The Spread of COMMUNISM after 1900 [AP World History] Unit 8 Topic 4 (8.4)

The Spread of COMMUNISM after 1900 [AP World History] Unit 8 Topic 4 (8.4)

The Spread of COMMUNISM after 1900 [AP World History] Unit 8 Topic 4 (8.4)

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In this video Heimler walks you through the spread of communism after 1900 which aligns with the AP World History curriculum for Unit 8 Topic 4 (8.4).

In China, Mao Zedong established a communist state. As a result of his Great Leap Forward policy, over 20 million peasants died.

Around the world, communist and socialist policies manifested themselves in land reform. In Vietnam, a communist state was established under Ho Chi Minh and land was redistributed to peasants. In India, land distribution had mixed success. However, in Kerala, it was pretty successful. In Ethiopia land redistribution occurred under the brutal policies of its communist leader.

If you have any questions, leave them below and Heimler will answer forthwithly.


Content

0.08 -> Well hey and welcome back to Heimler’s History.
1.28 -> Now we’ve been working our way through Unit 8 of AP World History and in the last few
4.27 -> videos we’ve been talking about the Cold War.
6.299 -> And what we’ve said is that the chief battle of the Cold War was not with bullets, and
10.35 -> swords, and guns but rather, it was whether or not the world would be remade into the
14.639 -> image of capitalism or remade into the image of communism.
17.6 -> And in this video we’re going to see how communism was making gains in the world during
21.71 -> that period.
22.71 -> So if you’re ready to get your brain cows milked, I stand at the ready.
25.82 -> Let’s get to it.
26.82 -> So we’re talking about the spread of communism in the twentieth century.
29.34 -> And in this respect we’re going to first look first at how it worked out in China,
32.18 -> and then we’re going to see all around the world how land reform movements were carried
35.51 -> out.
36.51 -> Alright, first: communism in China.
37.51 -> So starting in 1927 there was a bitter conflict between the Chinese communists and the Chinese
41.94 -> nationalists over who would control China.
44.44 -> But in 1931 Japan went ahead and invaded northern China, and so by 1935 the communists and nationalists
50.96 -> put their conflict aside for a minute and united to deal with the Japanese.
54.32 -> Now if you’re paying attention to dates, you’ll recognize that we are right on the
57.43 -> eve at this point of World War II.
59.36 -> And so once World War II was over, and the Japanese had been defeated, the communists
62.98 -> and the nationalists went right back to fighting over who would control China.
66.05 -> And the Chinese civil war did go on during World War II also, but it’s hard to tell
69.53 -> where one stops and one begins.
71.36 -> Regardless, as it turns out, the communists won and had themselves a nice communist revolution
75.58 -> in China.
76.58 -> Chairman Mao Zedong stood in Tiananmen Square in 1949 and proclaimed the founding of the
81.47 -> People’s Republic of China.
83.57 -> Under Mao’s leadership, China nationalized its industry and redistributed land to peasants.
88.19 -> Now, Mao’s major reform program was called the Great Leap Forward.
91.1 -> And under that program, peasant lands were collectivized by the state.
94.38 -> Now you may recall that Stalin did this very thing in Russia and because of all the rebellion
97.99 -> that occurred because of it, many, many, many millions of people died as a result of famine
103.06 -> and starvation.
104.06 -> And so chairman Mao, not interested in such rebellion, established a place to send all
107.25 -> the people who were rebelling and they were called reeducation camps.
110.6 -> These were emphatically not the kind of camps where you would go swim in a lake and make
113.63 -> key chain dongles.
114.81 -> No these were internment camps, and if you were sent there you were put under intense
118.34 -> physical strain, intense psychological reordering in order that you might believe deep down
123.68 -> in your guts that Mao’s policies were good and right.
127.6 -> And if the reeducation didn’t work, they killed you.
130.869 -> So all this to say, the Great Leap Forward was actually a great disaster of a policy.
135.32 -> One reason for this is that harvests failed in staggering numbers during this period.
139.13 -> But Mao couldn’t let it appear to the world that his policies were failing, and so he
142.92 -> went ahead and kept exporting the grain they did grow to far off places.
146.8 -> As a result of that, 20 million Chinese people died.
149.74 -> Okay, so that’s how communism was working out in China, now let’s turn our attention
153.42 -> to land reform all throughout the world.
155.31 -> And first, we’ll start in Iran.
156.73 -> And Iran had kind of a tumultuous start to the twentieth century.
159.75 -> During World War II the Iranian shah made it clear that he would support Hitler.
163.569 -> And so, this being an untenable situation to the Allies, Britain and Russia went ahead
167.24 -> and invaded Iran and set up a new shah sympathetic to their interests.
171.05 -> Now you’re probably tempted to believe that the Iranians loved that situation, but you
175.47 -> would be wrong.
176.47 -> And so in 1951 the Iranian nationalists overthrew that shah and established their own prime
180.569 -> minister in 1953.
182.64 -> Britain and Russia then engineered a plan to overthrow that guy and put their own guy
186.31 -> back in power, and they did.
187.87 -> And his name was Muhammad Reza Pahlavi.
190.37 -> He was an authoritarian and harsh in his policies, but he did lead Iran into some good policies
195.17 -> like social welfare and women’s suffrage.
197.47 -> But we’re here to talk about land reform, and Pahlavi reformed some land baby.
200.53 -> It was called the White Revolution, not because white people carried it out, but because it
204.45 -> was bloodless.
205.45 -> Under this policy the government forcibly bought land from wealthy landowners and then
208.84 -> resold it to the peasants at a fraction of the price.
211.64 -> And it helped some, for sure, but it really missed many of the people who would have benefitted
215.83 -> from it.
216.83 -> Okay, now let’s look at land reform in Asia and Africa.
218.78 -> First, Vietnam.
219.84 -> After World War II Vietnam declared its independence from Japan who occupied it during the war
223.8 -> and from France who colonized it before the war.
226.82 -> Communists came to power in North Vietnam and they went ahead and seized land from landowners
231.319 -> and redistributed it to the poor.
232.98 -> Second, let’s see how this worked out in India.
235.27 -> India became an independent state in 1947 after having thrown off the shackles of British
240.14 -> colonialism.
241.14 -> And they also instituted land reform but with mixed success.
243.34 -> But one place where it was very successful, in India, was in the state of Kerala.
247.17 -> In 1963 tenants gained the right to purchase land.
250.39 -> And in 1969 laws were passed that allowed tenants to have full ownership of their land.
255.07 -> Okay, third, let’s go over to Africa and see how land reform is working out in Ethiopia.
258.25 -> In 1974 Mengistu Haile (hilee) Mariam led an overthrow of the Ethiopian government,
263.43 -> which, in his estimation, was nothing but a puppet of western powers.
266.919 -> The rebellion was successful and so he established a socialist government in place of the western
271.19 -> puppet government.
272.19 -> Of course, the Soviet Union was delighted by such a move and Ethiopia received much
276.8 -> support from the Russians.
278.05 -> And under this new government, like the others we considered, land redistribution was a high
282.03 -> priority.
283.03 -> But, like most of the other places we considered, it resulted in famine and failed economic
287.529 -> policies, and much brutality from Mariam.
290.099 -> And now, if you’ll permit me to get a little sentimental, let me tell you seven things
295.639 -> every kid needs to hear.
297.28 -> Number one, I love you.
299.49 -> Number two, I’m proud of you.
301.759 -> Number three, I’m sorry.
303.55 -> Number four, I forgive you.
305.78 -> Number five, I’m listening.
307.559 -> Number six, communism has failed every time it was tried.
310.43 -> And number seven, you’ve got what it takes.
312.409 -> Alright, that’s what you need to know about Unit 8 Topic 4 of AP World History.
316.199 -> Unfortunately, neither your teachers nor the College Board redistributes grades like the
319.639 -> communists redistributed land, so if you want to do well in your class and on your exam
326.11 -> Also if you want more videos like this then subscribe and I’ll keep making them for
328.949 -> you.
329.949 -> Heimler out.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXJqRv33zB0