Chinese Revolution · 1945-1950

1949: Mao and the People's Republic of China

After Japan's defeat, China's civil war broke out again. In 1949 the Communists won, and on 1 October Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic in Beijing, while the Nationalists fled to Taiwan. Students follow the end of the war on the map and see why there are still two Chinese governments.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
12–15
On the map
3 steps, AD 1945 to AD 1960
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

After Japan's defeat, China's civil war broke out again. In 1949 the Communists won, and on 1 October Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic in Beijing, while the Nationalists fled to Taiwan. Students follow the end of the war on the map and see why there are still two Chinese governments.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why the Communists won the Chinese civil war of 1946-1949.
  • Locate Beijing, the Yangtze and Taiwan, and describe what happened at each in 1949.
  • Explain why there have been two Chinese governments since 1949.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1945

China in 1945

Open the map in 1945 and find China, Manchuria and Taiwan. Japan has just been defeated. Who do you think will control China now?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1960

The Yangtze

Find the Yangtze river and the cities of Nanjing and Shanghai near its mouth. In April 1949 the Communist armies crossed it. Why was this river the last great barrier?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1960

Two Chinas

Move to 1960. Find the People's Republic of China and the island of Taiwan. Ask the atlas: "Why did Chiang Kai-shek move his government to Taiwan?"

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. After eight years of war against Japan, why did China fall straight back into civil war?
  2. The Communists promised land to the peasants. Why was that such a powerful promise in China?
  3. Mao proclaimed the People's Republic at the Gate of Heavenly Peace (Tiananmen) in Beijing. Why choose the gate of the old emperors' palace?
  4. More than a million soldiers and civilians went with Chiang Kai-shek to Taiwan. How did that change life on the island?
  5. The People's Republic and the government on Taiwan both claimed to be the real China. Why does this question still matter?
4

Game round

9 min

Play one round of Rule History as Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor to unite China. Then compare: how did Mao win and unite China in 1949, and what kind of ruler did he become?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.