wins the power struggle and becomes the leader of China. He wanted economic reforms and freedoms in China. Deng wanted to modernize agriculture, expand industry, develop science and technology, and upgrade defenses. As a result, China's economy boomed and industry rose. This led to the prediction that China will become the number two economy in the world by 2022.
