Topic 6: China (1949–1999)

The emergence of China as the most populous communist state had global ramifications that continued for the remainder of the 20th century. Its growth as a dominant world power resulted from a combination of internal processes and engagement with other nations.

A background study introduces students to the policies under Mao Zedong that resulted in the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. They consider the ways in which post-Mao China responded to those changes, underwent reform and modernisation following new social, political, cultural, and economic challenges.

The following are focus areas for study in this topic:

• Mao and the consolidation of the Revolution
• the search for harmony
• the road to modern China

Background study

The establishment of the People’s Republic

• An overview of the rise of the Chinese Communist Party.
• The economic, political, and social systems of the People's Republic of China.
• The status of Taiwan, Tibet, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Focus areas

Mao and the consolidation of the revolution

• The role of Mao Zedong and the Communist Party in post-war reconstruction, the treatment of ethnic, religious, and political opponents.
• The struggle to define and control the periphery of China, including the integration of Tibet, the Korean War, and the start of planned Han migration to Xinjiang.
• The social, political and economic aims and impacts of The Great Leap Forward on China.

The search for harmony

• The impact of the Cultural Revolution on everyday lives and culture, including women.
• The death of Mao, the struggle for leadership, and the Gang of Four.
• Reforms led by Deng Xiaoping, including the Four Modernisations, and their impact on the economic, social and political development of China.
• Causes of and responses to the Tiananmen Square protests.

The road to modern China

• The characteristics and impacts of construction projects of national unity.
• Responses to political, ethnic and religious dissent.
• The One China Policy, the return of Hong Kong and Macao and the status of disputed territories.
• The nature of changes that led to China becoming a leading world economy.