China: 1949-1961 - Key Events

Question 1

Founding of the PRC - The New Order

Introduced a new social construct to govern society:

Answer 1

1 October 1949

Introduced a new social construct to govern society:

• CCP remained dominant force in politics
• Gov’t and CCP closely intertwined
• ‘Democratic Dictatorship’: CCP ruled, but under the guise of democracy
  
  • Other parties “window dressing” (Fenby)
• Mao as head of state and head of CCP
• Mao was the ultimate authority
• Military: CCP still held the guns

Question 2

Consolidation of Communist Power

• GMD officials:
• Overseas Chinese:
• National Capitalists:
• Factory managers:
• Nationalisation:
• PLA:

Answer 2

1949-First Few Years:

• GMD officials: Urged to stay in place
  
  • CCP needed to be able to maintain control
• Overseas Chinese: Encouraged to return to “rebuild the homeland” (Ryan)
• National Capitalists: Industrialists who were willing to support the CCP
  
  • keep the economy stable
• Communists kept most managers of factories
  
  • Only those who worked closely with GMD were ousted - ‘bureaucratic capitalists’
• Nationalisation: Bank, transport, electricity, gas, foreign assets brought under gov’t control
• PLA: Brought border regions under control
  
  • quasi-military control by the CCP

Question 3

The Korean War:

• 1949-Early 1950:
• 5 June 1950:
• 15 September 1950:
• 8 October 1950:
• January 1951:

Answer 3

1950-1951 (1953):

• Kim Il-sung discusses with Stalin and Mao: 1949, 1950
• North Korea invades South Korea: 5 June 1950
• America/UN joins war: 15 September 1950
• Mao approves campaign to aid NK - China joins Korean War: 8 October 1950
• Stalemate: January 1951

Question 4

Fanshen: ‘Turning Over’

Answer 4

• Agrarian Reform Law: 28 June 1950
  
  • Cadres sent to the countryside, redistributing land and denouncing landlords
  • Cadres spread the message of ‘fanshen’
• ‘Speak Bitterness’: 1950-
  
  • Landlords/Better-off peasants subjected to public denunciation
  • Spun out of control:
    
    • Hysteria of the people
    • Korean War simultaneous - counter-revolutionary fear

Question 5

Thought Reform and the Anti Campaigns

Answer 5

Thought Reform: 1951-

• Intellectual focus
  
  • Intellegensia brought before ‘struggle sessions’
    
    • Judged by Communist cadres
• Punishment:
  
  • Sent for ‘re-education’ - hard labour
  • Public denunciations - loss of face, suicides

Three Antis (sanfan): 1951-

• Campaign against ‘corruption, waste and bureaucratism’
• Focus on unreliable gov’t officials and corrupt Party cadres
• Punishment:
  
  • Public denunciations

Five Antis (wufan): 1952-

• Extension of Three Antis: Tax evasion, fraud, ‘cheating’, theft of gov’t property, bribery
• Focus on businessmen and industrialists
  
  • 45,000 businesses were investigated
• Punishment:
  
  • Public denunciations

Question 6

Social Reform

Answer 6

Social Reform: 1949-

• Marriage Law: May 1950
  
  • Gave women same legal rights as men
  • Banned ‘traditional’ customs: Foot binding, child marriages, etc.
  • Women’s work still remained - in the home
• Cleanliness drives:
  
  • Immediate community in charge of rubbish collection, settling disputes, etc.
• Public Health:
  
  • Vaccinations
  • Discouraged tradition of spitting, urinating in public
  • Drug addicts put in rehabilitation
  • Brothels closed, prostitutes trained for other work

Question 7

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Answer 7

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