China During Sun Yat-Sen and Mao Zedong
Question 1
When classifying revolutionary movements of the 20th century it is often customary to try and label the conflict either Left Wing or Right Wing. However, in the cases of Sun Yat-sen and Mao Zedong, neither Left nor Right Wing seems an appropriate label for what their revolutions contained for China. The difference between democratic and anti-democratic is more fitting for the two Chinese revolutionaries. Both Sun and Mao advocated different methods of development to achieve the same goals but caused drastically different results. Sun Yat-sen, who was taught at a young age the Western ways of life, favored a revolutionary movement with democratic aspirations. Conversely, Mao admired Stalinism and the industrial drive of the Soviet Union, and favored moving away from Sun’s democracy to form a Communist government.
Sun Yat-sen was educated in Honolulu, Hawaii at a young age and was impressed by the United States industry, government, and technology. When he was older he wrote ‘The Three Principles of the People’ which was his political ideology created as a plan to revolutionize China. His ideology promoted three principles that “will lead China to a position of equality with other nations in her international relations, in her government, and in her economic status.”1 The three principles are: nationalism, democracy, and the people’s livelihood. All three of these needed to be present for a successful revolution to occur Sun advised. The three principles of Sun’s ideology clearly outline the structural features and economic strategies that he favored.
Firstly, he felt that nationalism is important because in China the race constitutes the nation. Since China is so connected by family and clans he felt that he needed to unify all the people together for “nationalism is a treasure, the possession of which causes a nation to aspire to (greater) development, and a race to seek to perpetuate itself.”2 With a united nation he believed
When classifying revolutionary movements of the 20th century it is often customary to try and label the conflict either Left Wing or Right Wing. However, in the cases of Sun Yat-sen and Mao Zedong, neither Left nor Right Wing seems an appropriate label for what their revolutions contained for China. The difference between democratic and anti-democratic is more fitting for the two Chinese revolutionaries. Both Sun and Mao advocated different methods of development to achieve the same goals but caused drastically different results. Sun Yat-sen, who was taught at a young age the Western ways of life, favored a revolutionary movement with democratic aspirations. Conversely, Mao admired Stalinism and the industrial drive of the Soviet Union, and favored moving away from Sun’s democracy to form a Communist government.
Sun Yat-sen was educated in Honolulu, Hawaii at a young age and was impressed by the United States industry, government, and technology. When he was older he wrote ‘The Three Principles of the People’ which was his political ideology created as a plan to revolutionize China. His ideology promoted three principles that “will lead China to a position of equality with other nations in her international relations, in her government, and in her economic status.”1 The three principles are: nationalism, democracy, and the people’s livelihood. All three of these needed to be present for a successful revolution to occur Sun advised. The three principles of Sun’s ideology clearly outline the structural features and economic strategies that he favored.
Firstly, he felt that nationalism is important because in China the race constitutes the nation. Since China is so connected by family and clans he felt that he needed to unify all the people together for “nationalism is a treasure, the possession of which causes a nation to aspire to (greater) development, and a race to seek to perpetuate itself.”2 With a united nation he believed