1. How and why did Mao become leader of China in 1949?

Lesson Objectives
​To identify how Mao took control of the CCP and became leader of China

Lesson Tasks
  1. Download, read and makes notes from the Lesson PowerPoint.​
  2. Read Chapter 3 of your textbooks and answer Activities 1-8.
  3. Create a brief timeline of Mao's rise to power, taking into account the key turning points and events that facilitated his rise to power.
  4. Divide into three groups. Each group will research a different aspect of Mao's rise to power, using the resources below:​​
    1. Group 1 - Historical Conditions: war, economic crisis, political instability, lack of leadership, fear of revolution, new ideas
    2. ​​Group 2 - Methods of Leader/Party: ​ideology, policies, message, personal skills, history, recruits, motivation, physical
    3. ​​Group 3 - Opposition: ​weak or unpopular policies, rigid or insensitive attitudes, failures to reform, divided leadership etc.
  5. ​​​Each group should aim to take detailed factual notes and write these notes down on the whiteboards. Use black ink for key events, dates, facts, statistics and examples. Use red or another colour for any quotes, interpretations and your own opinions.
  6. When you have finished, take a picture and record details about the historical conditions, methods and opposition of Mao's rise to power on this worksheet.
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Resources
  1. Chapter 3 in Price, E., & Senes, D. (2015). Authoritarian States. London: Pearson.
  2. Pages 44-47 (Founding of CCP); 48-56 (First United Front); 60-62 (White Terror/Autumn Harvest); 70-77 (Jiangsi Soviet and Long March); 82-96 (CCP at Yanan); 106-121 (2nd Sino-Japanese War); 124-152 (Chinese Civil War) from Lynch, M. (2010). China: From Empire to People's Republic 1900-49 (2nd ed). London: Hodder Education.

2. How do historians explain the rise of Mao?

Lesson Objectives
To evaluate the historiographical schools of thought and historians interpretations on the rise of Mao.

Lesson Tasks
  1. Download and complete this worksheet evaluating the historical perspectives on Mao's rise to power.
  2. How and why did Mao rise to power? ​​
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