The formation of the CCP in 1921 was influenced by both internal and external factors, but was primarily driven by external factors such as the failure of Western liberalism demonstrated by the Treaty of Versailles, ideological influence from the Russian revolution and Lenin's theory of imperialism, and practical aid from Russian Communist agents sent by the Comintern to help create a revolutionary party in China. However, applying Communist ideology presented challenges in China given its large rural population and small urban proletariat that Communist theory was based around.

1. Formation of the CCP 1921
IB HL History
Learning Objective:
Which developments led to the formation of the
CCP in 1921?
To explain the intellectual, and geo-
political trends which led to the creation of
the CCP
Readings:
Lynch pgs 44-47

2. Starter: Recap of Western
Imperialism in China

3. Timeline 1917-1928
• 1917: Russian revolution sees Bolsheviks come to power
• 1918: China’s first Marxist study group formed at Peking
University and included 24-year old Mao Zedong
• 1919: Treaty of Versailles sees Shandong given to Japan
• 1920: Probable 1st meeting of CCP with Comintern agents.
Chen Duxiu Sec-Gen
• 1921: Official 1st meeting of CCP with Mao representing
Yunan
• 1924-27: GMD-CCP 1st United Front
• 1925: 30th May Incident
• 1926-28: The Northern Expedition
Communist International (Comintern): Organization founded by
Vladimir Lenin in 1919 to promote revolutionary movements in colonial and
semicolonial countries.

4. Q1Which explanation BEST
explains the creation of the CCP?
• A) internal factors primarily
• B) external factors primarily
• C) external factors with internal factors
playing a minor but enabling role
• D) internal factors with external factors
playing a minor but enabling role
• E) Both internal and external factors were
crucial and without both the CCP would
not have been created

6. Q2: Which external factors were most
important in influencing the creation
and growth of the CCP?
• A) Failure of Western liberalism due to
Treaty of Versailles
• B) Ideological influence of Russian
revolution: Lenin’s theory of imperialism
• C) Practical influence of Russian revolution:
Comintern agents in China
• D) Western control over areas of China

7. Inspiration from Russia
• Bolshevik revolution popular with Chinese intellectuals
• Bolshevik defeat of foreign interventionist forces seems
to offer solution to imperialism
• Failure of the 1911 Republic and Treaty of Versailles sees
a turn away from Western liberalism.
• Communist Russia is a viable alternative and offers the
promise of leapfrogging the West
• Russian comintern agents sent to China to help create a
revolutionary movement (GrigorVoitinsky and
HenkSneevliet/Maring)
• Lenin’s theory of imperialism seems to offer a perfect
explanation of China’s problems and relations with
foreign powers making Communism more attractive

8. • OVERPRODUCTION
HOME • COMPETITION
MARKETS
DECLINE
• DUMPING GROUNDS for SURPLUS PRODUCE
EXPLOITATION • SOURCES of CHEAP LABOUR/RAW
of OVERSEAS
MARKETS/EMPI
MATERIAL
RES
• RISE UP AGAINST OPPRESSORS/WAR of
LIBERATION
OPPRESSED
COLONIAL • COLLAPSE OF WORLD CAPITALISM
PEOPLES

9. Source A: Joseph Stalin 1918: 1st
Point: Capitalist imperialism is
economically exploitative
“The imperialists view the East as the fountain
of their happiness because it contains an
unaccountable amount of natural resources
such as cotton, petroleum, gold, coal, and iron
ore. In view of its wealth, is the East not the
imperialists „sweetest fruit‟?”

10. 2nd Point: Exploitation of Human
Resources
“The imperialists want not only the East‟s natural
resources but also its „obedient‟ people, the
„cheap‟ Oriental manpower which they can utilise
for their own selfish purposes. They wish to
recruit from these „obedient‟ people enough „boys‟
to form the so-called „coloured‟ army and to use
this army to crush their own revolutionary
workers at home. This is the reason they call their
Eastern colonies and semi-colonies
„inexhaustible‟ manpower reserves. “

11. 3rd Point: Role of the Bolsheviks
in spreading world-wide
revolution
“The purpose of us Communists is to wake up the
oppressed Oriental peoples from their 100 years‟
slumber and to imbue their workers and peasants
with a revolutionary spirit to conduct an
uncompromising struggle against the
imperialists.”

12. Q3: What potential problem was
there in applying Communist
thought to China?

13. Problems with bringing
Communism to China
• Lenin equated national movements against
colonialism as part of the proletarian struggle
against capitalism
• YET the proletariat is by definition an
URBAN working class
• This could not apply in China with a rural
population of 500 million and only around 3
million urban workers
• Revolution in China would have to come
from the countryside

14. TOK LINK
• Karl Popper launched a devastating
attack on the unscientific nature of
Communist thought. The basis for
his criticism was that it could not be
falsified as when something did not
fit the theory, the theory was altered
to ‘explain’ the new theory. Is there
anything from today’s lesson which
could be used to support his point?
• How does whether or not a theory
can be falsified help develop
knowledge?

15. HW: Question
• Why were Chinese intellectuals so
impressed by the Bolshevik revolution?
OR
• Outline the developments which led to the
formation of the CCP in China in 1921?

16. Extra: Name to know
-Chen Gongbo(1892–1946):
• A founding member of the CCP, Chen
left the party in 1922 and joined the
GMD. During the Japanese
invasion, Chen collaborated with Japan.
• After the war in 1945, he was found
guilty of treason and executed by firing
squad in 1946.