China and Its China and Its Neighbors Neighbors

China and Its China and Its Neighbors Neighbors

Chapter 17Chapter 17

Beijing Celebrates Being Able to Host the 2008

Olympics

I. China’s Population

•Peoples Republic of China – Official name of China

• Largest populated country on earth with over 1.3 billion people

• Almost 5 times the population of the United States

Welcome to China

A. Huge Population

• Mao Zedong – Believed that a country’s power was related to its population

• Believed that China would never have a population problem because every “person has one mouth to feed but two hands to work”

• Overcrowding and hunger were a part of everyday life for many Chinese people

B. Population Control

• 1960s – Mao called for no families to have more than two children

• One-Child Policies – Couples are only allowed to have one child or they lose certain government benefits

• “Little Emperors” – China’s new population of pampered and spoiled children

• Most Chinese families favor having male children over female children

C. Short Chinese History

• Until the 1900s China was ruled by emperors or empresses

• Dynasty – Line of rulers from the same family who hold power until they are overthrown

• 1911 – China’s last dynasty is overthrown

D. Rise of Communism • Mao Zedong – Takes control of

China in 1949 and makes it a communist state

• Based on the ideas of Karl Marx• China is still a communist country,

but is moving away from traditional communist beliefs

E. Great Leap

• Communist took land away from the wealth and gave it to the peasants

• Created huge farms that destroyed China’s economy

• Over 20 million Chinese starved to death because of this program between 1958-1960

F. Cultural Revolution • Cultural Revolution – Mao wanted to

remove any opposition to his rule and the communist party

• Red Army – Radical police group that tried to force Chinese people to give up their traditions

• People who disagreed with Mao were beaten or put in jail