Hey there, future historians! 🤓 Ready to dive into Mao Zedong's reunification campaigns? This chapter is like the "Game of Thrones" of Chinese history, so buckle up!

After winning the Chinese Civil War in 1949, Mao Zedong was like "The party ain't stopping, folks!" Mao wanted to make sure that all regions of China were under Communist control. So, he launched 'reunification' campaigns in Tibet, Xinjiang, Guangdong, and had eyes on Taiwan too. The West saw this as pretty aggressive, associating Mao with the other big "Marxist ally," the USSR.

• What Mao Said: "Tibet is a part of China. Period."
• Tibetan Perspective: "Excuse me, we're a separate nation!"
• Conflict: In October 1950, Mao sent the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to Tibet. Tibetans, though not equipped with modern weaponry, resisted fiercely.
• Outcome: The Tibetans couldn't match up. Within six months, open resistance was crushed, and the PLA started a regime of terror to erase Tibetan identity.

🌍 Real-World Example: Imagine you have your own treehouse where you hang out and suddenly someone claims it's actually their treehouse and kicks you out. That's how the Tibetans felt!