Reasons for The Hundred Flowers Campaign

Question 1

Trap to identify dissenters

Answer 1

• His speech on ‘Handling Contradictions’ was finally published in the People’s Daily but there was no mention of compromise or moderation in this version, Instead, it declared that ‘poisonous weeds’ had grown up among the ‘fragrant flowers’. These ‘right wingers’ had abused their freedoms and he demanded a campaign of class struggle against them.
• These were defined very broadly so that they could include anyone who the regime wanted to get rid of.

Question 2

Reinforcing Mao’s control

Answer 2

• There were constant debates within the CPC leadership about the pace of change. Mao hoped that intellectuals from outside the party would support his belief in a fast pace of change; and that this would give him the opportunity to remove officials who were standing in his way.
• Crimes liable for punishment included ‘opposing socialist culture’ and ‘opposing the fundamental policies of the state’. Simply denying the achievements of the revolution could lead to arrest.

Question 3

Desire for constructive criticism

Answer 3

Mao recognised that intellectuals and educated specialists were necessary if China was to make further economic progress. Most of the Party were uneducated peasants:
- They needed to enlist the help of those who could organise modern industries, develop advanced technology or provide innovative solutions for China’s economic problems.

Question 4

Policy Experimentation

Answer 4

The Campaign aligned
with Mao’s broader approach to
encourage debate and criticism as
a way of fostering ideological clarity
within the party:
- Combination of a totalitarian system with democratic checks and balances - Even Mao was unsure of what would come out of it.

Question 5

International Concerns

Question 6

Gained support for the regime from the people

Answer 6

• The fact that Chinese military was not defeated by the combined forces enabled the regime to win back the people with propaganda of the PLA.
• Farmers pledged to increase production and donated surplus crops to the troops.
• Increased production in key industries like coal, iron and steel.

Question 7

International Prestige

Answer 7

• Proved that the a West were “Paper Tigers” : fearsome looking and sounding but easy to defeat.
• Showed that China could no longer be exploited or bullied
• Mao proved himself to be a strong leader for other Asian communists.
• Stalin has praised them for joining the war which helped them gain more economic and military aid from Stalin for his new republic.

Question 8

Helped Mao consolidate his power

Answer 8

• Purged his own enemies with the ‘Resist America, Aid Korea’ Campaign
• Recorded 800,000 counter-revolutionary and 135,000 official executions during the first half of 1951.
• Spread rumours of American biological weapons.

Question 9

Impact on China

Answer 9

• China was forced to accept nationalist Taiwan
• Truman threatened to intervene if China invaded Taiwan in 1950 and sent US fleets to patrol the Taiwan Strait.
• The impossibility of complete reunification was a great blow to China’s national pride.

Question 10

Relations with the West

Answer 10

• US policy became aggressive: Policy of containment for communism.
• US defence spending reached $50 billion and China could not catch up
• Truly separated China from the West once and for all and created enemies

Question 11

Relations with the USSR (terror and violence)

Answer 11

• Left China isolated and dependant on Soviet economic aid and advice
• With the Western diplomatic recognition of the Beijing regime now impossible, the isolation of Chinese people from democratic influences was complete.
• The PRC was totally dependent on the USSR

Question 12

PLA helped Mao consolidate his power

Answer 12

• “Learn from the PLA”:
• exemplified discipline, bravery, resourcefulness, and commitment to the communist cause.
• Solders contributed up to a week’s worth of labour a year o help local construction or irrigation projects, teach at schools and night schools
• Size reduced from 5 mil to 3.5 mil
• New military academies in Beijing and Nanjing

Question 13

Propaganda helped Mao consolidate his power

Answer 13

• Common Program 1949:
• The rights of freedom of thought, speech, assembly and association
• People thought it would bring unity, peace and prosperity
• Network of party branches from capital to villages
• First legislation was equality for women

Question 14

Mao consolidated through Laogais

Answer 14

‘Reform through Labour”
- By the start of 1955 there were more than 1.3 million people undergoing forced labour
- Most were political prisoners including 300,000 doctors who had been rounded up
- As the population increased the economic value of them also increased.

Question 15

New power structure helped consolidate his power

Answer 15

• Democratic Centralism
• True democracy in a communist part lay in the obedience of the members to the authority and instructions of the leaders
• All of the jobs were often handled by the same person.

Question 16

Campaigns helped consolidate his power

Answer 16

• Reunification campaigns in Tibet, XinJiang, Guangdong
• Invaded and captured nationalist
• 28,000 dead in Guangdong
• By reunifying China a sense of national pride and unity was developed in a country that felt divided before.