The New Power Structure Flashcards
Who coordinated the government? (New power structure)
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
How many people were in the CCP by the end of 1950?
5.8 m
What did the CCP do? (New power structure)
Set economic targets
Controlled education
Controlled the prison camp system
What is Peng Duhai an example of?
An important member of the communist party that held a key role in the government
Minister of defence AND commander in chief of PLA
How did party cadres help enforce the party’s policies? (New power structure)
They controlled schools, the legal system.
They monitored the PLA, the civil service (ensuring their loyalty)
Who did the cadres monitor? (New party structure)
Work units (DANWEI)
All employees belonged to one They controlled the permits needed for: - travel - marriage - access to housing - access to food
What role did mass organisations have?
Eg. All-China Federation of Democratic Youth
Indoctrinate the young
All-China Federation of Women
Mobilised women in support of the regime’s campaigns on issues such as
Birth control
Divorce rights
What did the CCP organise in September 1949?
The Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference — Beijing
What did the CPPCC do?
Appointed the ministers who formed the new government— the Central People’s Government
Created the Common Programme— temporary constitution
Acted as the legislature while preparing the new constitution
What did the common programme set out?
A range of rights:
Gender equality, educational opportunity, protection of religious belief
YET
Also emphasised the leading role of the CCP
Gave powers to the PLA and police to crush opponents of communism
Made Mao the head of state
What was the reality of the CPPCC?
Did what it was told by the politburo— (important communist leaders)
What was the politburo?
What was the standing committee?
Had 14 members
BUT
Key decisions made by five-man standing committee:
What they decided became the law
Mao was the chairman of this standing committee — also included Zhou Enlai and Liu Shaoqi (close colleagues)
What was the role of the bureaucracy in the new power structure?
Needed a huge number of them:
Establish the new regime
Impose party control
Intrigued land reform
Run the cities
Introduce centrally planned economy
What happened to the number of state officials between 1949-59?
Rapid increase
720,000 to 7.9 million
What was the role of the PLA in helping the CCP establish control?
VITAL: “all political power grows out of the barrel of a gun”
Rounded up bandits, criminal gangs (terrorised many Chinese. Getting rid of them increased support)
k.r. in spreading communist influence: attacked Xinjiang, Buddhist Tibet, chases remaining GMD out of mainland China.
What was the economic role of the PLA?
(Built popular support for the regime through economic assistance)
Rebuilt china’s shattered infrastructure:
Soldiers rebuilt— bridges, roads, rail links, canals
What was the propaganda role of the PLA?
(Fought against the combined might of the UN during the Korean War)
Struggle: gave rise to heroic tales- model soldiers- that publicised the values of
•sacrifice
•discipline
•commitment to Mao
As many as 800,000 new recruits each year were indoctrinated with communist propaganda.
What was Mao’s dominant position within the government?
Leader of the Communist Party
Became Head of State in 1949
Massive personal prestige and influence: led Communists to victory in the Civil War
Mao Zedong Thought: guiding principles for new government.
Why was the new system of government “democratic”?
Local level: villages and town councils would elect representatives.
THEN
These representatives travelled to regional congresses to represent their views
THEN
Regional congresses elected representatives
AND
This carried on up a hierarchy of organisations till the views of the lowest councils were heard in “the centre” (Beijing)
What did the CCP call the new system of government?
Democratic centralism
BUT
At no point could anyone vote in favour of another political party taking power
