The China, 1930-1990 course investigates the major changes in China during the 20th century. The course focuses on the causes, course and consequences of the Chinese communist revolution during this period. You will study the different political, economic, social, international and military changes that occurred as a result of this event.

This study guide will enable you to understand the complexities of 20th century China. You will investigate themes such as civil conflict, external influences on China, economic transformation, social transformation and the role of leadership. This guide will help you develop the historical thinking skills of causation and consequence, similarity and difference, and change and continuity.

This study guide will give you the knowledge to understand the following 4 enquiries:

• ❖ The first enquiry addresses why China became a communist state by 1949. This includes the changes brought by the Chinese Republic, why a civil war erupted between the Guomindang and the communists during the 1920s, why the communists undertook the Long March, why the Yanan Soviet was important, the impact of the Second World War on China, and why the communists finally won the civil war in 1949.
• ❖ The second enquiry addresses how China was transformed between 1949 and the mid-1960s. This includes the changes to agriculture, social changes, the impact of the Five Year Plans on industry and society, and an assessment of whether these changes benefitted the people of China.
• ❖ The third enquiry addresses the impact of communist rule on China's relations with other countries. This includes considering her relations with neighbouring countries such as India, Korea and Tibet, China's changing relationships with the USA and the Soviet Union, whether China could be considered a superpower by 1976, and how China changed its relationship with the world in the years after Mao Zedong's death.
• ❖ The fourth enquiry addresses whether communism produced a brutal and cruel dictatorship in China. This includes considering the causes and impact of the Cultural Revolution, the nature of politics in China and the different factions that tried to seize power after Mao Zedong's death, and the ways in which economic developments produced social and political changes during the 1980s.

Some of the key individuals studied on this course include:

• ❖ Empress Dowager Cixi.
• ❖ Sun Yat-sen.
• ❖ Chiang Kai-shek.
• ❖ Mao Zedong.
• ❖ Jiang Qing.
• ❖ Deng Xiaoping.
• ❖ Zhou Enlai.
• ❖ Lin Bao.
• ❖ Jiang Qing.

Some of the key events and developments you will study on this course include:

• ❖ The Boxer Uprising.
• ❖ The 1911 Revolution.
• ❖ China under the Warlords.
• ❖ The Development of the Chinese Revolutionary Movements, the CCP and GMD.
• ❖ The Development of the First United Front.
• ❖ The Long March.
• ❖ War with Japan (the Second Sino-Japanese War).
• ❖ The Yanan Soviet.
• ❖ The Chinese Civil War.
• ❖ The Great Famine.
• ❖ The Great Leap Forward.
• ❖ The Hundred Flowers Campaign.
• ❖ The Cultural Revolution and its Impact, 1965-76.
• ❖ The Korean War.
• ❖ Sino-American Relations.
• ❖ Tiananmen Square.

China, 1930-1990, is one of the specified depth studies found in Paper 1, where you have a total of 2 hours to complete 3 questions. You must answer 2 questions from the core section of the paper and one question from a choice of two on your chosen depth study. Therefore, you will answer one question on China, 1930-1990 if this is your chosen depth study. The question is comprised of 3 sections - a, b and c.

• ❖ Question a is worth 4 marks and requires you to describe key features of the time period. You will be asked to recall 2 relevant points and support them with details, or provide at least four relevant points without supporting detail.
• ❖ Question b is worth 6 marks and requires you to explain a key event or development. You will need to identify 2 reasons, support those reasons with relevant factual detail, and explain how the reasons made the event happen.
• ❖ Question c is worth 10 marks and requires you to construct an argument to support and challenge a stated interpretation. You will need a minimum of 3 explanations (2 on one side and 1 on the other) in total, and should fully evaluate the argument and come to a justified conclusion. You will have the opportunity to show your ability to explain and analyse historical events using 2nd order concepts such as causation, consequence, change, continuity, similarity and difference.
• ❖ China, 1930-1990 will also appear on Paper 4; a one-hour paper in which you will give an extended answer to one question about this topic. Check with your teacher to find out if you will be taking this option.