APWH Unit 8.4

Unit 8.4 — Spread of Communism after 1900（1900–Present）

Essential Question:
How did communism and land reform affect China and other countries?

One-glance Review

• China under Mao Zedong → Used land reform and communist planning to win support and reshape society

• Great Leap Forward → Created communes but caused famine and mass death

• Cultural Revolution → Reinforced Mao’s control by attacking critics and sending people for reeducation（再教育）

• Iran → Foreign influence, land reform, and unrest led to the 1979 Islamic Revolution

• Latin America, Vietnam, Ethiopia, and India → Land reform aimed to weaken elites, but results were uneven

• Cold War context → Communism and land reform became tied to ideological struggle between the U.S. and Soviet Union

Core Ideas

Communism, Land, and Power

• After 1900, many societies faced deep inequalities in land ownership（土地占有）

• In many countries, a small elite controlled most land, while peasants owned little or none

• Socialist and communist movements often promised land redistribution（土地再分配）

• These reforms were not only economic changes, but also political struggles connected to the Cold War

In the modern era, communism and land reform were often presented as solutions to inequality, but they also produced repression, violence, and political conflict.

KEY TERMS BY THEME

SOCIETY: Global

• Land Reform

• Commune

• Theocracy

GOVERNMENT: Asia

• Mao Zedong

• Great Leap Forward

• Cultural Revolution

• Red Guards

• White Revolution

GOVERNMENT: Middle East

• Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

• Mohammad Mosaddegh

• Haile Selassie

• Mengistu Haile Mariam

1. Background: Land Reform in the Cold War Era

Why Land Reform Mattered

• Many countries after 1900 inherited problems from:

  • feudalism（封建主义）

  • capitalism（资本主义）

  • colonialism（殖民主义）

• These systems often created:

  • a small class of powerful landowners

  • a large class of peasants with little or no land

Cold War Context

• When socialist or communist movements tried to redistribute land, their actions became part of the larger U.S.–Soviet ideological conflict（意识形态冲突）

• Land reform became especially important in:

  • China

  • Iran

  • Vietnam

  • Ethiopia

  • India

  • Latin America

Land reform was not just about agriculture. It was also about who held political power.

2. Communism in China

Communist Victory

• The Chinese Communists and Nationalists (中国共产党和国民党) began fighting in 1927

• After the Japanese invasion, they temporarily focused on fighting Japan instead

• After Japan’s defeat in 1945, the Chinese Civil War resumed

• The Communists, led by Mao Zedong, gained support because they:

  • redistributed land to peasants

  • opened schools and hospitals

  • punished soldiers who abused civilians

• Many peasants viewed the Communists as:

  • more nationalist

  • less corrupt

  • more responsive to ordinary people

Establishment of the People’s Republic of China

• In 1949, the Communists defeated the Nationalists

• They established the People’s Republic of China

• Mao nationalized industries and introduced five-year plans（五年计划） based on the Soviet model

• These plans emphasized:

  • heavy industry

  • state control

  • less attention to consumer goods

Communist victory in China depended not only on military success but also on peasant support.

3. The Great Leap Forward

Goals and Policies

• In 1958, Mao launched the Great Leap Forward

• Peasant lands were reorganized into Communes

  • large agricultural communities

  • land held by the state, not by private owners

Coercion and Repression

• People who resisted could be:

  • sent to reeducation camps（再教育营）

  • killed

Failure and Famine

• Even when harvests failed, China continued exporting grain to Africa and Cuba

• Mao wanted to convince the outside world that his policies were successful

• The result was catastrophic (灾难性的):

  • severe food shortages

  • mass starvation

  • about 20 million deaths

• By 1960, the Great Leap Forward was abandoned

4. The Cultural Revolution

Mao’s Political Goal

• In 1966, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution

• Its stated purpose was to renew commitment to communism

• In practice, it:

  • silenced critics of Mao

  • strengthened Mao’s personal power

Role of the Red Guards

• Mao mobilized the Red Guards

  • groups of revolutionary students

• They targeted:

  • government officials

  • teachers

  • other suspected enemies

Reeducation

• Many people were sent to the countryside for reeducation

• Reeducation included:

  • hard physical labor

  • group meetings

  • public pressure to confess they were not revolutionary enough

The Cultural Revolution was less about equality than about enforcing ideological loyalty（意识形态忠诚）.

5. China and the Soviet Union

Communist but Divided

• Although both China and the Soviet Union were communist states, they often had hostile (敌对的) relations

• Beginning in 1961, they fought border skirmishes（边境冲突）

• They also competed for influence in other countries

Example

• Albania, though originally a Soviet satellite, aligned with China against the Soviet Union

• This gave Albania:

  • greater autonomy（自主性）

  • more financial aid from China

Communist unity was limited. Rival (对手) communist states often competed with one another.

6. Turmoil (动荡) in Iran

Foreign Influence

• In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Britain and Russia competed for influence in Iran

• Oil made Iran even more important

• During World War II, Britain and Russia invaded Iran

• They forced the ruler to abdicate (退位) in favor of his son, Muhammad Reza Pahlavi

Nationalism and Mosaddegh

• Many Iranians saw the shah as a puppet (傀儡) of Western powers

• In 1951, nationalists forced him to flee

• In 1953, Mohammad Mosaddegh became prime minister

• Mosaddegh wanted to nationalize oil companies

• The U.S. and Britain engineered (精心策划) his overthrow and restored the shah

Authoritarian Rule

• After returning to power, the shah ruled through an authoritarian government (威权政府)

• He relied on a harsh secret police force

Iran’s political instability was deeply connected to foreign intervention（外国干预） and control over oil.

7. The White Revolution in Iran

Reform without Revolution

• The shah introduced reforms called the White Revolution

• It was called “white” because it was supposed to happen without bloodshed

Major Reforms

• women’s suffrage（妇女选举权）

• social welfare programs

• literacy programs in villages

Land Reform

• The shah’s most important reform involved land ownership

• The government bought land from landlords and sold it more cheaply to peasants

• Goals included:

  • weakening traditional elites

  • increasing support among peasants

Limits and Opposition

• The reforms helped some peasants become landowners for the first time

• However, most peasants did not benefit

• Opposition came from:

  • landlords forced to sell land

  • peasants who got nothing

  • religious conservatives

  • supporters of democracy

8. The Iranian Revolution

Fall of the Shah

• In 1979, a revolution overthrew the shah

• Many Iranians still remembered the 1953 overthrow of Mosaddegh and resented foreign interference (憎恶外国干涉)

Creation of a Theocracy

• After the revolution, Iran became a Theocracy

  • a government in which religion is the highest authority

• The new government was led by:

  • a cleric（神职人员）

  • a Guardian Council（监护委员会）

Religious Rule

• The Guardian Council interpreted the constitution and ensured laws followed shariah（伊斯兰教法）

• Religious leaders could approve or reject political candidates (候选人)

• The new Iranian government opposed:

  • Western influence in the Middle East

  • Israel

The Iranian Revolution replaced a secular authoritarian regime (世俗威权政权) with a religious government.

9. Land Reform in Latin America

Broad Pattern

• Across Latin America, leaders saw concentrated land ownership (土地所有权集中) as an obstacle to progress

• Land reform became an important issue in many countries, especially after the 1930s and during the 1960s or later

Venezuela

• Venezuela redistributed about five million acres of land

• Some land came from the state, while some was taken from large landowners

• The reform began with a 2001 law

• Problems included:

  • resistance from landowners

  • disputes over whether land was really unused

  • illegal squatters（非法占地者） moving onto land

Political Effects

• Those who benefited from reform were more likely to support the government

• Those who lost land were less likely to do so

Guatemala

• In Guatemala, a democratically elected government under Jacob Arbenz tried land reform

• The United Fruit Company felt threatened and lobbied the U.S. government

• In 1954, Arbenz was overthrown

10. Land Reform in Asia and Africa

Vietnam

• At the end of World War II in 1945, Vietnam declared independence from Japan and France

• Vietnam was mostly agricultural, and a small group controlled most of the land

• Communists promised to:

  • seize land from large landowners

  • redistribute it to peasants

• This promise helped them gain strong peasant support

• In North Vietnam, communists carried out land reform, sometimes violently

• In South Vietnam, land reform was slow, which hurt the government’s popularity

In Vietnam, land reform helped communists build support among peasants.

Ethiopia

• Ethiopia had remained largely independent except for Italian occupation from 1936 to 1941

• After World War II, Haile Selassie returned to power

• He aligned Ethiopia with Western powers

• Ethiopia had some economic success through coffee exports, but Selassie failed to solve land inequality

• By the 1960s, many people viewed him as a pawn of U.S. imperialism（美国帝国主义的傀儡）

Mengistu’s Rule

• In 1974, Selassie was overthrown by military and civilian leaders

• Mengistu Haile Mariam became one of the main leaders

• He ordered the execution of many former officials

• The new government declared itself socialist and received aid from the Soviet Union and other communist countries

• His rule was damaged by:

  • famine

  • failed economic policies

  • rebellion

• By 1991, Mengistu resigned and fled

Ethiopia shows that socialist revolution did not necessarily solve economic crisis or political instability.

India

• India became independent in 1947

• It tried land reform to:

  • redistribute land to the landless

  • weaken rent collectors

  • protect tenant farmers（佃农）

  • encourage cooperative farming（合作耕作）

Kerala Example

• In Kerala:

  • 1960 → land reform passed, then overturned by courts

  • 1963 → tenants gained the right to purchase land

  • 1969 → laws allowed tenants to become full owners

  • 1974 → laws established fixed work hours and minimum wages

• Even though the reforms were popular, the Indian central government intervened to slow or reverse them

India’s land reform had mixed results, but Kerala became one of the clearest examples of partial success.

11. Cause and Effect

Change

• Communist movements used land reform to gain support

• Some peasants became first-time landowners

• Governments tried to break the power of traditional elites

• Land reform became an important part of modernization efforts

• Communist and socialist governments expanded state control over agriculture and industry

Continuity

• Land inequality often persisted

• Reforms frequently caused resistance and conflict

• Authoritarian governments suppressed opposition

• Foreign powers continued to influence domestic politics

• Economic reform did not always improve living standards

Exam-ready Phrases and Sentences

• Redistribute land to peasants

• Undercut the power of traditional landowners

• Expand state control over agriculture

• Nationalize industry

• Mobilize peasant support

• Reinforce ideological loyalty

• Suppress political dissent（压制政治异议）

• Trigger famine and unrest

• Provoke opposition from elites

• Reflect Cold War ideological conflict

• Communist movements often gained support by promising Land Reform and social equality.

• In China, Mao Zedong used both land redistribution and state planning to consolidate communist rule.

• The Great Leap Forward attempted rapid economic transformation but resulted in famine and mass death.

• The Cultural Revolution strengthened Mao’s authority while attacking critics and intellectuals.

• In Iran, land reform and Western intervention contributed to the fall of the shah and the rise of a Theocracy.

• In Vietnam and other regions, land reform helped revolutionary movements gain peasant support.

• Across Latin America, Africa, and Asia, land reform produced mixed results and often intensified political conflict.

LEQ / DBQ 使用思路

可用论点（Thesis Ideas）

• During the 20th century, communist and socialist movements used land reform to win support and challenge traditional elites, but these reforms often produced violence, repression, and uneven results.

• While land reform aimed to reduce inequality in countries such as China, Iran, Vietnam, and India, its effects depended on local politics, foreign intervention, and state power.

• The spread of communism after 1900 reshaped land ownership and political authority, yet many reform efforts failed to eliminate poverty, instability, or authoritarian rule.

相关笔记

APWH Unit 8.5