BELLWORK1. Explain why Mao and Stalin did not like each other. What specific events
increased tensions between the two leaders?2. Explain why Mao and Khrushchev did not like each other. What specific
events increased tensions between the two leaders?3. Describe the Great Leap Forward. (Include goals, methods, failure)4. Explain the economic and political effects of the Great Leap Forward.5. Who was Deng Xiaoping? 6. THINKER: Both Mao & Stalin criticized each other for not being true
revolutionaries…… why? What is the main ideological difference between their interpretations of communism? Who do YOU think was the true revolutionary?
The Sino-Soviet Split
Publically international allies, but privately ideological enemies
(1949-1991)
Mao & Stalin’s RelationshipStalin’s views of Mao• Feared Mao as a rival• Didn't want Cold War to
spread to Asia• GMD would support Soviet
territorial claims• Believed GMD was stronger
party
Mao’s views of Stalin• Stalin wanted a weak China so he
could control Asia• Stalin’s policies are only self-
interest• Stalin was not a true
revolutionary• Stalin didn’t consider Mao a true
revolutionary (cult of personality)
Stalin’s 70th birthday
Discussion Both Mao & Stalin criticized each other
for not being true revolutionaries…… why? What is the main ideological
difference between their interpretations
of communism? (Chinese communism
vs. Soviet communism?) Who
do YOU think was the true revolutionary?
Mao & Stalin• The Sino-Soviet Treaty
of Alliance: 1950• Goal: Increase
economic/cultural ties• Soviet loans had to be
repaid with interest• USSR exploited China• Soviet investment in
construction projects• Soviet military
assistance
• Why was there so much criticism of this treaty?• Mao: “Stalin did not wish to sign the treaty; he finally signed it
after two months of negotiating”• U.S. State Dept.: “Moscow making puppets out of the
Chinese” • Khrushchev referred to it as: “an insult to the Chinese people”
Change in Soviet leadership……why did tensions continue?
Mao & Khrushchev’s relationship• Why didn’t these two communist
leaders like each other? What specific events increased the split?
• Khrushchev attacked the “cult of personality” around Stalin which Mao saw as an attack on his style of leadership
• Mao saw Cold War conflicts, like East Germany, as failure by the USSR for not containing uprisings
• Mao did not support “peaceful coexistence” with the West.
Mao & Khrushchev• Khrushchev made a visit to China
in 1954, which proved difficult; Khrushchev’s memoirs describe the atmosphere as “typically oriental. Everybody was unbelievably courteous and ingratiating, but I saw through their hypocrisy…. I remember that when I came back I told my comrades, ‘Conflict with China is inevitable.’ ” Mao & Khrushchev outside the Beijing
airport; 1954
Maybe things would be different after their 2nd meeting…..
• Nope! Mao and Khrushchev’s 1958 meeting did nothing to improve the split and exposed the deep rift within the communist party
Khrushchev’s 2nd Visit to Beijing, 1958
• “He’s a prizewinning swimmer, and I’m a miner. Between us, I basically flop around when I swim; I’m not very good at it. But he swims around, showing off, all the while expounding his political views…. It was Mao’s way of putting himself in an advantageous position.”
• An excerpt from Khrushchev’s memoir
Khrushchev’s Visit to the US, 1959
"We cannot expect Americans to jump from capitalism to Communism, but we can assist their elected leaders in giving Americans small doses of socialism until they suddenly awake to find they have Communism."
History of China’s Collectivization Policies• Traditional agricultural problems included drought, famine, invasions,
increased population, low life expectancy & high mortality rates • Pre-PRC: farmers owned their own plots of land• 1949: Established agricultural collectives which would facilitate the
sharing of tools and animals• 1949-1958: established “mutual aide teams” of 5-15 households• 1953: “elementary cooperatives” of 20-40 households• 1956: “higher cooperatives” of 100-300 families• By 1958, private ownership was completely abolished and all citizens
were forced into state-run communes– This was the situation when Mao implemented the Great Leap Forward
Great Leap Forward• 1958-1963 (discontinued in 1961)• Goal: rapidly transform the country
from an agrarian economy into a communist society through rapid industrialization and collectivization
• The hope was to industrialize by making use of the massive supply of cheap labor and avoid having to import heavy machinery.
Realize the simultaneous development of industry
and agriculture – People’s Communes are Good
(1960)
The communes are good, the people are numerous,
the natural resources abundant, it is easy to develop a diversified
economy (1960)
Rapid Industrialization
Countryside residents were often forced to work at night to produce steel
• Mao saw grain and steel as main source of economic development
• 1958: steel production would double each year
• 21 million jobs added (urban population swelled)
• Produced in backyard steel furnaces
• Material shortages and no increase in output
• By 1961, a looming deficit caused Mao to cut funding by 82%
Great Leap Forward• “Coercion, terror, and
systematic violence were the very foundation of the Great Leap Forward" and it "motivated one of the most deadly mass killings of human history.”– Dutch Historian &
author of Mao’s Great Famine, Frank Dikötter
Effects of the Great Leap Forward• Increased oppression due to enforcement by
struggle sessions, torture & forced labor• 30-45 million deaths• The Great Chinese Famine• Only period between 1953-1985 where
China’s economy shrank • Mao criticized by CCP• Moderate Party members like Liu Shaoqi,
Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping rose to power, and Mao was marginalized within the party
• Failure caused Mao to initiate the Cultural Revolution in 1966
The Great Chinese Famine• Widespread famine caused by
poor weather, economic mismanagement, radical changes in industry/agriculture, and the policies of the CCP
• “Three Bitter Years” (Chinese civilian reference)
• Led to the end of the Great Leap Forward
Liu Shaoqi
• President of the People's Republic of China from 1959 to 1968, during which he implemented policies of economic reconstruction in China.
Zhou Enlai• First Premier of the PRC: 1949-1976• Long-time aide to Mao, specialized in
foreign policy• After Korean War, advocated peaceful co-
existence• Due to his expertise and popularity, he
was able to avoid the purges• Allied with other moderates• His death (8 months before Mao) turned
into a public anger towards the government leading to the Tinanamen Square incident.
Deng Xiaoping• Head of the Secretariat of the CCP• Pre-GLF: Out-argued Soviet
theorists/ politicians; embarrassing for USSR
• Post-GLF: Implemented many moderate reforms with Liu Shaoqi
• Feeling threatened, by the moderates in the party, Mao will eventually remove Liu and Deng from power and force them into labor camps (1965-1972)