Revolution

**1. **Who should decide what is best for ‘the people’?
Both the government and the people should cooperate in deciding how the people should be ruled through elections and polls. The government should have the majority of the say, while giving the people some representation (social contract). It is difficult for the government to guess what the people want, because they are not part of the common people.

2. What makes people comply or reject?
People comply either when they are satisfied with the government's rulings or if they are unsatisfied but too intimidated to speak out against them. People reject when they feel that they are being disadvantaged, cheated or oppressed.

3. What makes a revolution successful?
A revolution is successful when something new arises politically, socially or economically, replacing something old. People are given more rights and power without becoming too repressive.

4. Who are the winners in a political revolution
The winners of a political revolution are the people who defeat the preexisting government and implement a new one. They create a more just society. They must have the support of the public.

5. What causes change in a society?
Change in society is caused by disapproval with some aspect of society (inequality, disagreement, etc) . After someone voices out against the issue, more people come together to get rid of it.


 * Revolution: **


 * ** Define it in your own words: **

Revolution = a major social, political or economic change created by a group of people that is inspired by discontent with the current state of matters


 * ** Look up a definition of the term: **

An overthrow or repudiation and the thorough replacement of an established government or political system by the people governed.


 * ** What are characteristics or acts you associate with Revolutions **

[|Revolutionary Ideas Template]
 * They usually involve violence/physical conflict
 * They are caused when a large group of people show disapproval towards an aspect of the government or society (such as inequality and a lack of voice or rights for the people)
 * Sometimes, the original government is forcefully overthrown
 * The people usually end up happy afterwards, but this is not always the case, because sometimes the revolutionaries give false implications or break promises.
 * They usually begin with protests or riots
 * Sometimes arranged by secretive organizations
 * Could involve boycotts

Opener 5/7 Ranking from most to least important: Equality, justice, liberty

You can still have fairly satisfied people with limited justice and liberty because everyone would be suffering equally. However, whenever there is inequality, the discriminated people will feel that they are cheated in comparison to the others, and are more likely to strike out against the government.

Opener 5/8 The message of this cartoon is that equality is when everyone is treated the same, regardless of any special needs that they might have. They still might live differently and some still might not be satisfied. On the other hand, justice is when everyone gets different treatment, depending on their needs, that raises everyone to the same level in terms of quality of life.

[|Chinese Revolutions Markup]

1. From the late 1800s to the 20th century, what were some of the "underlying" cause of unrest in China (Incubation period) There was corruption in the Qing Dynasty, and the peasants were dissatisfied by it, so there were many peasant revolts. Eventually, the Qing Dynasty collapsed. Ineffective government, overpopulation, losing the Opium War 2. What changes occurred in China after the revolution of 1911? China became more westernized. Some cities became wealthier due to the increase in trade, but only the upper class benefited. Overall, the farmers remained poor. 3. Explain the role of the Nationalists and Communists in the Chinese Government Nationalists and Communists at first collaborated to bring down the reign of wealthy landlords, but ended up splitting since they did not genuinely like each other. The communists were forced to flee from the nationalists to the north, and only 10% survived (these were the people who made up the communist party initially). The Nationalists controlled the entire nation from the 20s until Japan invaded Nanjing. Afterwards, the Nationalists ruled the southern part of China while the communists ruled the north. Later, the communists defeated the nationalists and ruled the nation alone in 1949. This led Chiang Kai-shek to flee to Taiwan. 4. Highlight the role of Mao in China Mao tried to get rid of inequality between the classes by redistributing land to the poor and forcing the people to work on farms. He formed the Liberation Army. He also created the Red Guard to enforce his communist principles, and arrested/executed those who were against communism. Women received legal equality. The 1966 Cultural Revolution aimed to get rid of old ideas, customs, culture and habits.

Notes on Mao video

Summary: The rivaling Communist and Nationalist parties battled for control of China in their civil war. When the Communists won, the Nationalists fled to Taiwan and China became a republic. Chairman Mao, in his attempts to rid China of any social inequality, harassed the wealthy and executed many. The upper class was publicly ridiculed in an attempt to lower them in the public eye. Despite Mao's willingness to help the lower class, his Great Leap Forward ended up killing many of them because of ineffective, competitive farming that actually deprived them of food. His reign led to 50-75 million deaths.
 * Isolationism = closing off from the rest of the world
 * 1500s: Chinese goods were in higher demand, so Europe became more interested in it.
 * Nationalists and Communists were rivals despite cooperation -> led to Chinese civil war in 1927
 * Communists won civil war in 1949 -> China became PRC -> Chiang fled to Taiwan to lead there
 * Mao wanted to get rid of all social inequality, so landlords and the wealthy were portrayed as public enemies
 * 3-6 million deaths in the upper class
 * Food production fell due to older/dangerous production techniques in Great Leap Forward -> lead to 30-40 million deaths
 * Red Guard, during Cultural Revolution, sent intellectuals into manual labor. Intellectuals were also killed.
 * Overall, 50-75 million died during Mao's rule.

A revolution is not a dinner party, or writing an essay, or painting a picture, or doing embroidery; it cannot be so refined, so leisurely and gentle, so temperate, kind, courteous, restrained and magnanimous. A revolution is an insurrection, an act of violence by which one class overthrows another.


 * — From //Report on an Investigation of the Peasant Movement in Hunan// **

Meaning: It is impossible to euphemize a revolution or make it seem more pleasant, because it is what it is: a class overthrowing another class with violence.

The revolutionary war is a war of the masses; it can be waged only by mobilizing the masses and relying on them.


 * — From //Be Concerned with the Well-Being of the Masses, Pay Attention to Methods of Work// **

Meaning: A revolution cannot take place without rounding up the people and using them to advance the revolution.

<span style="background-color: #cde5d5; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">War is the highest form of struggle for resolving contradictions, when they have developed to a certain stage, between classes, nations, states, or political groups, and it has existed ever since the emergence of private property and of classes.


 * <span style="background-color: #cde5d5; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">— From //Problems of Strategy in China's Revolutionary War// **

Meaning: War is the most effective way to defeat any type of inequality in society.

<span style="background-color: #cde5d5; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Every Communist must grasp the truth, "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."

Meaning: It is central to Communist belief that political power can be obtained through force. A revolution can only be maintained with a strong military force.


 * <span style="background-color: #cde5d5; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">— From //Problems of War and Strategy// **


 * Students should discuss and and answer the following questions. **<span style="background-color: #cde5d5; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">**..**


 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">__**According to the quotes above how might Mao Zedong define revolution**__?

Mao would define revolution as a violent and forceful overtaking of a social class by another social class. He believes that a revolution cannot successfully occur without force.

I agree with the fact that a revolution (or at least a political one) is "a war of the masses", because it's obvious that a revolution will fail if there are not enough people to back it up. After all, that is the whole reason why attempts at revolutions occur in the first place. I also agree that a revolution should be understood for what it truly is rather than "refined, so leisurely and gentle". I partially agree with the quote "war is the highest form of struggle for resolving contradictions", because although it is not always a wise decision to wage war, it's still true that it is the easiest way to solve inequality. However, I still think that war is a poor and foolish way to solve social inequality, and should only be used as a last resort. I disagree with the quote "political power grows out of the barrel of a gun", because although many people come to power through violence, they will not have achieved true political power without gaining the support of the people through words rather than force.
 * __**<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Do you agree with quotes of Mao? Why or why not? (use specific evidence from the quotes) **__

[|The Tank Man DJ]

[|Comments on How China Tries to Erase History]

Modern-Day China Video Notes:
 * Many skyscrapers/structures designed with modern architecture
 * Dams, fountains
 * Bullet trains
 * Westernization (American restaurants, etc.)
 * There are not many signs of the backwards lifestyle that Mao promoted during the Cultural Revolution. The video also did not look at Chinese life outside the city, much of which still lacks the latest technology.

[|Markup - Successor to Mao]

[|Fever Model for Chinese Revolutions]