Establishing Communist Rule 49-57 Flashcards
Political problems:
Communists beat Nationalists (Kuomintang) led by Chiang Kai-Shek in Civil war 1949
China lacked a organised central government
Issue with regions:
Xinjang had a large muslim population so had little in common with rest of China
Tibet didn’t consider themselves as Chinese
Confucian tradition
Discrimination towards women (no right to own property)
Peasants in poverty - exploited by landlords
80% of population lived in rural areas and survived by farming the land
Little health care outside cities
Education bad - most peasants illiterate
Aftermath of Civil war 46-49
Millions died, infrastructure destroyed, more poverty and people malnourished
Transport networks full of refugees
Country stripped of assets by nationalists
Unstable economy (hyperinflation)
Educated elite went to Taiwan (nationalists)
Nationalists a threat - bombing ships and killing hundreds in cities on the mainland
Industry in 1949
Badly damaged from war and equipment destroyed
Local power stations bombed
Factory output 44% below 1937 level
Skilled personnel fled to Taiwan so lack of knowledge to rebuild industrial production (e.g factories)
Agriculture in 1949
Support from peasants (80% of population) as they promised land reforms
Short supply of tools and livestock
Fertiliser = human waste - disease spread
Peasants conscripted by GMD during war so farms left unattended (crops died=low food supply)
Nation Infrastructure in 1949
Previous government corrupt
Transport networks were damaged - half the railway network destroyed (blowing up tracks was a tactic used by communists to prevent nationalists from moving troops)
Telephone lines damaged
Rivers/harbours clogged with sunk ships
Chinese Communist Party (CCP) - NEW ROLES
5.8 million by the end of 1950
Set economic targets and controlled education/prison system
Important members held key roles e.g. Peng Dehuai was minister of defence and commander in chief of PLA
Party cadres - NEW ROLES
Enforced party policies
Controlled schools and legal system
Monitored PLA and civil service ensuring loyalty remained
Monitored work units called Danwei
Controlled permits for marriage/travel/housing/food
Common programme - temporary constitution
Created in Sept 1949 - meeting in Beijing
Set out rights including gender equality, educational opportunities and protection of religious beliefs
Emphasised leading role of CCP and have powers to PLA to crush opponents
Did what was told by Politburo (14 members) Mao was chairman
PLA
Used to round up bandits/criminal gangs
Spread communist influence
Rebuilt China’s infrastructure - soldiers built bridges, roads, rail links and canals
During Korean war, fought against UN and recruited through propaganda (each year 800,000)
Mao
Leader of the party and head of state in 1949
Held personal prestige and influence by winning the civil war
Mao Zedang Thought became guiding principles of new government
Democratic centralism - new system of government
Local villages and town councils would elect representatives who travelled to regional congresses to represent their views
Regional congresses elected representatives and it carried on up hierarchy of organisations
Three-Antis Movement (1951)
Clean up of the party
Directed against corruption, waste and bureaucracy
Removed opponents of communists
Friends/family disappeared
Encouraged citizens to go to rallies organised to denounce counter revolutionaries - then struggle meetings
Five Antis Movement (1952)
Against bribery, tax evasion, theft of state property, cheating on gov contracts and stealing state economic info
Bourgeoisie/business owners targeted
“Tiger beaters” intimidated the capitalist tigers torturing them into struggle meeting -many died of suicide
Reunification campaigns in Tibet, Xinjiang and Guangdong
Tibet followed buddhism and loyal to Dalai Lama - the PLA attacked, Buddhist traditions banned and leader forced to flee
Xinjiang had a large Muslim population tied to USSR - Mao feared this so PLA attacked and cleared resistance by March 1950
Guangdong-Nationalist forces 28,000 executed
The Laogai System
Vast network of labour camps to imprison enemies
Start of 1955, 1.3 million people in forced labour some prisoners were criminals but most were political opponents
Terrible conditions - death by disease was common and suicides (to escape)
Forced to attend propaganda meetings
Reasons for Hundred Flowers Campaign (criticism of party by intellectuals)
Attempt to encourage educated intellects to give advice/answers
Rectified the party by forcing Party members to act in interests of the people
Removed Mao’s enemies
Krushchev’s secret speech criticised Stalin who Mao was similar to
Response of Mao and aftermath of The Hundred Flowers campaign
Speech on Handling Contradictions was published in People’s Daily declaring ‘poisonous weeds’ had abused their freedoms
Launch of Anti-rightist campaign- 400,000-700,000 intellectuals purged and sent to countryside or Laogais
Korean war 1950-53
Stalin encouraged China’s involvement (provided weapons) and China shared a border with NK so Mao feared the US
+excuse to attack enemies at home
+support for CCP ‘Resist America, Aid Korea’
-400,000/3 million died
-grain requisitioning led to famine
