Mao Tse Tung Greeting Prime Minister. 1972. Nanking. Quora. Photograph. Web. 01 Dec.2015.
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In 1972, Japanese Prime Minister Tanaka Kakuei met with China’s Chairman Mao Tse-tung. The Prime Minister tried to apologize for atrocities in China during World War II. Mao responded, “If Japan hadn’t invaded China, the Chinese Communist Party would not have been victorious…” ( Wang 89).
In the second Sino-Japanese War, the Chinese resisted the superior Japanese Army until the defeat of Japan in 1945. After a century of imperialist invasions in China, the Chinese people began to see the benefits of a strong centralized government. They started thinking in terms of China as a unified front against a common enemy, Japan. During World War II, the Chinese Nationalist government of Chiang Kai-shek formed an uneasy alliance with Mao’s Communist party. During the war, the Communists grew in popularity and support. “When the war broke out, [ Mao] was the head of a small party on the run… By the end of the war, he would control vast areas of China” (Mitter 6). The war against Japan allowed the Chinese Communist Party to win popular support, and was a turning point in Chinese history. It paved the way for the creation of the People's Republic of China. China overcame imperialistic domination and is regaining its glorious past. Today, China is the second largest country, containing the largest population, and has the second largest economy in the world (Mitter). |
Archives. Mao Proclaiming Establishment of PRC. 1949. Bejing. Wikimedia Commons. Web.
23 Dec. 2015.
23 Dec. 2015.