Maoism the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution Flashcards
What was Mao Zedong’s aim for China’s position in global communism during the Cold War?
Mao wanted China to claim leadership in the communist world with a fresh contribution, avoiding the bureaucratization seen in the USSR.
○ Willing to revise classic Marxist-Lenonist doctrine - focus on the peasantry + depended on guerilla warfare for poli tool to take power - = bonded the peasantry to the revolutionary party
How did Mao revise Marxist-Leninist doctrine to suit China’s conditions?
: Mao focused on the peasantry as the revolutionary class and used guerilla warfare as a political tool, bonding peasants to the revolutionary party.
What are the three defining aspects of ‘Maoism’?
(1) Belief in human will and romantic idealism; (2) Embrace of conflict as progress; (3) Focus on rural peasantry and countryside development.
1) led him to take on projects that orthodox communists would not think possible - extremist in nature - e.g. The Great leap Forward
2) Saw in being united In self-perpetuating idea of struggle - not in harmony, opp Chinas trad of Confucianism
Applied to operation of the party itself - internal conflict was necessary -> organization of rectification campaigns: purges that exercises cadres under assessment, members beliefs under scrutiny - weed out + expose to punishment or re-education if deviate
3) - favouritism towards countryside affected modernization + vision in China
□ Did not like cities all that much - tried to craft modernization to fit a rural environment - industrialization with minimal urbanization
Cultural rev - confrontation b/w rural + urban China
How did Mao’s belief in human will influence his policies?
It led to ambitious projects like the Great Leap Forward and made foreign policy difficult due to overconfidence and disdain for bureaucratic caution.
What was Mao’s view on conflict and how did it shape the CCP?
He saw conflict as essential, encouraging internal struggle through rectification campaigns, purges, and self-criticism to maintain party purity.
Why did Mao favor the rural peasantry in his vision for China?
As a member of the peasantry himself, he distrusted urban life, aiming for modernization that prioritized rural areas and minimized urbanization.
What characterized the period from 1950–53 in China?
A time of consolidation and infrastructure repair post-civil war and Korean War; guided by the ‘New Democracy’ doctrine aiming for industrialization + land reforms
What was ‘New Democracy’ and how was it used by Mao?
A transitional doctrine suggesting alliance with bourgeois elements; Mao used it to maintain the fiction of cooperation with non-CCP parties.
What were the consequences of land reforms during the early 1950s
Many rural landlords were eliminated, often violently, due to incited resentment from peasants.
What occurred during China’s 1954 move to build a communist society?
China launched a Soviet-style 5-year plan focused on heavy industry, infrastructure, and forming collective farms in the countryside.
Who held significant power during China’s pro-Soviet period and why?
Gao Gong in Manchuria, due to his strong pro-Soviet stance and leadership in implementing central planning structures.
How did Mao’s views diverge from Soviet industrial strategies?
He was skeptical of diverting rural resources to cities, resented urban-focused heavy industry, and sought alternative development models.
What motivated Mao’s Great Leap Forward (1958)?
Mao sought a unique path to development amid tensions with the USSR, and aimed to mobilize labor power and decentralize authority to communes.
What were the two main features of the Great leap forward in 1958?
(1) Mass mobilization of labor into communes; (2) Decentralization of authority to local communes for governance, culture, and industry.
Why did the Great Leap Forward fail?
Unrealistic production quotas, mismanagement, famine, poor weather, and resistance from the military and USSR led to collapse.
: What were the consequences of the Great Leap Forward by 1960?
GNP dropped by 1/3, massive crop failure, and an estimated 35–36 million people died from famine.
How did the CCP respond to the Great Leap Forward’s failure in 1961?
Shrunk party size, restored family farming plots, reintroduced incentive pay, and broke up large labor brigades.
What foreign policy shift occurred under Mao during the late 1950s?
Mao radicalized foreign policy, increased tensions with the USSR, and supported anti-colonial movements; this led to the public Sino-Soviet split.
Gao Gang had been purged in Manchuria ‘suicide’ most pro soviet chinese leader - USSR withdrew troops here
} Chinese attended the Bandung conference - non-align movement
– Zhou Enlai - schmoozing here - with newly independent countries -USSR took offense
} 1958 Mao radicalizes foreign policy to challenge the USSR - in anti-western/colonialist liberation movements -
What event symbolized China’s move away from the USSR in foreign policy?
The Bandung Conference, where Zhou Enlai built ties with newly independent nations, upsetting the USSR.
How did Stalin’s death in 1953 affect Mao’s actions?
Mao saw the USSR’s destalinization as a threat to his image and initiated the Great Leap Forward to assert his leadership in global communism.
