Communist China Flashcards

1
Q

Communist intentions

A
  • govt would be a democracy for most people but a dictator for reactionaries (anybody opposing the coms)
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2
Q

Problems facing the communists

A
  • agricultural output had dropped drastically, 3 years of civil war took millions of peasants away from crops
  • problem of holding China together as one, united country
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3
Q

Govt of communist China

A
  • they grouped the country’s 18 provinces into 6 regions, set up a series of councils in each region to run each subdivision
  • at any level or area there was also a communist party committee making sure councils put communist policies into effect
  • party run on the principal of democratic centralism, meaning members obey strict discipline and obedience to party leaders
  • Mao became head of state, Zhou Enlai prime minister and foreign minister
  • commanders of PLA shared tasks of govt with councils running 6 regions
  • PLA used in many areas to tackle urgent problems like fixing railways. bridges, ports
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4
Q

Rights of women

A
  • 1950 introduced a marriage law
  • ended arranged marriages, marriage of children, killing of unwanted babies and bigamy
  • minimum age for marriage 18 for women, 20 for men
  • husbands and wives now jointly owned family property, divorce my mutual consent introduced
  • further law in 1951 gave expectant mothers maternity benefit of full wages for two months after birth of child
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5
Q

Land reform

A
  • began giving land to landless peasants
  • 30 June 1950 agrarian land reform sped up process of land reform
  • com party members went into countryside to teach peasants how to work out social class of community
  • aim to decide whether people were rich landowners, middle or poor peasants
  • poor peasants were then encouraged to hold mass meetings to ‘speak bitterness’ about their poverty, denouncing landlords
  • once class decided, land was taken from those who had more to those who had none
  • 40% of cultivated land taken away between 50 and 52
  • over time speak bitterness meetings became violent often ending with execution (2-4mil)
  • after receiving land peasants had no tools, formed mutual aid teams of 10 families
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6
Q

Economy

A
  • all major banks, railway network and a third of heavy industry were taken away from their owners, profits paid directly into state treasury, giving govt 2/3 of its yearly income
  • people’s bank opened in 1951 to replace private banks , had control of all financial transactions, able to get rid of inflation entirely
  • to overcome food shortage, farmers had to sell 15-20% of grain to govt at fixed low price + agricultural tax collected by party members
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7
Q

organisation of the people

A
  • put great effort into getting rid of reactionaries
  • during 1950 and 51 party organised mass rallies where public enemies were publicly tried
  • most accused were people who had collabed with Jap or fought in GMD armies, 1 mil were executed
  • 1951 party began thought reform (movement for the study of Mao Zedong’s thought), involved close study of his writings combined with public self-criticism at party meetings
  • party organised mass campaigns, a ‘three antis capaign’ launched in 51 against corruption, waste and too much ‘red tape’, 1952 5 antis. People guilty sent to camps to be re-educated
  • every sector of population encouraged to join party-run interest groups
  • because the party controlled these organisations, it was easily able to use the members for its own rallies (killing flies)
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8
Q

USSR

A

Mao travelled to meet with Stalin, got $300mil over 5 years and 10k engineers and planning experts to help China to develop economy

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9
Q

First 5 year plan

A
  • under influence of Russian advisers, Chinese drew up a 5 year plan for the development of their economy 1953-57
  • gave priority to steel, coal, machinery and the like, nearly 700 new production plants in central China and Manchuria
  • light industry like cotton-making and food processing was neglected in favour of heavy industry, so people had to put up with slow growth in their living standards
  • coal production doubled, iron tripled, steel 4x, oil 3x, cement double, fertiliser 3x
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10
Q

Cooperative farms (lower stage)

A
  • most peasants’ farms too small to be farmed effectively, couldn’t increase food output for level needed for 5 year plan
  • govt feared if peasants kept land they’d become a new class in society, concerned only to make profits
  • from 1953 govt persuaded peasants to join lower stage cooperatives
  • 30-50 families (usually of a village) put land and labour together to make one bigger, efficient farm
  • families still owned land, but it was on permanent loan to the cooperative which paid each family rent for its use
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11
Q

Higher stage cooperatives

A
  • consisted of 200-300 families, the people of a group of villages
  • families were no longer paid rent for the use of the land, they received wages instead (angered them as they no longer owned land)
  • had to surrender equipment and animals to the cooperative
  • allowed only to keep a few square meters for personal use- vegetables or raising chickens
  • by end of 1956, 95 out of every 100 peasant families had joined higher stage cooperatives. Most of 300 mil peasants who received land in 1050 were landless again
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12
Q

The Hundred Flowers

A
  • 5 year plan put Chinese society under a terrific strain, city population rose by 40mil, causing overcrowding, food shortage and housing problems
  • com party was losing some of its early popularity, many people had harsh words to say about leaders
  • Mao decided in 56 to allow people to let of steam by saying what they want about com party and policies
  • he quoted from Chinese history ‘let 100 flowers bloom’ meaning that free speech and argument were healthy and should be encouraged
  • for a while, Chinese people said what they liked, but often spoke more freely than Mao liked
  • in June 57 Mao suddenly cracked down on critics
  • many were arrested and sent off to camps in the countryside, others sacked from jobs
  • people were forbidden to speak freely and press was censored.
  • Hundred flowers withered as rapidly as they bloomed
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13
Q

The great leap forward

A
  • summer 1958 Mao made a tour of Chinese countryside saying ‘he witnessed tremendous energy of the masses’
  • aimed to make China into one of the leading industrial nations, simultaneously improving agriculture
  • done through a second 5 year plan 1958-63
  • Mao intended that Chinese economy would overtake Britain in 15 years and US in 20-30, he called this plan the great leap forward
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14
Q

The communes

A
  • unlike first 5 year plan, Great leap forward aimed to develop agriculture as well as industry, key to achieving this was organising into communes
  • communed were groups of villages varied in size, average containing 5k families who gave up their land, animals and equipment to common ownership
  • purpose was to release the energy of the masses, making sure time and effort was not wasted and could work at variety of tasks
  • around 4mil eating halls set up so no. of people cooking reduced, children put into nurseries and schools so parents free for work, old people put in houses of happiness
  • communes controlled every activity in persons life combining several different functions: local govt with committee of peasants, party members and soldiers running schools, nurseries public services etc. commune was a unit of work organisation, work divided among teams and grouped into work brigades
  • thirdly, commune was a unit of the communist party, making sure commune always followed party decisions
  • by end of 1958 700 mil people in communes
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15
Q

propaganda and entusiasm

A
  • party and govt made every effort to whip people into a frenzy of enthusiasm for their work, posters, slogans+newspaper articles urged Chinese to work long hours, whatever conditions
  • during work, loudspeakers played revolutionary music and stirring speeches, encouraging to meet plan’s targets and exceed
  • many impressive construction projects were completed in record time
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16
Q

backyard steel campaign

A
  • particular emphasis put onto making of steel, 600k backyard steel furnaces in towns and villages all over China
  • each one capable of making a few tonnes of steel, they turned over 11 mil tonnes, 65% more than the total for 1957
  • 1958 figures for production of steel, coal, timber, cement, fertiliser and many industrial products rose greatly
  • in agriculture record harvests of cotton and grain, Mao seemed right
  • lots of steel unusable as poorly made
17
Q

Chaos, crisis of 1959-61

A
  • party workers urged people to produce more and more faster, old and overworked machines fell apart under the strain, factory workers fell asleep at their benches+suffered accidents through carelessness and exhaustion
  • backyard steel campaign also failed. 3 of the 11 mil tonnes made were too impure for industrial use and thrown as scrap
  • so many furnaces, 1 in 10 was employed making steel, took people away from fields reducing food
  • furnaces used so much coal that railway locomotives had no fuel, so much steel made not enough trains to take it to industrial centres where needed
  • 1959 Mao admitted GLF had failed
18
Q

Farming crisis

A
  • many peasants were working in industry, especially backyard steel, too few people to harvest crops
  • party officials ignored this and falsely claimed grain harvest had been a record 260mil tonnes, as a result many communal eating halls gave peasants generous meals using up valuable stocks
  • wouldn’t matter if next year harvest good, weather in 59 very bad (floods, drought) harvest of only 170mil tonnes, people going hungry, some starving
  • weather in 60 even worse, reduced harvest to 144mil tonnes, led to major famine killing 9mil in 1960 alone
  • govt introduced rationing system, most people given max 125 grams grain a day, death toll continued to rise
  • 59-62 20mil died of starve and related diseases
19
Q

The rise of the moderates

A
  • bitter years partly a result of Mao’s GLF policies, some partly leaders blamed Mao and demanded his resignation
  • Mao to popular amongst masses to get rid of easily, party leaders persuaded him to hand over post of head of state to Liu Shaoqi, leaving him only as party chairman
  • Mao no longer involved in governing China, done by a group of moderate leaders, Liu, PM Zhou Enlai and secretary Deng Xiaoping
  • moderates introduced more realistic economic policies, abandoned GLF, reduced size of communes to make them more manageable
  • back yard steel workers sent back to fields, peasants allowed private plots again, sell some at market for profit, town workers’ wages increased
  • Mao had not lost grip, still regarded as great revolutionary hero, continued to have a great influence over mass of people
  • used this influence in 1966 to get rid of moderates by starting new political revolution
20
Q

The cultural revolution

A
  • moderates wanted to introduce more incentives to get the peasants in the communes working harder eg. letting them have larger plots and get wages for how much work they did, also believed in ideas of FFYP
  • Mao opposed policies of the moderates, said they were taking the ‘capitalist road’ allowing people to forget original aims of com party
  • 62 he launched socialist education movement to get people back onto road to communism, launched a 4 clean ups campaign to get rid of capitalist behaviour
21
Q

Mao support

A
  • 62-66 Mao urged party to avoid capitalist road, much of the time his advice fell to deaf ears
  • 1965 he gained powerful support from Lin Biao (minister of defence), that year Lin abolished all ranks in PLA, making all soldiers equal
  • every soldier was given Mao’s little red book, ordered to study it, Mao now had support of 4mil PLA
  • with backing of Lin and PLA Mao able to launch new campaign against capitalists and reactionaries who stood in way of com
  • 1966 was known as ‘The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution’
22
Q

Red guards

A
  • cultural revolution began amongst school children+students in Beijing, summer 66 students in Beijing formed military groups called red guards
  • schools and colleges were shut down for 6 months so curriculum could be rewritten on com ideas, red guards plenty of time to give to political activities
  • first aim to get rid of all capitalist and bourgeois influences in schools and colleges
  • began with four olds campaign against old ideas, culture, customs, habits. Expressed ideas in wall posters, marches attacked anything b or c
  • using violence to achieve their aims, shaved hair of western hairstyles ripped western clothes, smashed windows of b shops, burnt bookshops, libraries closed museums, art galleries, churches, theatres
  • Mao encouraged all this, given help (free travel on railway), police under orders not to oppose PLA supported
  • 1967 law and order broken down, red guards ran riot, almost civil war as RG fought reactionaries, killed 400k people
23
Q

Cult of Mao Zedong

A
  • red guards followed every word of Mao, lot of time spent reading and memorising little red book, 740mil printed 66-69, pictures, busts, statues put up, people bowed before bed and morning
  • hated Liu Shaoqi and Deng, both expelled from party and Liu imprisoned, dying in 69
  • sept 67 Mao attempted to restore order in China, schools and colleges reopened called young people to return to studies
  • in areas where red guards violent, PLA stepped in to disarm, Mao encouraged them to go into countryside to re-educate by learning from peasants
  • 18mil went, PLA set up revolutionary committees of peasants, soldiers, red guards
  • 1969 order restored cultural revolution over, high cost as young people missed education by 81 120 mil people under age of 45 could not read or write, industrial output fell drastically, farming distrupted
  • second time China had suffered chaos under Mao
24
Q

Power struggles, 1969-76

A
  • when Mao announced end of cultural revolution in 1969, he was in a very strong political position
  • most of the moderates had been expelled from the party and from the govt, leaving his own supporters in all the top positions
25
Q

project 571

A
  • Mao’s position not entirely secure, Lin Biao the defence minister and head of PLA who has supported Mao through cultural rev, began to doubt wether he could continue supporting him
  • on surface it seemed they were close, party conference in 69 named Lin as Mao’s second in command and successor
  • but behind scenes two men mistrusted each other, Mao feared Lin would not wait until his death to take position of chairman; while Lin convinced Mao was power-mad and unwilling to share any authority
  • to weaken Lin position, Mao got rid of several party leaders who supported him, Lin realised and plotted to overthrow
  • 1971 drew up a plan (project 571) to assassinate Mao, plot was discovered Lin and fellow plotters died when plane crashed
26
Q

Right versus left

A
  • 1973 elections to the Politburo (the party’s ruling body) produced a split between right wing moderates and left wing radicals
  • right was led by PM Zhou Enlai, and deputy Deng Xiaoping
  • Deng had been expelled during cultural revolution, but brought back to power in the 1973 elections, Zhou and Deng were supported by the party and the PLA
  • Left was led my Mao’s wife, Jiang Qing, and 3 radical politicians from Shanghai, known as gang of four, supported by trade unionists, com youth league and militias of big cities, big advantage over right as they had control of press and radio
  • disagreed over nearly everything, basic difference being whether politics was more important than the Chinese economy, right wanted to end political arguments and struggles that had dominated Chinese life, wanted party and govt efforts into building economy
  • left wanted to continue political struggle, particularly struggle between social classes, capitalists and reactionaries should be weeded out
  • believed China must follow ‘mass line’- serving people and giving them full share in decision-making, close study of Mao’s thoughts
27
Q

The rise and fall of the gang of four

A
  • 1974-76 left and right struggled for power, right backed a plan for 4 modernisations which Zhou put forward in 1975 (industry, farming, defence, science)
  • left put their energy into campaigns against bourgeois and outdated ideas in education and artistic life
  • right suffered big setback in 76 Zhou died, popular leader and thousands went to Tienanmen square to place wreaths, when police removed on 5 April, 10k rioted to show support as Deng took over as PM
  • left cleverly blamed riots on Deng and stripped him of all his govt + party posts, appointed Hua Guofeng, relatively unknown politician risen so fast was known as ‘helicopter’
  • Zhou and Deng out of the way, left (led by gang 4) seemed in control
  • sept 76 Mao died gang of 4 prepared to take power, beaten to it by the Politburo who gave Mao’s post of chairman to Hua (PM)
  • Hua now controlled govt, party and army (Mao never even had such power)
  • gang 4 arrested and imprisoned, arrest followed by another political campaign, press radio they were attacked
28
Q

Hua vs the moderates

A
  • Hua and supporters thought they should follow in the footsteps of Mao, 1977 they declared that whatever Mao had said must be obeyed and his decisions put into action, they were called ‘whateverists’ because of this
  • other road was the moderate one, moderates had no leaders in party at time of Mao’s death, but soon wall posters began to appear saying ‘bring back Deng’, public opinion was coming to the favour of the moderate right
29
Q

1976…

A
  • between 1976 and 1980 moderates slowly gained advantage over whateverists, Deng returned to power in 77 as deputy chairman of party and deputy PM, still ranked second to Hua, he gained great influence among other leaders
  • Under Deng influence China entered ‘a new historical period’. Periods of Mao over, China would now follow more moderate policies putting every effort into economic growth based on 4 modernisations of Zhou
30
Q

Democracy Wall

A
  • 1978-79 100s of posters criticising Mao were pasted to a wall in Changan avenue, main street in Beijing, brightly coloured attracted large crowds. Unofficial papers criticising Mao were openly sold and read
  • people made speeches, demanding greater freedom, became known as democracy wall
  • new period of free speech made Deng and moderates more popular
  • By 1980 Deng was powerful enough to demote Hua and whateverists to lower posts, replacing them with moderate supporters, most important Zhou Ziyang, became PM in 80, Hu Yaobang became chairman
  • once moderates gained control they clamped down on free speech, wall-posters were banned, democracy wall closed, leading poster writers arrested
31
Q

The trial of the gang of four

A
  • 1980-1, gang 4 on trial, been in prison since 1976
  • once trial begun, it soon became clear that the record of Mao himself was also on trial
  • all the gang of four were found guilty and sentenced to long terms of imprisonment
  • by 82 left wing com party had been discredited
  • under Deng’s moderate influence, govt able to focus on economy and social issues