1945-1962 Flashcards
1
Q
Korean War (June 1950-July 1953) Background
A
- Post war fear of communist spread
- Post WWII Korea was split in two (1948), north under USSR protection
- North Korean leader Kim Il Sung invades South Korea (1950)
- UN requests support for South
- Americans follow Truman Doctrine/Marshall Plan to contain communism and make up for ‘losing China’
- America changes policy from defense to ‘roll back’ and pushes North Koreans past the 38th parallel
- China sees this as aggression and joins the war in Autumn 1950
2
Q
What Were Mao’s Economic Plans of the 1st 5 Year Plan (1952-1956)?
A
- Raising urban taxes
- Slash public expenditure
- Change currency
- Develop heavy industry
3
Q
What Helped Mao to Perform the Reforms in the 1st 5 Year Plan (1952-1956)?
A
- Urban Migration
- NRC
- Sino-Soviet Pact
4
Q
What Were the Results of the 1st 5 Year Plan (1952-1956)?
A
- Huge debts owed to the USSR
- 7 of 12 industrial manufacturing targets met or exceeded
5
Q
Benefits of the GLF’s Industrial Reforms for Chinese People
A
- Big construction projects
- Welfare
- Enthusiasm
- Backyard furnaces
- State owned enterprise
6
Q
Criticisms of the GLF and its Failures for Industry
A
- No goods inspection
- Unrealistic production targets
- Backyard furnaces:
Smog pollution
Bad steel
Deforestation
7
Q
GLF’s Reasons of Failure - Mao
A
- Mao’s economic ideas were misconceived
- There was no plan to turn the raw material produced, e.g. Iron, into manufactured goods
- Mao lacked the knowledge necessary, e.g. agricultural science and industrial process
- Political interference, e.g. resetting of targets
- Mao was unable to accept his policies were wrong and blamed the bourgeoisie
- People were afraid to prove Mao wrong and many lied about production
- Most of Mao’s decisions were based on intuition
8
Q
GLF’s Reasons of Failure - Russia
A
- USSR stopped providing technical assistance in 1960
9
Q
GLF’s Reasons of Failure - Basics
A
- China lacked technical skills, managerial know-how, efficient factories and a good transport system
- Quality of goods produced was not sufficient
- No national quality control of goods
10
Q
GLF’s Reasons of Failure - Government
A
- There was no plan to turn the raw material produced, e.g. Iron, into manufactured goods
- Political interference, e.g. resetting of targets
- Very little detailed instruction from government about how to do things
- No national plan, most was left to local initiative
- No national quality control of goods
- Most CCP plans were actually more like political slogans and did not address the real problems
11
Q
Lysenkoism Points
A
- New breeds and seeds
- Close planting
- Deep ploughing
- Increased fertilisation
- Innovation of farm tools
- Improved field management
- Pest control
- Increased irrigation
12
Q
Agricultural Collectivisation
A
- PRC to control land divided into:
70,000 Communes into
750,000 Brigades into
200 Households - No private farming
- Peasants need passports to move between communes
- Discouraged peasants from growing more food than they needed
13
Q
Causes of Great Famine (1958-1962)
A
- Collectivisation
- Lysenkoism
- Bad Weather (Droughts and Floods 1958-1962)
14
Q
Problems with Lysenkoism
A
- No regional allowances made
- Sparrowcide
- Caterpillar infestation
15
Q
Deliberate Policy in Tibet
A
- Chinese famine was purposefully spread to Tibet in 1959
- Chinese imposed collectivisation and Chinese crops
- Chinese crops failed in Tibetan climate
- Locals could not digest the wheat and maize
- Khampas were forbidden to roam and had to set up herds in communes
- Animals became malnourished
- Tibetans meat, cheese, milk, and clothing supplies were destroyed
16
Q
Why did People not Believe the Scale of Suffering?
A
- China continued to meet all their exports (External)
- Cities supplies of food continued unhindered until 1961 (Internal)
- Propaganda kept people thinking that harvests were plentiful and everything was okay (Internal)
- ‘100 Flowers’ Campaign created a ‘Conspiracy of Silence’ where no one dared contradict the government, or admit to not meeting their targets (Internal)
17
Q
Land Policy Under Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping
A
- Legalised markets
- Allowed private farming
- Incentivised people to grow surplus crops
18
Q
What Provinces did the ‘Arc of Misery’ effect?
A
- Tibet
- Qinghai
- Sichuan
- Shaanxi
- Hubei
- Anhui
- Henan
- Ningxia
- Jiangsu
- Shanxi
- Shandong
19
Q
Political Registration
A
- Danwei: A job permit
- Hukou: Housing certificate
- Dangan: File containing personal details of everybody
