Mao's Impact on China: Timeline

By ayakay

  • The People's Republic of China

    The People's Republic of China
    Mao Zedong, the leader of the Communist Party, declares the founding of the People’s Republic of China. Mao Zedong becomes the leader of the Communist government, the regime that is still in power today. This is the government that becomes the most stabilized form of government since the end of the Qing Dynasty.

  • Illiteracy Rate Lowered

    As new social standards began pushing their way into the everyday lives of the Chinese citizens, the literacy rose steadily from 15-25%. By 1959, the illiteracy rate had fallen from 80% to 43%.

  • Marriage Law Passed

    Marriage Law Passed
    Mao passed the Marriage Law which:
    - gave women rights and equality with men
    - got rid of the "traditional" marriage system (basically abolishing arranged marriages, child marriages, and male dominance in the family)
    - banned incest
    - enforced mutual divorce
    - introduced shared ownership of marital property

  • The Great Leap Forward

    The Great Leap Forward
    The Great Leap Forward was Mao Zedong's attempt to introduce the Communist ideology to China in early 1958. He wanted to target manufacturing and agriculture and match up with competitors like the Soviet Union and the United States. Although the first year showed substantial growth, the revolution ended with a famine as tens of millions died of starvation. The whole campaign ended in 1961, although the famine continued until a year later.
  • Period: to

    The Great Famine

    The Great Leap Famine was from 1959 to 1961 as a result of the failure of the Great Leap Forward. China suffered from serious flooding and not enough harvesting. Over 40 million people died from starvation as agriculture and steel production plummeted. Some people, in their desperation, even began killing and eating other people.

  • The Cultural Revolution

    The Cultural Revolution
    The Cultural Revolution was essentially Mao attempting to rid China of its "traditional" ways and values. Students formed Red Guard groups to enforce his vision. They hurt and killed intellectuals and anti-communists (who were seen as enemies of Mao). They wore red bicep bands and got their ideologies from "The Little Red Book".