China Theme 1: establishing communist rule, 1949-57 Flashcards
what was the aftermath of the civil war of 1946-1949?
the ability of the communist party simply to end the conflict generated goodwill towards them.
Mao made it clear that he would be willing to work with various sections of society, representing middle-class interests as well as those of workers and peasants.
the chinese economy had been crippled by the war, and the economy was still heavily based on subsistence farming. the lack of an industrial revolution was also a pressing issue for the PRC
what was the one party system created in china?
New system of government was established – CCP became dominant ‘one-party’ in China and ‘centralised’ its power (DEMOCRATIC CENTRALISM).
State Council – held all government power led by the Chairman. National People’s Congress was elected by the people but just rubber stamped decisions made by the Council. All other parties disappeared by 1952 . POLITBURO – key decision making body (an inner core of 20 members from the Council) actually carried out government business – it was never challenged. Key members = Mao, Zhou Enlai (PM) Liu Shaoqi (number 2 in CCP), Peng Dehuai (led PLA) & Chen Yun (economic planner) China divided into 6 regions in the 1954 Constitution. PLA- LARGEST army in the world – indoctrinated.
what were the features of the mass campaigns against crime, corruption and the bourgeoise?
THE GREAT TERROR:
Mao regarded obliteration of bourgeoisie to be essential step in creation of China as a fully Marxist state in which only proletariat would exist. Repression and terror were key weapons. The machinery used by the State = propaganda campaigns, the police, the courts, imprisonment and executions. Every individual given a class label divided into ‘good’, ‘middle’ & ‘bad’ – there were 60 labels. Large network of forced labour camps set up- nationwide network of DANWEI (work units run by cadres – trained party officials), street and neighbourhood committees established to assist CCP in its efforts not only to identify and punish all those suspected of counter-revolutionary crimes but also to exert control over the whole population. In cities cars, foreigners and foreign businesses disappeared. Favoured means of transport was the bicycle. Beggars disappeared and crime was considerably reduced with the eradication of 150,000 Triads (Chinese gangs - drugs, gambling or prostitution) in urban areas.
710,000 people were killed during the Great Terror.
what was dangan?
DANGAN – dossier containing detailed information about a person’s life.
what were denunciation boxes?
Denunciation boxes to allow civilians to spy on each other. one citizen could report another for “unpatriotic” behaviour, or for having bourgeois elements. people who were reported would often be punished with little investigation.
what was the three antis campagin?
The Three-Antis Campaign – 1951: Targets - corruption, waste and obstructionist bureaucracy – those in the firing line were managers, State officials and Party members.
what was the five antis campagin?
The Five-Antis Campaign - 1952
Targeted bourgeoisie - bribery, tax evasion, the theft of State property, cheating on government contracts and economic espionage. Workers’ organisations were enlisted by the Party to investigate their employers’ business affairs. Group criticism sessions were organised for employers either to confess their own crimes or denounce others. Mass meetings were scenes for public denunciations. Those found guilty faced enormous fines, the confiscation of their property and being sent to labour camps. 2 to 3 million took their own lives, rather than face humiliation.
what was the nature of chinese labour camps?
Early 1950s – setting up of LABOUR CAMPS – followed Soviet model (Gulags) – known as re-education camps – 2 million in camps by 1953. By 1976 = 10,000 labour camps – 25 m deaths.
what was the military securing of borders?
MILITARY SECURING OF BORDERS: PLA secured Tibet, Xinjiang/Guangdong through force.
what was the sino-soviet agreement of 1950?
SINO-SOVIET AGREEMENT OF 1950 – secured Soviet loans (unfavourable rates for China).
what were the impacts of the korean war on china?
KOREAN WAR, 1950-53: What were the effects of this war on China?
NEGATIVE – 1 million dead soldiers in PLA; drain on economy; excuse to initiate terror.
POSITIVE – united China behind Mao; China had matched the armies of the West.
what was the gao gang affair?
GAO GANG AFFAIR, 1954: Mao asserted in 1954 that Gao Gang (CCP leader in Manchuria), rather than working to advance China’s industrialisation, had misused his authority to establish ‘independent kingdoms’. The Central Council dismissed Gao Gang
(committed suicide).
what was the hundred flowers’ campaign?
may 1957 - What was it? Mao surprised everyone – he launched a campaign under the slogan ‘Let a hundred flowers blossom, let a hundred schools of thought contend’. Mao was demanding that intellectuals should feel free to openly voice criticisms of the Communist Party and its policies.
what was the background of the hundred flowers’ campaign?
Background – what seemed to motivate Mao to launch the campaign?
Mao wanted to win the intellectuals over to the regime by allowing them to express themselves more freely. Mao - convinced he was in touch with the people and felt that now would be an appropriate time to allow greater freedom of expression to those who might wish to comment constructively on how well Communist China was achieving its aim of turning China into a proletarian state.
Debates in Communist Party leadership over the results of the Five Year Plan and the future pace of economic change - Mao was unable to get his way in these debates. He called on intellectuals – outside the party – to criticise his party as a way of putting pressure on officials standing in his way – especially in the Politburo. This would reinforce Mao’s authority.
Mao feared ‘bureaucratism’ – Party officials were becoming too alienated from the masses – this campaign would be another rectification movement in which officials would be subjected to criticism from outside & obliged to mend their ways. Did he want critics to reveal themselves?
Campaign - an unusual twist, since Mao had an abiding distaste for intellectuals. Up to 1956, few had dared criticise the regime – free expression = bourgeois self-indulgence/dangerous – counter-revolutionary.
what were the consequences of the hundred flowers’ campaign?
What happened after the Campaign was launched?
Mao made a speech ‘On the Correct Handling of Contradictions among the People’ (Feb 1957) where he repeated his call ‘to let a hundred flowers blossom, let a hundred schools of thought contend’. By April Politburo sanctioned his campaign and the Campaign was launched by ‘People’s Daily’. Mao stated that healthy criticism was ‘preferred’. This unleashed a torrent of criticisms that attacked the communist system in the press, magazines, at rallies and on posters – millions of letters were sent to Mao. Students at Beijing University created a ‘Democratic wall’ on which they criticised the CCP with posters – commented on low living standards; economic corruption among party cadres; Party members enjoyed privileges which made them a race apart. Things even went so far as to include mild criticisms of Mao himself!
