Multimedia Collection
The Mao Years: 1949-1976
(China: The PBS Series)
VHS
120 minutes
DS777.55 .M351 1994 + guide
Part 1, Catch the Moon and Stars, covers the years 1949-1960. It begins with the establishment of the People's Republic of China and ends with the largest famine in world history. Events include:
- Land Reform (1949+) - Redistribution of land from landlords to peasants. A major tenet of Communist Party policy, land reform often led to violent confrontations.
- Korean War (1950-53) - When North Korea invaded South Korea, UN troops intervened in defense of the South, and Mao sent Chinese troops to help the North. It was the PRC's first major international confrontation.
- Hundred Flowers Campaign (1957) - Period in which Mao encouraged China's intellectuals to criticize the Communist Party.
- Anti-Rightist Campaign (1957+) - Period of retaliation against those who criticized the Communist Party during the Hundred Flowers campaign.
- Sino-Soviet Split (1969) - Breakdown of relations between the world's two major Communist countries.
- Great Leap Forward (1958-1961) - Campaign by Mao to make China a world economic power through mass organization and mobilization.
Part 2, It's Right to Rebel!, covers the years 1960-1976. During this time Mao instigated his most radical political campaign, the Cultural Revolution, that brought the nation to the brink of civil war. Events include:
- The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) - Complex social upheaval that began as a struggle for dominance between Mao and other top Party leaders and quickly led to chaos throughout the nation.
- President Nixon's Visit to China (1972) - First step in normalizing relations between the U.S. and China, this was seen as the beginning of the "strategic triangle" between the U.S., China, and the former Soviet Union.
- Shanghai communique (1972) - Document issued at end of Nixon's visit which stated the positions of China and the U.S. on questions such as the status of Taiwan.
- Death of Zhou Enlai (1976) - After his death in 1976, thousands went to Tiananmen Square to mourn him. The tributes turned into demonstrations against the Gang of Four and even against Mao himself.
- Death of Mao Zedong (1976) - Mao's death on September 9 marked the end of an era.
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