History of the People 's Republic of China - wikipedia History of the People 's Republic of China This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( September 2011 ) History of the People 's Republic of China ( PRC ) 1949 -- 1976 Mao era Revolution Korean War Killings of landlords Zhen Fan Three - anti and Five - anti Campaigns Hundred Flowers Campaign Anti-Rightist Campaign Great Leap Forward ( Great Chinese Famine ) Cultural Revolution ( Lin Biao Gang of Four Tiananmen Incident ) 1976 -- 1989 Restructuring Economic reform Sino - Vietnamese War Beijing Spring Anti-Spiritual Pollution Campaign Tiananmen protests 1989 -- 2002 Rising power One country, two systems ( Hong Kong Macau ) Chinese unification 2002 -- present Recent history Sichuan earthquake Beijing Olympics Shanghai 2010 Expo Wang Lijun incident 2015 China Victory Day Parade Anti-corruption campaign after the 18th Party Congress History of China PRC constitution Beijing Shanghai Generations of leadership 1. Mao 2. Deng 3. Jiang 4. Hu 5. Xi Culture Economy Education Geography Politics China portal History of China ANCIENT Neolithic c. 8500 -- c. 2070 BCE Xia dynasty c. 2070 -- c. 1600 BCE Shang dynasty c. 1600 -- c. 1046 BCE Zhou dynasty c. 1046 -- 256 BCE Western Zhou Eastern Zhou Spring and Autumn Warring States IMPERIAL Qin dynasty 221 -- 206 BCE Han dynasty 206 BCE -- 220 CE Western Han Xin dynasty Eastern Han Three Kingdoms 220 -- 280 Wei, Shu and Wu Jin dynasty 265 -- 420 Western Jin Eastern Jin Sixteen Kingdoms Northern and Southern dynasties 420 -- 589 Sui dynasty 581 -- 618 Tang dynasty 618 -- 907 ( Second Zhou dynasty 690 -- 705 ) Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms 907 -- 960 Liao dynasty 907 -- 1125 Song dynasty 960 -- 1279 Northern Song Western Xia Southern Song Jin dynasty Yuan dynasty 1271 -- 1368 Ming dynasty 1368 -- 1644 Qing dynasty 1644 -- 1912 MODERN Republic of China 1912 -- 1949 People 's Republic of China 1949 -- present Related articles Chinese historiography Timeline of Chinese history Dynasties in Chinese history Linguistic history Art history Economic history Education history Science and technology history Legal history Media history Military history Naval history view talk The history of the People 's Republic of China details the history of mainland China since October 1, 1949, when, after a near complete victory by the Communist Party of China ( CPC ) in the Chinese Civil War, Mao Zedong proclaimed the People 's Republic of China ( PRC ) from atop Tiananmen. The PRC has for several decades been synonymous with China, but it is only the most recent political entity to govern mainland China, preceded by the Republic of China ( ROC ) and thousands of years of imperial dynasties. Contents 1 1949 -- 1976 : Socialist transformation under Mao Zedong 2 1976 -- 1989 : Rise of Deng Xiaoping and economic reforms 3 1989 -- 2002 : Economic growth under the third generation 4 2002 -- present 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 7.1 Historiography 8 External links 1949 -- 1976 : socialist transformation under Mao Zedong Main article : History of the People 's Republic of China ( 1949 -- 1976 ) Following the Chinese Civil War and the victory of Mao Zedong 's Communist forces over the Kuomintang forces of Generalissimo Chiang Kai - shek, who fled to Taiwan, Mao declared the founding of the People 's Republic of China on October 1, 1949. Mao 's first goal was a total overhaul of the land ownership system, and extensive land reforms. China 's old system of gentry landlord ownership of farmland and tenant peasants was replaced with a distribution system in favor of poor / landless peasants which significantly reduced economic inequality. Over a million landlords were executed. In Zhangzhuangcun, in the more thoroughly reformed north of the country, most `` landlords '' and `` rich peasants '' had lost all their land and often their lives or had fled. All formerly landless workers had received land, which eliminated this category altogether. As a result, `` middling peasants, '' who now accounted for 90 percent of the village population, owned 90.8 percent of the land. Mao laid heavy theoretical emphasis on class struggle, and in 1953 began various campaigns to persecute former landlords and merchants, including the execution of more powerful landlords. Drug trafficking in the country as well as foreign investment were largely wiped out. Mao believed that socialism would eventually triumph over all other ideologies, and following the First Five - Year Plan based on a Soviet - style centrally controlled economy, Mao took on the ambitious project of the Great Leap Forward in 1958, beginning an unprecedented process of collectivization in rural areas. Mao urged the use of communally organized iron smelters to increase steel production, pulling workers off of agricultural labor to the point that large amounts of crops rotted unharvested. Mao decided to continue to advocate these smelters despite a visit to a factory steel mill which proved to him that high quality steel could only be produced in a factory. He thought that ending the program would dampen peasant enthusiasm for his political mobilization, the Great Leap Forward. The implementation of Maoist thought in China may have been responsible for over 40 -- 70 million deaths including famine during peacetime, with the Great Leap Forward, Anti-Rightist Campaign of 1957 -- 1958, and the Cultural Revolution. Millions died from both executions and forced labour. Because of Mao 's land reforms during the Great Leap Forward, which resulted in massive famines, thirty million perished between 1958 and 1961. By the end of 1961 the birth rate was nearly cut in half because of malnutrition. Active campaigns, including party purges and `` reeducation '' resulted in the imprisonment or execution of those deemed to hold views contrary to Maoist ideals. Mao 's failure with the Leap reduced his power in government, whose administrative duties fell to Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping. To impose socialist orthodoxy and rid China of `` old elements '', and at the same time serving certain political goals, Mao began the Cultural Revolution in May 1966. The campaign was far reaching into all aspects of Chinese life. Red Guards terrorized the streets as many ordinary citizens were deemed counter-revolutionaries. Education and public transportation came to a nearly complete halt. Daily life involved shouting slogans and reciting Mao quotations. Many prominent political leaders, including Liu and Deng, were purged and deemed `` capitalist - roaders ''. The campaign would not come to a complete end until the death of Mao in 1976. Supporters of the Maoist Era claim that under Mao, China 's unity and sovereignty was assured for the first time in a century, and there was development of infrastructure, industry, healthcare, education ( only 20 % of the population could read in 1949, compared to 65.5 % thirty years later ), which raised standard of living for the average Chinese. They also claimed that campaigns such as the Great Leap Forward -- an example of the concept New Democracy -- and the Cultural Revolution were essential in jumpstarting China 's development and `` purifying '' its culture. Others claim that though the consequences of both these campaigns were economically and humanly disastrous, they left behind a `` clean slate '' on which later economic progress could be built. Supporters often also doubt statistics or accounts given for death tolls or other damages incurred by Mao 's campaigns, attributing the high death toll to natural disasters, famine, or other consequences of political chaos during the rule of Chiang Kai - shek. 1976 -- 1989 : rise of Deng Xiaoping and economic reforms Main article : History of the People 's Republic of China ( 1976 -- 1989 ) Mao Zedong 's death was followed by a power struggle between the Gang of Four, Hua Guofeng, and eventually Deng Xiaoping. Deng would maneuver himself to the top of China 's leadership by 1980. At the Third Plenum of the Eleventh National Party Congress Central Committee, Deng embarked China on the road to Economic Reforms and Openness ( 改革 开放 Gaige Kaifang ), policies that began with the de-collectivization of the countryside, followed with industrial reforms aimed at decentralizing government controls in the industrial sector. A major document presented at the September 1979 Fourth Plenum, gave a `` preliminary assessment '' of the entire 30 - year period of Communist rule. At the plenum, party Vice Chairman Ye Jianying declared the Cultural Revolution `` an appalling catastrophe '' and `` the most severe setback to ( the ) socialist cause since ( 1949 ). '' The Chinese government 's condemnation of the Cultural Revolution culminated in the Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party Since the Founding of the People 's Republic of China, adopted by the Sixth Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. This stated that `` Comrade Mao Zedong was a great Marxist and a great proletarian revolutionary, strategist and theorist. It is true that he made gross mistakes during the `` cultural revolution '', but, if we judge his activities as a whole, his contributions to the Chinese revolution far outweigh his mistakes. His merits are primary and his errors secondary. '' On the subject of Mao 's legacy Deng coined the famous phrase `` 7 parts good, 3 parts bad '' and avoided denouncing Mao altogether. Deng championed the idea of Special Economic Zones ( SEZs ), areas where foreign investment would be allowed to pour in without strict government restraint and regulations, running on a basically capitalist system. Deng laid emphasis on light industry as a stepping stone to the development of heavy industries. Supporters of the economic reforms point to the rapid development of the consumer and export sectors of the economy, the creation of an urban middle class that now constitutes 15 % of the population, higher living standards ( which is shown via dramatic increases in GDP per capita, consumer spending, life expectancy, literacy rate, and total grain output ) and a much wider range of personal rights and freedoms for average Chinese as evidence of the success of the reforms. Although standards of living improved significantly in the 1980s, Deng 's reforms were not without criticism. Hard - liners asserted that Deng opened China once again to various social evils, and an overall increase in materialistic thinking, while liberals attacked Deng 's unrelenting stance on political reform. Liberal forces began gathering in different forms to protest against the Party 's authoritarian leadership. In 1989, the death of Hu Yaobang, a liberal figure, triggered weeks of spontaneous protests in the Tiananmen Square. The government imposed martial law and sent in tanks and soldiers to suppress the demonstrations. Western countries and multilateral organizations briefly suspended their formal ties with China 's government under Premier Li Peng 's leadership, which was directly responsible for the military curfew and bloody crackdown. Critics of the economic reforms, both in China and abroad, claim that the reforms have caused wealth disparity, environmental pollution, rampant corruption, widespread unemployment associated with layoffs at inefficient state - owned enterprises, and has introduced often unwelcome cultural influences. Consequently, they believe that China 's culture has been corrupted, the poor have been reduced to a hopeless abject underclass, and that the social stability is threatened. They are also of the opinion that various political reforms, such as moves towards popular elections, have been unfairly nipped in the bud. Regardless of either view, today, the public perception of Mao has improved at least superficially ; images of Mao and Mao related objects have become fashionable, commonly used on novelty items and even as talismans. However, the path of modernization and market - oriented economic reforms that China started since the early 1980s appears to be fundamentally unchallenged. Even critics of China 's market reforms do not wish to see a backtrack of these two decades of reforms, but rather propose corrective measures to offset some of the social issues caused by existing reforms. In 1979, the Chinese government instituted a one child policy to try to control its rapidly increasing population. The controversial policy resulted in a dramatic decrease in child poverty. The law currently applies to about a third of mainland Chinese, with plans in place to ease it to a two - child limit. The achievements of Lee Kuan Yew to create an economic superpower in Singapore had a profound effect on the Communist leadership in China. They made a major effort, especially under Deng Xiaoping, to emulate his policies of economic growth, entrepreneurship, and subtle suppression of dissent. Over 22,000 Chinese officials were sent to Singapore to study its methods. 1989 -- 2002 : economic growth under the third generation Main article : History of the People 's Republic of China ( 1989 -- 2002 ) After the events at Tiananmen, Deng Xiaoping retired from public view. While keeping ultimate control, power was passed onto the third generation of leadership led by Jiang Zemin, who was hailed as its `` core ''. Economic growth, despite foreign trade embargoes, returned to a fast pace by the mid-1990s. Jiang 's macroeconomic reforms furthered Deng 's vision for `` Socialism with Chinese Characteristics ''. At the same time, Jiang 's period saw a continued rise in social corruption in all areas of life. Unemployment skyrocketed as unprofitable SOE 's were closed to make way for more competitive ventures, internally and abroad. The ill - equipped social welfare system was put on a serious test. Jiang also laid heavy emphasis on scientific and technological advancement in areas such as space exploration. To sustain vast human consumption, the Three Gorges Dam was built, attracting supporters and widespread criticism. Environmental pollution became a very serious problem as Beijing was frequently hit by sandstorms as a result of desertification. The 1990s saw two foreign colonies returned to China, Hong Kong from Britain in 1997, and Macau from Portugal in 1999. Hong Kong and Macau mostly continued their own governance, retaining independence in their economic, social, and judicial systems. Jiang and President Clinton exchanged state visits, but Sino - American relations took very sour turns at the end of the decade. On May 7, 1999, during the Kosovo War, US aircraft bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. The U.S. government claimed the strike was due to bad intelligence and false target identification. Inside the US, the Cox Report stated that China had been stealing various top US military secrets. In 2001, a US surveillance plane collided with a Chinese fighter jet over international waters near Hainan, inciting further outrage with the Chinese public, already dissatisfied with the US. On the political agenda, China was once again put on the spotlight for the banning of public Falun Gong activity in 1999. Silent protesters from the spiritual movement sat outside of Zhongnanhai, asking for dialogue with China 's leaders. Jiang saw it as threatening to the political situation and outlawed the group altogether, while using the mass media to denounce it as an evil cult. Conversely, Premier Zhu Rongji 's economic policies held China 's economy strong during the Asian Financial Crisis. Economic growth averaged at 8 % annually, pushed back by the 1998 Yangtze River Floods. After a decade of talks, China was finally admitted into the World Trade Organization. Standards of living improved significantly, although a wide urban - rural wealth gap was opened, as China saw the reappearance of the middle class. Wealth disparity between East and the Western hinterlands continued to widen by the day, prompting government programs to `` develop the West '', taking on such ambitious projects such as the Qinghai - Tibet Railway. The burden of education was greater than ever. Rampant corruption continued despite Premier Zhu 's anti-corruption campaign that executed many officials. 2002 -- present Main article : History of the People 's Republic of China ( 2002 -- present ) The first major issue faced by China in the 21st century as a new generation of leaders led by Hu Jintao after assuming power was the public health crisis involving SARS, an illness that seemed to have originated out of Guangdong province. China 's position in the war on terror drew the country closer diplomatically to the United States. The economy continues to grow in double - digit numbers as the development of rural areas became the major focus of government policy. In gradual steps to consolidate his power, Hu Jintao removed Shanghai Party Chief Chen Liangyu and other potential political opponents amidst the fight against corruption, and the ongoing struggle against once powerful Shanghai clique. The assertion of the Scientific Perspective to create a Socialist Harmonious Society is the focus of the Hu - Wen administration, as some Jiang - era excesses are slowly reversed. In the years after Hu 's rise to power, respect of basic human rights in China continue to be a source of concern. The political status and future of Taiwan remain uncertain, but steps have been taken to improving relations between the Communist Party and several of Taiwan 's parties that hold a less antagonistic view towards China, notably former rival Kuomintang. The continued economic growth of the country as well as its sporting power status gained China the right to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. However, this also put Hu 's administration under intense spotlight. While the 2008 Olympic was commonly understood to be a come - out party for People 's Republic of China, in light of the March 2008 Tibet protests, the government received heavy scrutiny. The Olympic torch was met with protest en route. Within the country these reactions were met with a fervent wave of nationalism with accusations of Western bias against China. In May 2008, a massive earthquake registering 8.0 on the Richter scale hit Sichuan province of China, exacting a death toll officially estimated at approximately 70,000. The government responded more quickly than it did with previous events, and has allowed foreign media access to the regions that were hit the hardest. The adequacy of the government response was generally praised, and the relief efforts extended to every corner of Chinese life. In May and June 2008, heavy rains in southern China caused severe flooding in the provinces of Anhui, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian and Guangdong, with dozens of fatalities and over a million people forced to evacuate. As of 2009 China has increased its internet monitoring capabilities by adding hundreds of new monitoring stations. See also History of China History of the Republic of China History of Hong Kong History of Macau Dynasties in Chinese History Economic History of China Historiography of China History of Chinese Art History of Education in China History of Science and Technology in China Legal History of China Linguistic History of China Military history of China Naval History of China Timeline of Chinese history References Jump up ^ Stephen Rosskamm Shalom. Deaths in China Due to Communism. Center for Asian Studies Arizona State University, 1984. ISBN 0 - 939252 - 11 - 2 pg 24 Jump up ^ The Great Leveler : Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty - First Century, Walter Scheidel, 2017 Jump up ^ Fenby, J ( 2008 ). Modern China : The Fall and Rise of a Great Power, 1850 to the Present. Ecco Press. p. 351. ISBN 0 - 06 - 166116 - 3. Mao 's responsibility for the extinction of anywhere from 40 to 70 million lives brands him as a mass killer greater than Hitler or Stalin, his indifference to the suffering and the loss of humans breathtaking Jump up ^ Teiwes, Frederick C., and Warren Sun. 1999. China 's road to disaster : Mao, central politicians, and provincial leaders in the unfolding of the great leap forward, 1955 -- 1959. Contemporary China papers. Armonk, N.Y. : M.E. Sharpe. pp. 52 -- 55. Jump up ^ MacFarquhar, Roderick. 1974. The origins of the Cultural Revolution. London : Published for Royal Institute of International Affairs, East Asian Institute of Columbia University and Research Institute on Communist Affairs of Columbia by Oxford University Press. p 4. Jump up ^ Link, Perry ( July 18, 2007 ). `` Legacy Of a Maoist Injustice ''. The Washington Post. Jump up ^ Galtung, Marte Kjær ; Stenslie, Stig ( 2014 ). 49 Myths about China. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 189. ISBN 978 - 1442236226. Jump up ^ Meisner, M. ( 1999 ). China 's Communist revolution : A half - century perspective. Current history ( New York, N.Y. : 1941 ). 98. 246. Jump up ^ Poon, Leon. `` The People 's Republic Of China : IV ''. History of China. Retrieved April 4, 2010. Jump up ^ Sixth Plenary Session of the Eleventh Central Committee of the Communist Party of China ( June 27, 1981 ). `` Comrade Mao Zedong 's Historical Role and Mao Zedong Thought -- Resolution on Certain Questions in the History of Our Party Since the Founding of the People 's Republic of China ( abridged ) ''. Communist Party of China. Retrieved April 14, 2010. Jump up ^ Malcolm Moore ( 15 November 2013 ). `` China to ease one - child policy ''. Telegraph. Retrieved 26 December 2013. Jump up ^ `` China 's two - child policy will underwhelm ''. The Economist. 31 October 2015. Retrieved 23 November 2015. Jump up ^ Chris Buckley, `` In Lee Kuan Yew, China Saw a Leader to Emulate, '' New York Times March 23, 2015 Further reading Lynch, Michael. Access to History : Mao 's China 1936 -- 97 ( 3rd ed. Hachette UK, 2015 ) Historiography Eben V. Racknitz, Ines. `` Repositioning History for the Future -- Recent Academic Debates in China '' History Compass ( 2014 ) 12 # 6 pp. 465 -- 472. Finnane, Antonia. `` Reinventing Modern China : Imagination and Authenticity in Chinese Historical Writing. '' Asian Studies Review 39 # 1 ( 2015 ) : 163 -- 164. Longxi, Zhang. `` Re-conceptualizing China in our Time : From a Chinese Perspective. '' European Review 23 # 2 ( 2015 ) : 193 -- 209. Unger, Jonathan. Using the Past to Serve the Present : Historiography and Politics in Contemporary China ( Routledge, 2015 ) External links Cold War International History Project : Document Collection on China in the Cold War `` Rethinking ' Capitalist Restoration ' in China '' by Yiching Wu Peoples Republic of China by P.M. Calabrese China Timeline : A Chronology of Key Events in China by Gerhard K. Heilig China from the Inside -- 2006 PBS documentary. KQED Public Television and Granada Television for PBS, Granada International and the BBC. 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Question: when was the people's republic of china formed
Answer: October 1, 1949