The PRC Flashcards

1
Q

When was the PRC announced?

A

1 October 1949.

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2
Q

What were the three pillars of power in the PRC?

A

1) The State Bureaucracy.
2) The CCP.
3) The PLA.

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3
Q

What positions did Mao hold in the PRC? (3)

A

1) Chairman of the Central People’s Government Council (State Bureaucracy).
2) Chairman of the CCP.
3) Chairman of the People’s Revolutionary Military Council (PLA).

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4
Q

What was the ‘mass line’?

A

The underlying principles of the CCP which policy should be based off of.

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5
Q

What did Mao view his role in the PRC as?

A

To lead the ideological debate within the party about the mass line, and to purge those who deviated from the ‘correct’ ideological path. Mao left day-to-day governing to other leading members in the State Bureaucracy.

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6
Q

How was Mao’s personality cult boosted by the PRC (3 ways)?

A

1) The CCP victory in the Civil War highlighted his military leadership.
2) His head was put on bank notes and stamps.
3) His charismatic speeches.

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7
Q

What were the 4 levels of government China was divided into?

A

1) National level.
2) Regional level.
3) Provincial level.
4) Local level.

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8
Q

Who was the Premier/Chairman of the State Council in 1949?

A

Zhou Enlai.

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9
Q

Who was the Chairman of the National Defence Council in 1949?

A

Peng Dehuai.

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10
Q

Who was Gao Gang (2)?

A

1) He planned the economic recovery of Manchuria in the Civil War. He was the provincial governor, Party Chairman and military commander in Manchuria and a member of the politburo.
2) He became head of the Central Planning Commission in 1952.

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11
Q

Who was Deng Xiaoping?

A

Deng Xiaoping was a veteran of the Long March and a long standing ally of Mao, who was a military commander for the PLA in the Civil War. He became the Party’s General Secretary in 1957.

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12
Q

What aspects of democracy did the PRC contain and how significant were they (2) in 1949?

A

1) The National Party Congress, with representatives from other parties, debated policy issues and made decisions, however they met highly infrequently, and only agreed on Politburo decisions.
2) 11 of 24 ministers appointed to the State Bureaucracy in 1949 were from other parties, but were only tolerated if they did not threaten the CCP.

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13
Q

What was the Vanguard Party?

A

A party created by Lenin that restricted its membership to workers and intellectuals who had achieved a high level of ‘revolutionary consciousness’, as he believed they were the only ones who could lead a successful revolution.

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14
Q

What was CCP membership in October 1949?

A

4,500,000 members.

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15
Q

What was CCP membership in December 1950?

A

5,800,000 members.

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16
Q

What was the role of Party cadres?

A

Cadres permeated all levels of government and administration, e.g. the legal system, education and the PLA, to ensure the political direction of the state was followed.

17
Q

How did the CCP create a sense of participation amongst China (3)?

A

1) The CCP established branches in all aspects of national life, such as schools, shops, factories, PLA units, offices, etc.
2) CCP members took leading roles in various mass organisations, such as trade unions, the All-China Federation of Women and the All-China Federation of Democratic Youth.
3) The CCP and cadres watched over urban neighbourhood committees.

18
Q

What were work units/danwei?

A

Every employed citizen living in an urban area belonged to a work unit, led by party cadres, who controlled the allocation of housing, grain, cooking oil and cloth whilst also issuing permits to travel, marry enter the army or university and change employment.

19
Q

What was ‘democratic centralism’?

A

Party members were free to express opinions and participate in debates on policy. However, once the final decision was made by the Politburo, all members had to promote and accept these policies.

20
Q

How significant was democratic centralism in the PRC?

A

Although debate did occur within the Party, it was only in the narrow limit of Mao Zedong Thought, so debate in regard to policy was limited.

21
Q

Why was the PRC unchallenged by opposition (3)?

A

1) Success in the Civil War defeated the GMD.
2) The CCP had brought peace and unity to China, after decades of war and instability.
3) The ridding of most foreign interference in China.

22
Q

What 4 classes made up ‘the people’?

A

1) Peasants.
2) The urban working class.
3) The petty bourgeoise.
4) The national bourgeoise.

23
Q

Who made up the ‘five black categories’?

A

1) ‘Reactionary elements’.
2) ‘Feudal elements’.
3) ‘Lackeys of imperialism’.
4) ‘Bureaucratic capitalists’.
5) ‘Enemies of the people’.

24
Q

Why did Mao adopt a United Front Policy with the 4 classes?

A

Mao knew China was not ready to become a fully-fledged socialist state, and so needed to go through a transition stage from a semi feudal state to a socialist one. Mao needed the support of the four groups to rebuild the economy and consolidate the PRC, and so adopted a system similar to the one used in Yan’an.

25
Q

How were the five black categories treated?

A

They were classified as non-people, lacked political rights and were to be repressed, punished or reformed.