The State of China's Economy in 1949 Flashcards
What impact did the civil war have on industry?
Badly damaged it— much industrial equipment destroyed
Retreating nationalist forces attempted to sabotage industrial sites before communists could use them
Areas where
local power stations had been bombed/
coal stocks were low
lacked ELECTRICITY
What did the Soviet Union do at the end of WWII that had an impact on china’s industry?
They controlled Manchuria.
They dismantled industrial equipment in factories/mines.
They confiscated tools and gold.
Shipped them back to the USSR
What was the state of china’s factories in 1949?
They had to be RECONSTRUCTED before industrial production could be improved
Raw materials scarce (& difficult to get them to factories)
1949– factory output 44% below 1937 level
Many skilled personnel
who had the knowledge to rebuild industrial production
had fled to TAiWAN
Why did the communists have support among the peasants? (80% of population)
Promised to introduce land reform
What was china’s agriculture like in 1949
Agricultural TOOLS and LIVESTOCK: short supply.
Most common fertiliser? Human waste (spread disease)
Civil War: many peasants CONSCRIPTED into the nationalist forces to replace dead soldiers.
Farms were left unattended^
Crops wilted and died^
FOOD supplies dangerously low…
What was the previous nationalist government like?
Very corrupt:
Bribery of officials common
Many leaders hoarded supplies or sold food (meant for the people) for their own profit.
What was transport like in 1949?
Transport networks badly damaged; around 1/2 of railway network had been destroyed.
(Blowing up railway tracks and bridges had been a key tactic of the communists during the civil war)
Why was it necessary to rebuild the railways quickly, after having destroyed them in the civil war to prevent nationalists’ ability to move their troops into battle?
Consolidate their control over large expanses of the country (esp. isolated rural areas far from the capital)
Telephone lines in 1949?
Rivers and harbours in 1949?
Damaged
Clogged up with ships sunk during years of conflict
