Unit Outline
In the chaos that was China in the early 1920s, communism began to emerge as a political force amongst students, intellectuals and revolutionaries across China. Yet with the founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) in 1921, the Party only totalled about 50 members. By 1927, this number had skyrocketed to 58,000. Clearly, the Party had done something to appeal to the masses in those years. Yet what it did, and the extent to which it can claim credit, is something that is hotly debated to this day.
Without a doubt, revolutionary ideas like communism were hugely appealing to a population suffering from warlord oppression, foreign imperialism, and grinding poverty. Social, economic and political inequality all conspired to inflict endless suffering on China's peasants and working classes. It was thus in these conditions that the CPC gained popularity. Firstly helped by the USSR whilst in alliance with the Guomindang, then on its own and led by Mao Zedong after the infamous Long March, the CPC slowly grew to become a legitimate and genuine rival for national government. But was this growth inevitable?
Without a doubt, revolutionary ideas like communism were hugely appealing to a population suffering from warlord oppression, foreign imperialism, and grinding poverty. Social, economic and political inequality all conspired to inflict endless suffering on China's peasants and working classes. It was thus in these conditions that the CPC gained popularity. Firstly helped by the USSR whilst in alliance with the Guomindang, then on its own and led by Mao Zedong after the infamous Long March, the CPC slowly grew to become a legitimate and genuine rival for national government. But was this growth inevitable?
statement of inquiry
Revolutionary ideas thrive in crisis conditions as excluded sections of society are attracted to new ideologies that promise fairer development
global context
Fairness and Development (Inequality, difference and inclusion) - Students will explore rights and responsibilities; the relationship between communities; sharing finite resources with other people and with other living things; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.
key history concept
Causation - Effective historical thinkers recognize that many claims made about the past seek to more thoroughly explain and understand how a certain set of circumstances originated. Deep historical understanding is demonstrated where students recognize that most historical events are caused by an interplay of diverse and multiple causes that require students to make evidence-based judgments about which causes were more important or significant, or which causes were within the scope of individuals to direct and which were not.
related history concept(s)
Ideology - An ideology is a system of ideas and ideals, which can form the basis of political or economic theories, policies and actions. Ideologies usually encompass systematic arrangements of premises and assertions that are used to interpret the world and make normative assertions about how it should be organized. Ideologies can evolve and change over time in order to meet the needs of a group of people or a society. Ideologies can be derived from the place and space in which a group of people or a society is located. Ideologies can evolve into political, economic or social systems and these systems can impact humans in a variety of ways. For example, through the definition of certain rights and responsibilities.
Innovation and Revolution - Innovation incorporates the understanding of processes that drive change and invention. In history, this concept looks at the process of generating new ideas, events, movements, products or solutions through the alteration, transformation, reorganization, restructuring, rearrangement, or renovation of existing ideas, events, movements, products or solutions. Innovation involves individuals and societies because they use their capacity to create, contrive and initiate a capacity that can lead to both positive and negative consequences in the short term and the long term. |