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China In The 20th Century Essay example

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Overview

China in the 20th century has been going through enormous changes. From

colonialism and imperialism to republicanism, from communism to capitalism, and from

underdevelopment to a country maintaining over 10% economic growth for over ten

years. In this research paper, I will focus on the transition of China from a Communist

command economy to a type of market economy as well as the economic fluctuations

throughout this period.

In 1949 Oct 1, the People’s Republic of China was established. Before 1949,

there was a period of civil war soon after the world war two. The confrontation was

between the Nationalist Komintang led by Chiang Kai Shek and peasant-based

Communist party led by Mao-Zedong, ended with …show more content…

He was in favor of capitalist-style reforms and he also changed China

fundamentally by introducing dramatic changes in economy to cope with the growing

influence of global capitalism.

3
The period of Mao

Before the People’s Republic of China was established, China remained

predominantly rural and agricultural, with close to 90 percent of the population living in

the countryside and about 65 percent of the national income generated in the agricultural

sector. (Liu and Yeh 1965, 66, 212) At that time, very few people could read, inflation

was so high that prices sometimes rose daily, and the tenants were greatly exploited by

landlords (Kristof and Wudunn,61).

The period of 1949 to 1952 was largely the reconstruction and rehabilitation

period. Land reform began promptly after the founding of People’s Republic. The

Communist halted inflation, restoring confidence in its new paper currency, divided up

the land, tried to end up opium addiction and prostitution, banned child marriages, and

encouraged the peasants to go to school and breathed new hopes into the people. It

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