Consolidation Flashcards
Land Reform Movement (1950)
Seizing land from landlords, reallocating it to peasants, creating local peasant associations, ending usury (high interest loans), literacy, education, basic medical services. 2-3 million landlords killed and CCP transferred property rights from the former landlord class to the Chinese state. Peasants get titles for land and learn to read. Got peasants on communist’s side
Marriage Law (1950)
Prohibited concubines, child brides, and allowed for divorce. Created civil registry for legal marriages, both parties had to consent to marriage. Created greater sense of equality, 90% of marriages got registered
First Five Year Plan (1953-57)
Using the Soviet model and advisers in China, Mao focused on developing heavy industry. Steel and coal production increased significantly. Increased state ownership of means of production. Argiculture (grain output) declined
Second Five Year Plan/Great Leap Forward (1958-62)
Mao urged people to increase farm and industrial output by creating communes and setting up “backyard” industries to produce steel in order to “leap”/bypass stages advanced nations had gone through. Program failed, produced low-quality steel and communes had slow food output. Mao turned China’s rural provinces into killing fields and withdrew into political background.
Speak bitterness meetings (1950s)
Denunciation of prominent class enemies was often conducted in public squares; large crowds who surrounded the kneeling victim, raised fists, with outbursts of hatred and accusations. Helped mobilize the masses toward Maoism
Four olds attacked by Red Guards (1960s)
Paramilitary youth group that marched across China in a campaign to eradicate old customs, culture, habits, and ideas. Young people joined the fight against bureaucrats and revisionists.
The Laogai (1960s)
Prision camp system to enforce conformity and obedience, retrain and enlighten. They provided slave labor in hazardous projects during Great Leap forward. 10 million prisoners held each year, 25 million died
Cleanse the Ranks Campaign
political mass to eliminate “class enemies, traitors, spies, capitalist roaders, counter-revolutionaries.” Worse destruction than Red Guards. Maiming, arrests, torture, suicides, mass executions.
Down the countryside movement (1967-72)
Young urban chinese went into countryside to live among peasants to better understand “dignity of labor”. Many were frustrated with harsh conditions and said later that it made them question the truth of Mao propaganda
Little Red Book (1964)
Quotations of Mao used as propaganda. Contained his political philosophy for China and was required reading in all schools.
Hundred Flowers Campaigns
Mao encouraged intellectuals to offer criticism of national policy. At first mild, then attacked Mao, campaign was ended and “rightists” were arrested and imprisoned. Debate over whether the campaign was a deliberate maneuver by Mao to bring his critics into the open so they could be easily exposed.
Tiananmen Square Rally (1966)
1 million young people praised Mao as they listened to Lin Biao present plan to eliminate the “Four olds” (thoughts, habits, culture, customs). Young people were convinced that the “revisionists” in the party were preventing them from prospects and joined to fervor
Three Anti and Five Anti Campaign
parades of anti-Capitalist activists rooted out business leaders Three (corruption, waste, bureaucracy) and Five (bribery, theft of state property, tax evasion, cheating state contracts, stealing state intelligence). Party revealed that it would no longer protect private business/capitalism
Anti-Rightist Campaign (1957)
Lunched to identify and remove from positions of power members of the CCP who were not adequately pro-Communist. Turned China into a one-party state
Cultural Revolution (1966-76)
Time when Mao’s authority wqas promoted, the “four olds” were attacked and the Red Guards caused chaos. Was done to distract from failure in Great Leap Forward
