Topic 2: Agricultural and Industrial Changes (1949-1965)

Question 1

In 1949, how much of the population lived in the countryside?

Answer 1

80%

Question 2

What was Mao suspicious off?

Answer 2

Mao thought peasants were mini-capitalists as they wanted thier own land and profit

Question 3

What did the 1950 Agarian Land Reform do?

Answer 3

Aim was to destroy landlords

• Struggle sessions held against landlords (1-2m killed)
• Over 40% of land redistributd
• Peasants worked harder on land they owned
• Landlord class was destroyed

Question 4

In 1951/52 MutualA Aid Teams were set up?

What did these encourage?

How many People took part?

Answer 4

• Encouraged peasants to share tools, fertiliser and animals
• Around 10 households

Question 5

By 1952, How many peasants were in MATs?

Answer 5

40%

Question 6

Agricultural Producers’ Cooperatives (APCs)

• What yr were they set up in?
• How many households?
• Key features?

Answer 6

• In 1952/53
• 30 - 50 households
• Land pooled as well as tools but Peasants still owed thier land

Question 7

During 1953-55, how many times did Mao change his mind?

Answer 7

4 times

Question 8

Summer 1955. what was instroduced?

What was the main feautre of this?

Answer 8

Higher APCs

Profit incentives reduced

Question 9

How many households did HAPCS contain?

Answer 9

200-300 households

Question 10

By July 1955, 17m peasants were in HAPCS,

By Jan 1956, what does this number rise to

Answer 10

75m households = 63% of peasant population

Question 11

By the end of 1956, what percentag of peasants still farmed privately?

Answer 11

only 3%

Question 12

by 1956, Mao is pleased with collectivisation but agriculture figures remain poor.

Grain production rises by only ?% in 1957

Answer 12

1%

Question 13

All reamaining prive plots are ablished by?

Answer 13

1958

Question 14

Communes were made up of 5,500 households or 25 HAPCs

Communes were compulsory

What are other key feature of People’s Communes

Answer 14

-APCs rewards for work are removed and incentive to work decreases
- Men and women sleep in separate dorms
-Commune militia punsihed those who took too much food
-Women have to take on harsh physical labour - 90
% of women worked in farming in 1958/59

Question 15

What delayed the implementation of the first 5YP?

Answer 15

The Korean War - 50% of 1951 budget on army

Question 16

Positives of SIno-Soviet Treaty (1950)

Answer 16

• 10-11k soviet advisor in China to help;28k chinese go the other way
• Over 150 major industrial enterprises builty with USSR Aid

Question 17

Negatives of Sino-Soviet Treaty (1950)

Answer 17

• Adivsors wages were high
• 300m dolar loan China’s gold reserves as secrutiy and interets rates were high - grain sold to pay loans leavign peasants on rations
• Soviet inlfuence has big impact - Lysenkoism

Question 18

3 Success of first 5YP

Answer 18

1) Heavy industrial output tripled
2) Living standards of industrial workers improve
3) Annual industrial growth rate averaged 16% - Increase from 14.7% target

Question 19

1 Political Reason GLF was launched

Answer 19

Nobody would speak out agaisnt Mao after 100F

Question 20

1 economic reason GLF was launched

Answer 20

More food needed to drive indsutrialisation/ feed growing urban population

Question 21

1 International Reason GLF was launched

Answer 21

Need to catch up with West and USSR

Question 22

1 Ideological Reason GLF was introduced

Answer 22

As before, peasants were key to China’ development so Mao returned to them

Question 23

Two Slogans linked to GLF

Answer 23

• “More, Faster, Better, Cheaper”

- “Walking on Two legs”

Question 24

What was the steel target in autmun 1957?

Answer 24

40m tonnes per yr by the 1970s

Question 25

What was the steel target in autumn 1958?

Answer 25

700m tonnes per yr by early 1970s

100m tonnes per yr by 1962

Question 26

Give 5 main Reaosn for the failrue fo the GLF

Answer 26

1) Overambitious nature - puts too much pressur eon communes
2) Climate of fear - noone wold tell Mao to stop
3) Sino-Soviet Split 1960: removed thousands of soviet advisors + 59/60, millions of tonnes of grain exported to USSR to rpay ealrier debts despite famine
4) Poor Weather (fllods in south, Droughts in North)
5) Mao’s refusal to listen (Lushan Conf’59)

Question 27

Grain Harvest of 1958 ?

Answer 27

Good Harvest?

375m tonnes claimed - probs only 200m

Question 28

Grain Harvest of 1959?

Answer 28

Worst harvest for years (weather)

270m tonnes claimed - probs less than 170m

Question 29

Why was steel unsuable?

Answer 29

Background furnaces were not hot enough

by 1958, 50% of steel produced in BFs - only 8m tonnes usable

Question 30

Impact of Famine (4 reasons)

Answer 30

1) 30-50m died, further 15m not born
2) Cannibalism, selling kids, prostitution
3) Force used to seize graind - uprsing in Tibet
4) Govt forced to import food (failure of self-reilaince): 6m tonnes in 1961

Question 31

Jan conf of 7k impacts

Answer 31

Liu criticises “Party Centre”

Mao becomes more of a figue head

Liu, Deng and Chen Yun bring back “rightists” who had been purged

Communal living ended, re-introduction of private plots and profit

Central planning re-introduced