INDUSTRY Flashcards
What were the industrial plans introduced in China?
First five year plan
Second five year plan
What was the aim of the first five year plan in China?
Make the PRC as self sufficient in food and manufactured goods. And protect China from hostile capitalist world
However heavy industry came first
What were the features for the first five year plan?
Industries belonging to foreigners and those in banking, gas and transport sectors were nationalised
Chanel resources into heavy industry away from consumer goods
What were the successes of the first five year plan?
Urban standard of living improved in terms of wages and job security
People migrated to cities- population went from 57m in 1949 to 100m In 1957
Economy successes in reaching targets in 1957:
Steel target 4.12 tonnes, actual 5.35
Machine tools target 12,720, actual 28,000
What were the failures of the first five year plan?
Figures unlikely to be reliable, officials exagerrated to please their supirors
Shortcoming in the skill and literacy of the Chinese workers
Anti campaigns of 1951 had driven out economic planners
What were the reasons for introducing the second five year plan?
Economic: industrialisation depends on agri, industry wasn’t producing large amounts of consumer goods
Political: determined to show Soviets China could work without them
Person: maos confidence was high because of success in collectivation
What were the features of the second five year plan?
Backyard furnaces
State owned enterprises
Construction projects
What were the backyard furnaces?
Mao announced targets for Chinese industry that more than likely couldn’t be reached, so he introduced backyard furnaces
Nationwide movement, 1958 14% of China’s steel came from local furnaces- same year 49%
More important than education, children taken out of school to participate
What were fail of the backyard furnaces?
Found the at the melted steel was not good quality, it was useless
Economically damaging and ecologically damaging- woodland destroyed leading to soil erosion and worse flooding
What were the construction projects introduced?
Introduced to describe water conservancy projects launched in 1957
Failed project- Three Gate Gorge Dam, designed to control the flow of the yellow river and reduce damage. Had to be rebuilt within a year
Only some were useful, and the amount of lives lost and labour taking away from farming was bad
What were the state owned enterprises under the second five year plan?
Enterprises that had been previously owned were nationalised in 1956
Prices, output targets and wages were set by the state
System was inefficient because it removed incentives to work harder
What were the overall successes of the second five year plan?
Increased output of raw materials
Construction of Tiananmen Square in Beijing
Development of nuclear weapons in 1964
Output of raw materials: coal- 1957 131 tonnes, 290 tonnes in 1959
1.5 barrels of oil in beginning, by the end 7 barrels
What were the overall failures of the second five year plan?
Production overall was low, especially in manufactured goods
1962 only produced half the amount of heavy industrial goods and three quarters of light industrial goods to those in 1958
Lack of planning, with no scientific or technical knowledge, corners were cut to meet targets
Inadequate quality control let to complains, threatening to ruin China’s image as a trading partner
