Discussion:
Response the question in essay form (1000-1500 words)
1. Why was Mao Zedong successful in overcoming the more powerful Nationalist Chinese during the Civil War of 1928-49?
2. What weaknesses of the Nationalists did he exploit?
3. What strengths did the Chinese Communists possess?
4. How did each side deal with the Japanese invasion in the Second World War?
5. What role did the Soviet Union play in the Civil War?
6. After Mao's death, why did Deng Xiaoping find it necessary to reform China's economic system, and what did he accomplish with the "Four Modernizations?"