China after the civil war

Question 1

Industry

Answer 1

• GMD sabotaged industrial sites to prevent communists use
• Local power stations were bombed, coal stocks were low
• After WW”2 USSR controlled Manchuria to prevent Japans return

Question 2

Economic problems

Answer 2

• No stable or unified currency
• In 1940 100 yuan coul buy a pig by 1946 it could ony buy an egg
• Shortage of goods led to hoarding leading to futher scarcity

Question 3

Administrative chaos

Answer 3

• GMD stole many reasources like gold, silver and cultural treasures when fleeing
• Many buissnessmen and beuarocrats fled with GMD leaving no experienced officials to run cities or rebuild econmy
• The communists werent skilled at running a civillian gov, the collapse of the GMD happened fast so brought alot of chaos.

Question 4

Agriculture

Answer 4

• During civil war peasents were conscripted into koumintang army leaving crops unnattended. Many of whon died.
• By 1949 food production was at low leves and in some areas there was famine

Question 5

Nationalist threat

Answer 5

• The nationalists vowed to return, sending spies and sabotuers to attack the new regime.
• They bombed cities like shanghai, a raid in Feb in 1950 killed 1000 civillians and damaged electricity and water supply

Question 6

Transport

Answer 6

• Railways were badly damages (most were destroyed)
• The communists had blown up railways as a tactic in the war, but this backfired as they had to rebuild quickly to miantain control of distant regions
• Telephone wires were damaged, rivers blocked by suken ships

Question 7

Cities

Answer 7

• Lack of established natinal infrastructure meant rural and urban areas were isolated from each other
• Commmunist soldiers were mostly peasents they became rideculed. Eg one soldier put rice in a toilet bowl to wash it

Question 8

Infrastructure

Answer 8

• In 1949 China was barely a unified country, Nationalist forces were sitll present and vowed to return
• Nationalists were allied with the USA (who saw communism as a threat)
• No unified language, 50 ethnic and religous groups living in China
• Warlords controlled large areas bandits made traveling dangerous

Question 9

Law and order

Answer 9

• 1 million bandits romaing the countryside
• Refugees were misplaced by Japaneese invasion and civil war, many were often robbed
• Refugees clogged transport and cities spreading illnes. China had the nickname ‘sick man of Asia’