Class 11 Notes History-Paths to Modernisation: China

The modern history of China has revolved around the question of how to regain Independence end the humiliation of foreign occupation and bring about equality and development.

The beginning of modern China can be traced to its first encounter with the West in the sixteenth century when Jesuit missionaries introduced Western sciences such as Astronomy and mathematics.

In this article, You will get to learn about the History of China, the Establishment of the Republic in China, The Rise of the Communist Party of China, and much more about the Path to Modernisation of China.

Class 11 Notes History-Paths to Modernisation: China

History of China

The beginning of modern China can be traced to its first encounter with the West in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Xinhai Revolution (1911): Overthrow of the Qing Dynasty, establishment of the Republic of China.

• During 1839-42, the British won the first opium war in China and snatched power from the Qing dynasty. The second opium war was fought in 1856-60.

• It revolves around three questions – a) How to regain Sovereignty b) End the humiliation of Foreign Occupation c) Bring out equality and development.

• There were three views:
  1) Liang Qichao used traditional ideas in new and different ways to meet Western challenges. He popularised Chinese nationalism.
  2) Republican revolutionary Sun Yat Sen was inspired by the ideas from Japan and the West. He was the founder of the modern China and established a republic in 1911 AD.
  3) The Communist Party of China (CCP) wanted to end age-old inequalities and dispel foreigners.

• May Fourth Movement (1919): Intellectual and cultural movement advocating for democracy and science.

• Chinese Civil War (1927 – 1949): Nationalists (KMT) vs. Communists (CCP).

• Founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) (1949) by Mao Zedong and the CCP.

• Great Leap Forward (1958-1962): Famine caused by Mao’s radical economic policies.

• Cultural Revolution (1966-1976): Chaotic sociopolitical movement launched by Mao.

• Reform and Opening Up (1978 – Present): Economic reforms under Deng Xiaoping led to rapid growth and global integration.

List of important events during the path to Modernisation of China

Timeline	Event
1644 – 1911	Qing Dynasty
1839 – 1860	Two Opium Wars
1912	Sun Yat-Sen founds Guomingdang
1919	May Fourth Movement
1921	CCP founded
1926-49Civil	l Wars in China
1934	Long March
1949	People’sRepublicc of China Chiang Kia-Shek founds Republic of China in Taiwan
1962	China attacks India over border dispute
1966	Cultural Revolution
1976	Death of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai
1997	Hong Kong returned to China by Britain

Establishing the Republic in China

The Manchu empire was overthrown and a republic was established in 1911 under Sun Yat-sen (1866-1925) who is unanimously regarded as the founder of modern China.

• Yat-Sen’s programme was called the Three Principles – These were Nationalism – which meant overthrowing the Manchu who were seen as a foreign dynasty, as well as other foreign imperialists. Democracy or establishing democratic government and Socialism regulating capital and equalizing landholdings.

• Revolutionaries asked to drive out the foreigners to control natural resources, remove inequalities, and reduce poverty.

• Advocated reforms –  use of simple language, abolishing foot binding and female subordination, equality in marriage and economic development.

• Sun Yat-sen’s ideas became the basis of the political philosophy of the Guomindang which were identified as the ‘four great needs –  clothing food, housing and transportation.

• After the death of Sun, Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975) emerged as the leader of the Guomindang. He launched a military campaign to control the “warlords” regional leaders who had usurped authority and to eliminate the communists.

• He advocated a secular and rational ‘this-worldly’ Confucianism.

• He encouraged women to cultivate the four virtues of chastity, appearance, speech and work and recognise their role as confined to the household.

• The Guomindang’s social base was in urban areas. Industrial growth was slow and limited. In cities such as Shanghai which became the centres of modern growth, by 1919 an industrial working class had appeared numbering 500,000. Only a small percentage were employed in modern industries such as shipbuilding

The Rise of the Communist Party of China

• Founding of the CCP (1921): A small group of intellectuals, including Mao Zedong and Chen Duxiu, founded the CCP in Shanghai. They were inspired by Marxism and the success of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.

• The Long March (1934-1935): Fleeing KMT encirclement Mao Zedong led the CCP on a grueling 6000-mile trek to establish a new base area in northwestern China. The Long March became a defining moment in CCP history solidifying Mao’s leadership and establishing the Red Army’s reputation for resilience.

• The Yan’an Period (1935-1945): During their time in Yan’an, the CCP developed its ideology and military strategy. Mao Zedong Thought which emphasized peasant revolution and guerrilla warfare became the dominant ideology within the party.

• Second United Front with the KMT (1937-1945): The two parties temporarily cooperated again to fight against Japan’s invasion of China during World War II. However, the alliance soon fractured after the war ended.

• Chinese Civil War (1945-1949): The CCP’s land reform program, which promised land ownership to peasants garnered them widespread support in rural areas. Meanwhile, the KMT government became increasingly corrupt and unpopular. In 1949 the CCP decisively defeated the KMT and established the People’s Republic of China.

Establishing the New Democracy (1949 – 65)

The People’s Republic of China government was established in 1949. It was based on the principles of the ‘New Democracy’, an alliance of all social classes, unlike the ‘dictatorship of the proletariat’ that the Soviet Union said it had established.

• Critical areas of the economy were put under government control, and private enterprise and private ownership of land were gradually ended. This programme lasted till 1953 when the government declared that it would launch a programme of socialist transformation.

• Private enterprise and Private ownership of land were abolished.

• The Great Leap Forward movement launched in 1958 was a policy to galvanise the country to industrialise rapidly.

• Mao was able to mobilise the masses to attain the goals set by the Party. His concern was with creating a ‘socialist man’ who would have five loves: fatherland, people, labour, science and public property.

• Liu Shaochi (1896-1969) and Deng Xiaoping (1904-97) tried to modify the commune system as it was not working efficiently. The steel produced in the backyard furnaces was unusable industrially.

Conflicting Visions (The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution ): 1965-78

• The conflict between the Maoists wanting to create a ‘Socialist Man’ and those who objected to his emphasis on ideology rather than expertise, culminated in Mao launching the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution in 1965 to counter his critics.

• The Red Guards, mainly students and the army were used for a campaign against old culture, old customs and old habits.

• Students and professionals were sent to the countryside to learn from the masses. Ideology (being Communist) was more important than having professional knowledge. Denunciations and slogans replaced rational debate.

• The Cultural Revolution began a period of turmoil, weakened the Party and severely disrupted the economy and educational system.

• In 1975, the party once again emphasized greater social discipline and the need to build an industrial economy.

Reforms from 1978 (Deng Xiaoping)

• Deng Xiaoping kept party control strong while introducing a socialist market economy. In 1978, the Party declared its goal as the Four Modernisations (to develop science, industry, agriculture, and defence). The debate was allowed as long as the Party was not questioned.

• In this new and liberating climate, as at the time of the May Fourth movement 60 years earlier, there was an exciting explosion of new ideas.

• On 5 December 1978, a wall poster, ‘The Fifth Modernisation’ proclaimed that without Democracy the other modernisations would come to nothing.

• In 1989 on the seventieth anniversary of the May Fourth movement many intellectuals called for a greater openness and an end to ‘ossified dogmas’ (su shaozhi).

• Student demonstrators at Tiananmen Square in Beijing were brutally repressed.

• The post-reform period has seen the emergence of debates on ways to develop China. The dominant view supported by the Party is based on strong political control, economic liberalisation and integration into the world market.

• Growing revival of traditional ideas of Confucianism and arguments that China can build a modern society based on its traditions rather than simply copying the West.

The Story of Taiwan

• Taiwan had been a Japanese colony since the Chinese ceded it after the 1894-95 war with Japan.

• The Cairo Declaration (1943) and the Potsdam Proclamation (1949) restored sovereignty to China.

• The GMD, under Chiang Kai-shek, went on to establish a repressive government forbidding the freedom of speech, and political opposition.

• They excluded the local population from positions of power. they carried out land reforms that increased agricultural productivity and modernised the economy .

• Transformation of Taiwan into a democracy after the death of Chiang in 1975.

• Martial law was lifted in 1987 and opposition parties were legally permitted.

• Diplomatically most countries have only trade missions in Taiwan instead of complete diplomatic ties because it (Taiwan) is considered to be part of China.

• The question of reunification with the mainland remains a contentious issue but “Cross-Strait” relations (that is between Taiwan and China) have been improving.

• China may be willing to tolerate a semi-autonomous Taiwan as long as it gives up any move to seek independence.

Two Roads to Modernisation

• The histories of Japan and China show how different historical conditions led them on widely divergent paths to building independent and modern nations.

• Japan was successful in retaining its independence and using traditional skills and practices in new ways.

• In the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) China faced a humiliating defeat. On 17 April 1895, the Treaty of Shimonseki was signed between China and Japan, ending the First Sino-Japanese War.

• The Chinese became vulnerable after their defeat and declared that both China and Japan needed reforms for modernisation.

• Sino-Japanese war served as the basis for the Anglo-Japanese alliance in 1902.

• The path to modernisation for China was very different from that of Japan.

• The nineteenth and twentieth centuries saw a rejection of traditions and a search for ways to build national unity and strength.

Path to Modernisation: China Class 11 – FAQs

When did China start Modernisation?

In December 1978 at the 3rd planery session of the 11th central committee of the Chinese Communist Party , Deng Xiaoping announced the official launch of the Four Modernization formally making the begining of the reform.

Who formed modern China?

Following the Chinese Civil War and victory of Mao Zedong’s Communist forces over the Kuomintang forces of Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek, who fled to Taiwan, Mao Zedong proclaimed the founding of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) on 1 October 1949.

Who is the father of modern China?

Sun Yat-Sen is commonly referred to as father of modern China as he was responsible for overthrowing Qing dynasty and ending conservative monarchy of 2000 years.

Who was the first leader of modern China?

CCP Chairman Mao Zedong was the first to hold the office of state chairman. He was elected at the founding session of the National People’s Congress in 1954. At the 2nd NPC in 1959, Mao was succeeded by Liu Shaoqi, first-ranked Vice Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party.

What is modern Chinese called?

Mandrain Chinese in the form spoken in and around Beijing forms the basis for Modern Standard Chinese—Guoyu, “National Language,” usually called putonghua “common language” by the Chinese.