aberrant
abnormal or unusual
adventurism
dangerous or risky policy decisions
allies
to be connected or united in a relationship, for example, the three main allies in World War II from 1941 to 1945 were Britain, the USA and the USSR
allusions
references
amnesty
an official pardon for a crime or for breaking the law
Anti-Confucius campaign
a debate about Confucian scholars in 1973 which was an indirect criticism of Zhou Enlai and his moderate faction
atrophy
waste away
attrition
wearing down
Big Four
USA, USSR, Britain and China
black
in this context, a counter-revolutionary
blockhouses
small-scale forts with openings for guns
Brezhnev Doctrine
originated in 1968; a socialist state is obliged to intervene in another socialist state if the continuance of socialism is threatened
bureaucrat
a civil servant or government administrator
bureaucratic bourgeoisie
also called bureaucratic capitalists; businessmen who had supported the Nationalists and did not accept the Communist rule
burgeoning
expanding rapidly
cadres
dedicated party members who became core political activists for the Communists
casualties
the dead and wounded
Cave University
a university set up within caves in the hillsides surrounding Yan'an
Cold War
the ideological and territorial, military and space competition between the USA and the USSR from 1945 until about 1990
Comintern
the Communist International organisation established in 1919 following the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia; it aimed to assist workers to establish communist parties in other countries to spark revolution
constitutionalism
a set of rules to define power of political processes
containment
American policy developed during the 1950s to restrict the expansion of Soviet communism
continuing revolution
the Maoist belief and policy that the ongoing contradictions in society requiring rectification would lead to continuous change
cooperatives
organisations where members work together, and share resources and the output produced
customs duties
taxes on imports or tariffs
detente
relaxation of tension between nations; also known as detente
dissent
in this context, opposing the political or social system
dissidents
people who disagree with political ideas
dynastic
a sequence of rulers from the same family or heritage
Eight Points of Attention
rules drawn up by Mao Zedong for the behaviour of the Chinese Red Army towards the peasants
extraterritoriality
the right of foreigners in a country to be exempt from local law, for example, western citizens living in China were immune from Chinese laws and governed by their own national laws
fascism
an ideology based on single party rule backed by violence and propaganda
foot binding
the custom of binding the feet of young girls to inhibit natural growth and create small feet called 'golden lilies'; tiny feet were believed to make women more graceful and feminine to facilitate a good marriage; the practice began in the Song court and spread to all classes in Chinese society by the nineteenth century
four revolutionary classes
the peasantry, working class, petty bourgeoisie and national bourgeoisie who formed the base of the new Chinese people's democratic dictatorship in 1949
global
international
gross national product
total value of production in a country over a period of usually one year
guerrilla tactics
fighting tactics where small groups of soldiers ambush a target and then rapidly disperse
Guomindang (Kuomintang)
the National People's Party (or Nationalist Party) was founded in August 1912 by Sun Yixian; successor to the Tongmenghui, the Guomindang (GMD) based its programme on the Three Principles of the People
Han Chinese
native-born Chinese in contrast to the Qing who were from Manchuria
Henry Kissinger
Nixon's special adviser on national security from 1969 to 1973 and the secretary of state to the US from 1973 to 1974
human rights
the rights of an individual, for example freedom of speech, religion and assembly
Ichigo offensive
Japanese attack on China in 1944; Ichigo means number one
ideology
a set of ideas or beliefs that have a political and cultural plan, together with the devices for putting it into operation, for example, fascism, communism, liberalism
imperial
a monarch or someone having supreme power or authority
infrastructure
road and rail networks, bridges and ports which provide the base for industry and trade
Lamaism
a Buddhist sect incorporating ancient Tibetan religious practices
Lend Lease Act
an act passed by American Congress in March 1941 enabling the President to lend or lease equipment to countries whose defence was important to the USA
liberal
western moderate view, usually advocating free speech and democracy
liberty
freedom to speak, write, assemble, live and worship
mandarin
a westernised term to describe a Chinese official or bureaucrat during the imperial period
manifesto
program or set of ideas
Maoism
the political beliefs held by Mao Zedong; also called Mao Zedong Thought
martial law
control by the military when civil order has broken down
Mass Line
Mao's policy of incorporating peasants into Chinese Communist Party decision-making as well as participation in policy implementation
material incentives
payment of bonuses, holidays or other benefits for increased productivity
Mussolini's Blackshirts
military units that supported the ideology of fascist Italy
national bourgeoisie
one of the four classes to coexist in the People's Republic of China after 1949; wealthier capitalists who supported Communist rule
national flag
(of China from 1949) a flag with a red background, symbolising international communism, with five yellow stars: the large yellow star symbolises the CCP, the four smaller stars represent the workers, peasants, petty bourgeoisie and national bourgeoisie
nationalism
a strong attachment to the needs and advancement of one's own country
nepotism
employing family members in preference to others
New Culture Movement
a movement centred on Beijing University which aimed to remove Confucian thought and tradition and extend western ideas and education
New Democracy
the united leadership by the four revolutionary classes and the Chinese Communist Party in the early years of the People's Republic of China
New Order in Asia
Japan's aim to establish a series of economic bases in Asia to be coordinated from Tokyo
New Socialist Man
a creation of new life in People's Republic of China; socialist men and women would have five loves: love of the fatherland, love of people, love of labour, love of science and love of public property
nonentity
insignificant individual or group
Northern Expedition
the military mission from 1926 to 1928 to unify China under Jiang Jieshi's nationalist government
orthodox
an accepted set of beliefs, for example, established beliefs or rules in relation to the Marxist-Leninist ideas of the Russian or Bolshevik Revolution
party line
the official ideology or platform of the ruling political party
patron
a supporter or protector
plenary session
an assembly of all attendees at a conference; also known as a plenum
politicise
educate to become more politically aware
pragmatic
acting according to needs and circumstances rather than ideology; being practical
pragmatists
practical rather than idealistic people
propaganda
official information with a biased point of view
provisional
temporary, existing until permanently replaced
puppet state
all political decisions are made by a powerful country and the weaker country acts them out; the weaker country is like a puppet whose strings are controlled by the puppeteer
purge
to remove violently or abruptly
Qing Dynasty
also known as the Ch'ing or Manchu Dynasty; the last dynasty of China before the revolution of 1911; a dynasty is the name given to the rule by a family group over time
radical left
extreme communist beliefs
radish communists
red (communist) on the outside and white (bourgeois) on the inside
rapprochement
a French word meaning improved communication
reaction or reactionary
extremely conservative or backward looking (in this historical context)
Red Army
The Chinese Communist Party army
Red Guards
radical student organisations active in China during 1966 to 1968
rehabilitation
to restore something, for example the reputation of a person denounced by the government
revisionism
in this context, moving away from the correct interpretation of Marxism
right wing – left wing
relates to the right and left side of the political continuum; right wing is more conservative or traditional and left wing more radical
sanctions
penalties to show disapproval of an action
Sanminzhuyi
San-min-chu-i, the Three Principles of the People: nationalism, democracy and people's livelihood
scar literature
written memories of the very difficult times families experienced during the Cultural Revolution
shouting campaigns
used during the Chinese Civil War where Communists called out propaganda slogans over loudspeakers to the enemy troops
significance
in the study of history it refers to the long-term impact or importance in relation to your investigation
Sino
another word for China
Sinocentrism
China-centred; focused on China; 'Sino' means 'China', 'centrism' means 'centred'
Socialist Education Movement
a mass campaign commencing in 1963 giving power back to peasants by encouraging them to struggle against Party officials
socialist transformation
creating a socialist economic and social system, for example as seen in China after 1949
Solidarity
the name of the first non-communist trade union in Poland; formed in 1980 and elected into government during 1989
sovereign
rule by an emperor or authority of a powerful state over its dependencies
sovereignty
supreme power, independent from other countries
soviet
a council of representatives from worker, peasant and military organisations; originated in Russia in 1905 and was the establishment through which the Russian communists carried out their revolution in 1917; Mao Zedong used the term to describe Chinese communist rural communities
Soviet bloc
countries aligned to the USSR during the Cold War
spheres of influence
a powerful state having political or economic control over a weaker state, for example, areas of economic and legal control forced on the Chinese by western countries
Taiwan
also called Formosa
tariffs
taxes on imports
The Gang of Four
Jiang Qing (Mao's wife), Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan and Wang Hongwen
Tongmenghui
T'ung-meng hui, the Revolutionary League or Revolutionary Alliance established by Sun Yixian in Tokyo in 1905
Twenty-one Demands
demands placed on Yuan Shikai by Japan during 1915 to increase economic control and territorial gain in China
urban petty bourgeoisie
small-scale capitalists working in cities; for example shopkeepers and family businesses
USSR
Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics, also referred to as Russia or the Soviet Union
utopian
idealism, plans for a perfect solution
vanguard of the proletariat
the leaders who would guide the workers in their pursuit of revolutionary change
Voice of America
an American radio network which broadcast in many languages; aimed to promote democratic and liberal values
Wang Guangmei
Liu Shaoqi's wife
western
countries such as America, western Europe and their allies, like Australia
white terror
name given to anti-communist forces in Russia where the 'whites' attacked the 'reds' following the 1917 revolution; the whites violently attacked Communists in Chinese cities during 1927
