Ch.3 - Toward the Peasant Revolution, 1921-1927 Flashcards
What was Mao’s strategy for revolutionary success in the early 1920s?
Mao highlighted the necessity of an alliance between the working class, peasantry, urban petty bourgeoisie, and national bourgeoisie. However, he emphasized that the leadership of the working class was crucial for the success of the revolution and the transition to socialism.
What socioeconomic and political challenges did Chinese Marxists and Communist revolutionaries face in the 1920s?
Chinese Marxists and Communist revolutionaries faced the dilemma of managing the enormous but uneven socioeconomic and political roles of different classes, which were not systematically addressed until after 1927 but impacted all revolutionary mobilization efforts throughout the 1920s.
How was Mao’s early organizing work in Anyuan later commemorated?
In the 1960s, Mao’s early organizing work in Anyuan was commemorated through a heroic painting, Chairman Mao Goes to Anyuan, which depicted him as a determined, youthful leader. This portrayal was retrospective, idealizing his role as an effective organizer.
Where did Mao begin organizing labor in the early 1920s, and what groups did he focus on?
Mao began organizing labor in Hunan, focusing on tin and coal miners in Anyuan and railway workers on the Hankou-Canton Railway. These groups represented the largest concentrations of proletarian labor in the province.
How successful was Mao’s labor organizing in Hunan by 1923?
By early 1923, Mao had helped organize more than 20 trade unions with over 30,000 workers in Hunan, representing miners, railway workers, municipal employees, and others. There had been at least 10 strikes, leading to key gains in wages and improved work conditions for over 22,000 workers.
What role did Mao’s wife, Yang Kaihui, play in the unionization movement?
Yang Kaihui, Mao’s wife, became active in the unionization movement by working with peasant communities near the Anyuan mines, advocating for women’s rights, female literacy, and educational improvements.
How did the February Seventh Massacre affect Communist strategy?
The massacre revealed the fragility of the labor movement that the Communists had depended on for support, and underscored the need to stop warlords from amassing power. It prompted a rethinking of strategy, emphasizing the urgency of establishing a strong political and military alliance to unify state power.
What happened to the labor movement in Hunan following the February Seventh Massacre?
The February Seventh Massacre, ordered by warlord Wu Peifu, resulted in the deaths of dozens of workers and the arrest or execution of many labor organizers, including Communists. This event led to the overnight destruction of the labor organization that Mao and his comrades had built in Hunan.
How did Mao’s labor organizing success in Hunan influence his role within the Communist Party?
Mao’s success in labor organizing drew the attention of Chen Duxiu, the chairman of the CCP, who invited Mao to join the Party’s Central Committee in Shanghai in 1923, marking his rise in the Party’s leadership.
What model did Mao and his comrades implement in the labor and peasant movements?
Mao’s model involved organizing male workers while focusing on women’s issues, including literacy and education, in their communities. This combination of labor organization and community engagement became a common approach for Communist mobilizers.
Which political party was the largest organized modern political force in China by 1923?
The largest organized modern political party in China by 1923 was the Guomindang (GMD), or the Nationalist Party.
What was the Communist Party of China’s (CCP) membership size in the early 1920s?
The Communist Party’s formal membership was below 200 during the early 1920s.
How did the Guomindang (GMD) transform itself by 1923?
The Guomindang (GMD) transformed from a small band of conspirators into a mass-based party organized along Bolshevist lines with Soviet Comintern advisors assisting in the development of a modern army.
What significant strike did the Guomindang co-sponsor in 1922, and what was its impact?
The Guomindang co-sponsored the Hong Kong seamen’s strike in May 1922, which shut down the British colony and Canton. The successful wage and employment settlements won the GMD great prestige among workers and radicals.
What was the key difference between the Nationalists’ and Communists’ view of China’s problems?
The Nationalists believed China’s major problem was poverty and advocated state-capitalism for national wealth, while the Communists saw capitalism and “semi-feudalism” as the problem and sought a revolution against domestic landlordism and foreign capitalist forces.
What was the “bloc within” strategy proposed by the Comintern for the United Front?
The “bloc within” strategy proposed by the Comintern required CCP members to join the larger Nationalist Party (GMD), while retaining their CCP membership, folding the CCP into the GMD’s organizational structure.
How did the Communists’ strategy differ from the Nationalists regarding class relations?
The Communists sought to overthrow domestic landlords and comprador capitalists, advocating for a complete transformation of property relations through class struggle, focusing on social revolution alongside national unification.
What was the Nationalist Party’s (GMD) socioeconomic strategy for China?
The GMD aimed to unify China under a strong state and establish a state-capitalist-landlord partnership to accumulate national wealth through urban industrialization, avoiding any destabilizing class revolutions.
How did the February Seventh Massacre impact CCP-Nationalist relations?
The February Seventh Massacre heightened the urgency of forming a United Front between the CCP and Nationalists to resist warlord power and foster political unity, despite internal opposition within both parties.
What personal dilemma did Mao’s wife, Yang Kaihui, face as a member of the CCP?
Yang Kaihui had to balance her political work with her family responsibilities, eventually choosing to stay with her children, sacrificing her Party career, a common challenge faced by female CCP members.
