AoS2 - Consequences of the Chinese Revolution Flashcards
1
Q
What were the initial challenges facing the CCP?
A
- The CCP was not recognised internationally and were excluded from the international stage, e.g. the UN, instead most countries recognised Taiwan (which has US support esp. post-KW)
- Growing population → need to support agriculturally, food shortages particularly in cities as agricultural production was down by 25%
- Rapid inflation under GMD rule had made the currency worthless
- The Civil War/Sino-Japanese war had destroyed much of China’s infrastructure/communications, + industrial production was down 50% on pre-war levels, + unemployment rates were high in cities
2
Q
How did these challenges cause problems for the CCP leadership?
A
- CCP had to be guided by practical considerations for the first few years they were in power for → reconstruction and consolidation of power were their focuses, h/w difficult to find reliable/effective administrators
- CCP had to sacrifice some ideological points in order to ensure they could maintain power
3
Q
What were the key features of China’s new political structure?
A
- NPC (National People’s Congress) = parliament that emerged from a multi-tiered process of voting - not directly elected, h/w due to this it was always made up of CCP members
- State Council = new government, cabinet made up of ministers headed by Zhou Enlai - Mao was president
- CCP = Mao is chairman, Party Congress voted in the Central Committee to decide policy, etc., h/w most power actually concentrated in the Politburo (ultimately made the decisions).
- Military Affairs Committee = organisation run by the Politburo, supervised the PLA.
4
Q
How did the new political structure help the CCP to consolidate their power?
A
- Working with national capitalists = allowed CCP to keep economy stable by utilising the expertise of industrialists who were willing to support the Communists.
- New currency = government enforced strict control over currency exchange + nationalized the banks → brought inflation under control.
- Role of the army = control over the PLA → used to unify China + bring all areas under central control.
- Structure of new political system meant that the other ‘8 democratic parties’ did not play a major role and real power was in the hands of the CCP almost exclusively.
5
Q
Why did the CCP become involved in the Korean War?
A
- Mao agreed to help North Korea in their invasion of South Korea → when their campaign went badly after US forces pushed back, CCP leaders became alarmed as they did not want to see a Communist ally fall + a hostile gov’t bordering Manchuria (important eco region)
- Some CCP members = called for caution, wanted to focus on reconstruction, h/w Mao = decided that intervention was necessary as he felt it was their responsibility to help their Communist allies.
6
Q
What were the positive and negative impacts of the CCP’s involvement in the Korean War?
A
- Positive = land reform and political movements in China became increasingly radical/intensified, majorly boosted Chinese morale as it proved China was able to stand up to US imperialism
- Negative = China excluded from the UN, proposed invasion of Taiwan was halted as the USA pledged to defend Taiwan, Taiwan (not China) internationally recognised as legitimate, economic embargos set on China set back the economy, significant human costs (900,000 troops) + economic burden via military spending.
7
Q
What were the key features of the Agrarian Land Reform?
A
- 1000s of party cadres were sent out to the countryside - organise a nationwide campaign to redistribute land and denounce landlords
- Key principle of Fanshen = turning over of the land from the landlords to the peasants → directly involving the peasants in the revolution
- Established Peasant Associations that helped to identify ‘reactionaries’ + ‘counter-revolutionaries’ aka landlords in their area → establishing trust b/w party cadres + peasants
- ‘Speak Bitterness’ meetings allowed peasants to air their grievances abt the way they had been treated by landlords - who were then judged in a People’s Tribunal and it was determined whether they had been fair or not
8
Q
Why and how did Land Reform escalate?
A
- Why = peasants were more difficult to contain than the CCP anticipated → excessiveness in punishments, + Korean War → fears of counter-revolutionary influence, hardened attitudes towards landlords.
- How = peasants carried out agrarian reform themselves by killing landlords.
9
Q
What were the key features of Thought Reform?
A
- Targeting intellectuals - required to attend mass meetings → separated into small groups for intense discussion → called before ‘struggle sessions’ where they reported on their progress + were judged → ‘re-education’ if x reformed
- Public denunciations of well-known intellectuals → traumatic/psychologically damaging punishment that scared the intellectual classes into submission
10
Q
What were the key features of the Three Antis?
A
- Corruption, waste, bureaucratism
- Campaign aimed to uncover politically unreliable party members → 1 million CCP members expelled (many of these executed)
- Party cadres encouraged to identify and criticise CCP officials who had taken bribes, shown leniency or favouritism, etc.
11
Q
What were the key features of the Five Antis?
A
- Tax evasion, fraud, cheating, theft of government property, bribery
- Targeted businessmen and industrialists → 450,000 businesses investigated + 340,000 of these found guilty of at least one of the five antis
- Punishments generally lenient h/w the pressure exerted encouraged most business owners to relinquish ownership to the state - joint or entirely
12
Q
How did women’s rights improve under the CCP?
A
- Marriage Law = May 1950 - gave women equal rights to men in terms of marriage, i.e. they were able to choose their own partners/banned child marriage/arranged marriages
- Women’s rights enshrined in the constitution
- Economic freedoms were gained through subsequent laws - equal pay, maternity benefits, etc. → greater opportunities for women to join the workforce
- All-China Women’s Federation = national organisation in every level of gov’t - very popular, helped facilitate laws/access for women.
13
Q
What were the limitations to women’s rights under the CCP?
A
- Traditional view of housework as women’s work = remained the same
- Limited success in rural areas b/c patriarchal/traditional values remained strong
- Although divorce was technically legal access to it was still limited
- All-China Women’s Federation can largely be considered a rubber stamp organisation
14
Q
How did the government address cleanliness and public health?
A
- Cleanliness Drive = street committees → helped mobilise people to clean laneways, household belongings, urban living spaces (show dedication to the revolution)
- Public Health = mass inoculations prevented diseases, STD rates dropped as there was a drive to desexualise society, opium addicts put into rehab - life expectancy increased from 36 in 1950 to 57 in 1957
15
Q
What were the origins of the First Five Year Plan?
A
- Influenced by success of Soviet FYPs
- Mao wanted to increase China’s industrial output (specifically heavy industry - coal, steel, oil)
