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Mao Comes into Power
Mao Zedong becomes the official leader of Communist China after addressing a crowd in Tianenman Square in Beijing. In the speech he talked about the formation of The People's Republic of China.This marks the beginning of the Chinese Communist revolution. -
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The Great Leap Forward
The Great Leap Forward was a five year plan that was made to develop China's agriculture and industry. Mao did this by organizing China into a series of communes. Each commune was about 5000 families and was a small communist community where everyone shared materials such as tools and cattle. -
Mao admits the Great Leap Forward was a Disaster
Mao admits this after four years of widespread hunger throughout China. This was caused by backyard blastfurnaces and other nonagricultural tasks taking labor away from agricultural projects in the communes. Before Mao admitted this, people who tried to comunicate this with the government were seen as traitors. -
China Splits with the Soviet Union
The split between the two countries slowly developed since the 50s, but was finalized in June 1963, after Mao criticized Khruschev on his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Khruschev replied, saying Mao's policies would have caused nuclear war. -
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The Cultural Revolution
Mao launched this event to reassert his control over the government. He believed that some Communist leaders were taking the country in the wrong direction, and wanted to stop further escalation. -
President Nixon visits China
Nixon was the first U.S. President to visit China. This was important because it was a diplomatic meeting between two former enemies, and it also led to bilateralism, or trade, between the two countries with the Shanghai Communique. -
Mao Dies
Mao dies sometime in September of motor neuron disease. The entire country mourns his loss. This also marks the end of Mao's reign, and therefore the revolution.