The Cold War Goes Global: China, Korea, and the Question of Origins

On October 1, 1949, the Chinese Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, proclaimed the People's Republic of China, bringing an end to the Chinese Civil War (1945–1949) against Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang; Chiang retreated to Taiwan with his nationalist government. The communist victory caused a shockwave in the United States, fueling a bitter domestic debate over "who lost China" that fed the rise of McCarthyism, while in February 1950 the USSR and China signed a Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance. The United States continued to recognize Taiwan as the sole legitimate Chinese government until 1979, and communist China did not gain UN representation until 1971, when it replaced Taiwan.