Topic 4: Social and Cultural Changes (1949 - 76) Flashcards
Why did Mao want to break down traditional authrative figures ?
So that Him and the CCP were the only authority
What Confucian value made changing the role of Women initially difficult?
The Confucian value of Obedience made women subserveint to their husbands
Where did the treatment of women remain particularly bad?
In more rural areas
Especially in Muslim provs in the West like Xingjnd and Qinghai
Where was it written tht women would be less restricted in marriage?
In Clause 6 of the Communist Common Programme (1949)
Wht allowed more acess to job opportunites and paid employment?
1st 5YP
In 1949, the amount of women in the workplace was just 8%.
In 1976, this figure rises to ?
32%
Why did Mao want to destroy the ‘Tradtional Family’?
1) Reprsented old Confuscian values of Obediance
2) Family represented attatchment (bourgious mindset)
What act allows for Women to own land themselves ?
The Land Redistribution Campaign (1950)
- altohugh this is pointless because by 1953, noone owns private land
Why does Mao beleive in the support of Women?
Mao understands women’s support would be vital as they make up half the popultion
What does Mao say regarding women’s ablity ?
“Women hold up half the sky” - Mao
Why does Mao not like arranged marriages?
Beleives they enslave women
- (Mao’s own experience of rejecting this t 14 yr old)
The Marriage Law of 1950 is one of the first things introduced by the Communits.
What are its main clauses?
- Arranged mrriages outlawed
- M and W who had been forced to marry can divorce
- Women retained right to keep proeprty when they married
- Having multiple wives and mistressess was outlwed
How many women use the Marriage law to escape divorces in 1950 ?
Over 1 million
When was footbinding originally outlwed?
in 1911.
Communists outlaw it in 1949 but still occurs in rural areas
The Impact of the GLF.
four negatives for Women
1) Men could claim more food rtions as they were more productive
2) Prostution rates went hgiher
3) Significant rise in divorce rate. Gansu prov; inc of 60%
4) Wife-selling was a desparate wy to make some moeny and have less mouths to feed
The family unti comes under attck during the CR.
How does this happen?
Mo wants youth loyal to him over parents
Encouragement of SPYING on parents and elders
How was the family disrupted after the CR?
12m were sent down to the countryside (China’ lost generation)
- Found it hard to reintergrate after this
What was the popultion in 1950 and 1976?
540m risen to 940m
What does Mao say the birth rte should be reduced to adn how does he combt this?
2%
Huge rise in propaganda directed at marrying later
Contraceptives made widely available
Who was Deng Yulan?
A Lei-Feng model worker but female - not as apprecited as Lei Feng
In 1949, how many of China’s population are literate?
20%
By 1976, the litercy rate was up to ?%
70%
what % of 7-16 year olds are in full time education in 1949?
only 50%
Literacy rates hit 64% in 1964. What slows everything down?
The Culutral Revolution and negative look in intellectuals
What % of the budget was spent on education and healthcare during the Korean War?
only 6.4%
Wht helped to develop literacy?
Pinyin which was chinese in the Roman alphabet
And simplified chracters (made it harder to read classical txts)
Closure of Schools and Unis impcted how many students?
130m childen’s education ws stopped
Post - CR it was very difficult to rebuild trust in the Eduction system.
How does Zhou enlai react to this?
One of Zhou’s four modernisations is education
Identify and explain three factors that slowed down improvements in education
The Cultural Revolution is an obvious and main one
Korean War would have disrupted the budget and focussed it on the military instead of education
The Hundred Flowers Campaign which targeted ‘rightists’ but also ‘intellectuals’ which would have put people off wanting to learn
Explain why it was in Mao’s interests to improve the standard of Chinese education
So more people could understand his communist ideals
More people could read the ‘little red book’
Made Mao look better
What were Barefoot Doctors?
Doctors who had only 6 months of basic training
They were sent to provide medical help to China’s pesantry - diseases like typhoid and cholera could be stopped by better health education
what were the 3 reasosn for the BD campaign?
1) medical
2) ideaological
3) economic (cheap and easy)
How many villges were involved in the programme by 1976?
90%
What were “patriotic health movements”
Propaganda led by party workers on topics like hygiene and linke between dirt and disease
3 successes of Health Care Reform
1) death rates from waterborne diseas decrease - better disposal of poo
2) Life expectancy rises from 41% in 1950 to 62% by 1970
3) More trained doctors - 40k in 1949 - 150k in 1965
3 failures of Health Care Reform
1) Attempt to eliminate 4 pests during GLF wa s a failure
2) Hospital facilities remained limited - urban better
3) Healthcare remains low priority for CCP
Who described themselves as Mao’s Dog?
Jiang Qing
What ws peasant leisure time taken over by?
Swapped with politcal meetings and watching shows and propaganda films
What promised religious freedom to all in China?
Article 5 of the CCP common progrmme of 1949
What was the CCP’s view on religion?
viewed it as “feudal superstition” which ws designed to keep the massess oppressed and weak
Attacks on which religions were as much strategic as they were ideological?
Budhdhism and Islam because of the geographic loctions of Tibet and Xinjiang
How long had confucian philosophy been around for?
2,500 years
how did the creation of Communes attack confuscianism ?
break up family bonds and ‘freeing up’ of China’s youth against older authority figures during the CR
