Mao Zedong and the emergence of the Chinese Communist Party

Early Stages (1921-1927)

• The CCP had its origins in the May 4th Movement which encouraged many Chinese intellectuals to turn to new ideologies like Marxism/Leninism.
• The Party was co-founded by Li Dazhao and Chen Duxiu on 23-31st July 1921 in Shanghai.
• Chen was elected leader.
• The Party was declared to be part of the Comintern.
• The Comintern provided $5,000 per year in support.
• Under pressure from the USSR, the CCP joined with the Kuomintang forming the First United Front against the warlords.
• Mao Zedong was a delegate at the first Party Conference but did not get on with the CCP leadership of Chen Duxiu, disliking their intellectualism and focus on cities.
• In 1925, he was excluded from the CCP Central Committee and was attracted to the Rural Communism of Peng Pai.

Civil War & WW2 (1927-1949)

• In 1927, Cheng Kai-shek turned on the Communists massacring over 5000 in Shanghai.
• By July, the Kuomintang had expelled all communists from the Party and the CCP was forced to flee to the province of Kiangsi.
• The CCP reacted by founding the "Red Army". They reorganised the Party according to democratic centralism forming a Politburo.
• In Oct 1934, surrounded by Kuomintang troops, the CCP was forced to flee on what became "The Long March".
• At the end in Oct 1935, Mao Zedong had taken over leadership of the party.
• In December 1936, at the Xi'an Incident, Chiang was forced to agree a Second United Front with the CCP against the Japanese.
• In July 1937, Japan began their invasion of mainland China.
• By the end of war in August 1945, the CCP controlled over 95 million people.
• Both the CCP and Kuomintang raced to accept the surrender of Japanese held areas.
• By early 1946, civil war had broken out again. 
• The CCP had only 900,000 soldiers vs 2.7 million Kuomintang troops.
• September 1949, most of China was under CCP control.
• Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan.

Ruling Party 1949-present

• The People's Republic of China (PRC) was declared by Mao on 1st October 1949.
• The ideology of PRC was founded on a Sinification of Marxist-Leninist principles.
• It was officially known as "Maoism"/"Mao Zedong Thought"
• During the 1960s, the CCP broke relations with the USSR and began a second "Cultural Revolution" in 1966 against alleged "class enemies".
• Mao died in 1976, resulting in a power struggle between General Secretary Hua Guofeng, Deng Xiaoping and the Gang of Four.
• Deng became the leader of CCP and instigated a reform and process of "Socialism with Chinese characteristics".
• This meant that China would be communist in politics but capitalist in economics.
• Jiang Zemin succeeded Deng after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests.
• All leaders would continue Deng's modernisation policies.