Mao: Emergence of an authoritarian state

Question 1

What were four factors that helped Mao come to power in 1949? [4]

Answer 1

• China’s poor economy
• Political weakness of the Qing Dynasty and Republican China.
• Conflict, which increased the CCP’s influence in China.
• Mao’s leadership qualities and his ideology strengthened his position within the CCP.

Question 2

How did China’s poor economy help Mao come to power in 1949? [5]

Answer 2

• Western powers since the 1840s had forced China to accept unequal treaties and trade deals.
• Rapidly growing population, which agriculture was unable to support.
• Much of industry and business was under foreign control.
• Another consequence of this was poor and illiterate population, severe lack of education.
• Overall, polarisation, extremism, and contributed to weakness of gov’.

Question 3

How did political weakness of the Qing Dynasty and Republican China help Mao come to power in 1949? [4]

Answer 3

• The Qing Dynasty was seen as incapable.
• Originally from Manchuria, the Qing Dynasty also lacked strong allegiance from the people of China.
• The weakness of the republican gov’ gave rise to warlords - provincial military leaders.
• The May Fourth movement 1919 was a series of anti-gov protests incited by warlordism and humiliation at the Paris peace conference.

Question 4

How did civil war help Mao come to power in 1949?

Answer 4

• The continuation of the civil war after the end of WW2 resulted in the CCP seizing power from the Nationalists, who retreated to Taiwan.
• The CCP proved to be militarily stronger than the Nationalists, who had poorly trained soldiers, incompetent commanders, low morale, and unpopularity.
• The CCP had determined leadership from Mao, and could obtain food and support from local peasantry.

Question 5

How did Mao’s leadership qualities help him come to power in 1949? [4]

Answer 5

• He was also ruthless to opposition: Rectification of Conduct campaign 1942-44 - Mao ousted opponents from the CCP by subjecting members to public self criticism. Over 1000 imprisoned or tortured.
• He had a strong knowledge of peasants, and could dominate discussions.
• He was a good military leader, transformed the Red Army into an effective modern army.
• These factors made him somewhat unassailable to opposition such as ‘the 28 Bolsheviks’

Question 6

How did Mao’s ideology help him come to power in 1949? [3]

Answer 6

• Mao’s peasant policy won the support of peasants, by ‘Liberating’ villages or regions, taking forcefully from landowners and reallocating them to the peasants.
• From 1937 to 1945 the CCP membership grew from 40 000 to 1 million
• Mao’s beliefs were contrary to Comintern ideology, primarily, revolution should come from the peasants instead of the proletariat. Practical since > 80% of the pop were peasants.

Question 7

Did the Sino-Japanese war help Mao come to power in 1949? [2]

Answer 7

• It directed Chiang Kai-shek’s focus away from defeating the CCP to defeating the Japanese.
• It also lost support for the Nationalists, who seemed unable to deal with the Japanese.

Question 8

What are two difficulties when it comes to studying Mao?

Answer 8

• Censorship of the media under Mao

- There was no tradition of objective, critical history in China— history is very utilitarian.