Establishing an Authoritarian State

Question 1

administrative
what was the politburo?

Answer 1

• Mao chairman
• 14 members, closest allies Zhou Enlai and Liu Shaoqi
• key decisions made law
• Congress never challenged Politburo

Question 2

administrative
How many members were in the central people’s government?

Answer 2

56
most veterans from yan’an years

Question 3

administrative
How did mao manage to govern the whole of china efficiently?

Answer 3

• china divided 6 regions
• each governed by 4 major officials
• bureaucracy needed to run cities and introduce centrally planned economy

Question 4

administration
what occured landlords and their properties?

Answer 4

• property confiscated and distributed to peasants
• majority put on public trial and denounced as enemies of the people
• this is an example of land reform

Question 5

military / use of force
Why was xinjiang a threat to mao’s power?

Answer 5

• largely muslim
• fear of independence and soviet alliance due to border proximity

Question 6

military / use of force
How did mao deal with the ‘threat’ of xinjiang?

Answer 6

**October, 1949
**
* PLA impose communist authority over the region
* Controlled most of Xinjiang by Spring, 1950
* State-sponsored migration of Han Chinese into Xinjiang to spread Chinese influence and culture

Question 7

military / use of force
Why was tibet a threat to mao’s power?

Answer 7

Tibetans followed Buddhism and the Dalai Lama, despite claims that Tibet always belonged to China

Question 8

military / use of force
How did mao deal with the ‘threat’ of tibet?

Answer 8

October, 1950

• PLA imposes regime of terror to wipe out Tibetan identity
• 60 000 Tibetans fought against PLA
• Resistance suppressed within** 6 months**

Question 9

military / use of force
Why was shanghai and guangzhou a ‘threat’ to mao’s power?

Answer 9

Notorious for underground gangs and triads under Nationalist rule

Question 10

military / use of force
How did Mao deal with the ‘threat’ of Shanghai and Guangzhou?

Answer 10

Guangzhou: 130 000 captured, half executed
Shanghai: 28 000 deaths

Question 11

political
what was the three-antis movement?

Answer 11

august, 1951
- Campaign against corruption, waste, and obstructionist bureaucracy in government
- Citizens encouraged to participate in rallies to denounce ‘counter-revolutionaries)
- Struggle meetings: forced to admit guilt to large crowds demanding retribution

Question 12

political
what was the five-antis movement?

Answer 12

february, 1952
* Campaign against bribery, tax evasion, state property theft
* Bourgeoisie and business-owners targeted
* ‘capitalist tigers’ tortured, struggle meetings, let to many committing suicide to prevent denouncement

Question 13

**political **
what system did local party officials create to enforce conformity?

Answer 13

• neighbours spied on each other
• children reported on parents
• streets and blocks had official ‘watchers’ who kept local CCP informed on suspicious activity

Question 14

political
what was the significance of enforcing conformity?

Answer 14

exploit traditional fear of Chinese people of being publicly exposed as political or social deviants

Question 15

political
what were the role of Pary Cadres?

Answer 15

• Enforce Party Policies (schools, legal system, PLA, civil service, Danwei)
• closed down or took over youth organisations