MAO Politics part 2 Flashcards
Why did the PLA enjoy a special place in Communist mythology?
Defeated the Japanese and the GMD; epitomised revolutionary values
How many people made up the PLA in 1950?
5 million
How much of the state budget did the PLA consume in 1950?
Over 40%
How many men was the PLA reduced to by 1957?
2.5 million
Who supervised the reduction in the numbers of the PLA?
Minister of Defence, Peng Dehuai
What happened to the PLA as it became smaller?
Became more professional; more technically advanced; less egalitarian; with differentiated pay scales between clearly defined ranks
When did the PLA’s political department draw up a new code of conduct, stressing the need to help peasants on collective farms?
1956
How many young men were conscripted to the PLA each year and for how long?
800,000; 3-year term
How did the PLA remain of pivotal importance to the PRC post-1949?
Acted as a means of indoctrination; a workforce for rebuilding transport infrastructure after the civil war; a means of enforcing central gov control in the regions
When did Mao become leader of the CCP?
1943
What made Mao head of state as well as of the Party?
Appointment as chair of the Central People’s Government
What are early examples of Mao setting the pace and direction of policy?
Korean War 1950; ‘five antis’ campaign 1952
What are some examples of Mao’s power not being absolute?
1956 Party Congress removed ref to Mao Zedong Thought while Mao was ill; Hundred Flowers campaign 1956-57; debate about pace of agricultural change
Who did Mao like to compare himself to?
First Qin emperor who had united China in 3rd century BC
Why did Mao have to adapt Marxism for China?
Only 1% of the population could be classed as industrial workers
Where did Mao first build strong links between the Communists and the peasantry?
Jiangxi; Yanan
What were the different aspects of Mao Zedong thought?
Nationalism; continuing revolution; listening to the people; mass mobilisation
What was reaffirmed in the 1954 constitution as one of the principles on which the PRC was based?
Democratic centralism
Where did the Great Terror begin?
Rural areas- October 1950
When did the Great Terror spread to the cities?
April 1951
How many people were killed in the Great Terror?
1/2 million
Who was the next target of the regime after the Great Terror?
Professionals who had been asked to stay in their posts, but whose support became less important as time passed
How many government officials were sacked in the ‘three antis’ movement in 1951?
Over a million
Who was attacked in the 1952 ‘five antis’ campaign?
Business community
Where were the reunification campaigns?
Guangdong; Xinjiang; Tibet
When were the reunification campaigns?
1950-51
When did the civil war drag on in the far south until?
End of 1950
Why was Guangdong targeted during the reunification campaigns?
GMD heartland during the last months of the civil war; town of Guangzhou was the GMD capital
How long did it take for the PLA to secure Guangdong after the declaration of the PRC?
2 weeks
What was the population of Xinjiang like?
Ethnically mixed, but 80% were Uyghurs, most of whom were Muslims
How was the nationalist opposition in Xinjiang subdued by the Communist Party?
By a combination of conquest and negotiation
Why was Xinjiang targeted during the reunification campaigns?
Westernmost province of China, which had only been conquered by the Qing in the 1880s; Russians had been developing it as a potential buffer state
What were the local Uyghur leaders in Xinjiang offered?
Key posts in the regional council
When did Peng use the PLA to capture Urumqi, the provincial capital of Xinjiang?
End of 1949
How was future Communist control established in Xinjiang?
Appointment of a Long March veteran to run the local CCP and army unit
What did Xinjiang become for China after the reunification campaign there?
Security buffer zone
How did the Party distill the Uyghur population in Xinjiang?
Sent in large members of Han Chinese to work on construction projects
When had Tibet been operating as an independent entity from?
1913
Why was Tibet left alone to face Chinese conquest?
India was independent and so the British were no longer interested in protecting Tibet; UN was too busy with Korea; Russia had agreed to allow China a free hand there, in return for the same in Outer Mongolia; too far from the USA for its direct influence to come into play
When did the PLA invade Tibet?
October 1950
When did Tibet come under Chinese sovereignty?
May 1951
How did the PRC begin a prolonged campaign to destroy Tibetan identity after the country had come under Chinese sovereignty?
Brought in large numbers of Han settlers; promoted a Chinese lifestyle
Who backed the local resistance to the PRC in Tibet?
American CIA