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Communists take control of China
o On October 1, 1949 Chinese Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the creation of the People’s Republic of China. This ended a civil war that broke out between the Chinese Communist Party and the Nationalist Party. This “fall” of China to communism led the United States to suspend diplomatic ties with the PRC for decades. -
Old China and Soviet Union Sign Treaty of Friendship
o Soon after the start of the Korean War, General Douglas MacArthur led U.S. forces across the 38th Parallel and drove north towards China, which brought China into the conflict and created the first military clash between U.S. and Chinese forces since the Boxer Uprising of 1900. With the United States and China engaged in combat, anti-American sentiment rose in China. -
Korean War Begins
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Korean War Ends
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Mao unveiled the Great Leap Forward
o Mao launched this mass campaign to thoroughly reform society and dramatically increase industrial output in a very short period of time, by organizing the countryside into massive communes that would produce both food and iron and steel. After one year of bumper crops, agricultural output in some areas plummeted. Devastating famines started, and rural production of iron and steel in “backyard furnaces” did not meet the targets for industrial production, leading to the near collapse of the Chin -
second taiwan crisis
o The PRC shelled Nationalist outposts on Jinmen and Mazu Islands off the coast of Fujian Province, sparking a second crisis in which the United States again intervened by sending ships into the Taiwan Strait. -
Sino-Soviet Split
o The Sino-Soviet Alliance was nullified as the USSR cut its support with the PRC. -
Nixon Visists China
o The Shanghai Communiqué was formed. In this document the United States and China stated their positions on a number of issues, including joint opposition to the Soviet Union, the U.S. intention to withdraw its military from Taiwan, and U.S. support for a “peaceful settlement of the Taiwan question by the Chinese themselves.” This began the process of full normalization of relations between the United States and the PRC. -
Open Door Policy
o the Open Door Policy refers to the new policy announced by Deng Xiaoping in December 1978 to open the door to foreign businesses that wanted to set up in China.
