unit 2 - agriculture and industry - 1949-65 Flashcards
Agrarian Reform Law 1950
-a communist policy that aimed to confiscate land from landlord and redistribute it to landless peasants
methods used to implement land reform and the consequences
several landlords dragged to mass meetings, where they were either beaten to death by peasants or held for public execution. Mao insisted that violence should play a big part, not by public security org. but by ordinary people.
-upwards of a million landlord and members of their families had been killed.
Mao ensured that land only belonging to the rich be confiscated. holdings of better off peasants were left untouched, as food produced by the wealthiest peasants were essential to the nation as a whole.
-peasants were encouraged to identify their landlord, who were then subjected to humiliation and violence.
villages were encouraged to hold ‘struggle’ meetings where rich landlords and ‘village bullies’ were denounced, beaten up and frequently executed.
-they were to keep enough land to survive and their homes and any commercial property such as a mill. the removal of the law opened the way to village anarchy and the repayment of old scores.
some were allowed to keep a portion of their land provided they become peasants, but majority were put on public trial and denounced as enemies of the people.
-the property of landlords was confiscated and redistributed among former tenants.
consequences of the Agrarian Reform Law
-43% of cultivated land was redistributed.
-60% of the population benefitted.
-between one and two million landlords were executed.
-destroyed the old ruling elite.
-agricultural production boomed (15% per year).
-bought support for the new regime from vast numbers of peasants.
How was the collectivization of agriculture introduced in China?
-China had a large and growing population and food shortages had been a regular feature in China’s past.
-Mao was influenced, to some extent, by the experience of collectivization in the USSR in the 1930s.
-collectivization was an integral part of Mao’s communist ideology.
-an increase in food production, and the freeing of many peasants from the need to work in the fields, would provide the necessary pre-conditions for large-scale industrial development in China.
the expansion of industry and the collectivization of agriculture were always part of the CPC’s long term aim. debate within the CPC revolved around the Pace of Change:
-Mao wanted rapid change.
-Lou Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai wanted shower change.
consequences of collectivization
-CPC control in the countryside strengthened.
-agricultural production grew by 3.8%.
-debate about the Pace of Change became central part of CPC discussions.
-Mao became convinced that it was more important to want to change, rather than have the right conditions for change.
-the effect on living standards is debatable.
-Spence argues they improved.
-Chang and Holliday argue they got worse.
(historians)
why did Mao establish communes?
-to create self-sufficiency (industry).
-to increase food production (agriculture).
-to make society more communist.
-to improve the lives of women.
-to enhance the control of the CCP over the people.
the collectivization of agriculture 1953-57
-1950 - Agrarian Reform Law - very slow transformation towards socialism.
-1951 - Mutual Aid Teams - peasants pooled their resources, animals were shared, as was knowledge and experience - richer peasants were excluded from this.
1952 - 40% of all peasant households were participating in MATs.
-1953 - Agricultural Producers’ Cooperatives - now the land as well as equipment and animals were shared - land was reorganized into a single unit and the peasants were compensated using a points system according to value - it was unpopular with the peasants as they did not want to share land so only 14% joined an APC.
there was also debates in the CCP about collectivization. the gradualists believed that China was not yet ready for large scale farming however Mao wanted rapid change.
-1955 - party cadres were enthusiastic about increasing the growth of APCs as it was easier for them to extract grain from them than individual farms. By June 1955, 16 million peasants in APC households out of 10 million peasants.
-1956 - by January, 80.3% of peasants households were living in APCs.
life on the communes - vision vs reality
working life and production -the vision: the commune would have a tractor station to provide tractors for brigades that could not afford them and to carry out repairs.
reality: all able bodied citizens between 15 and 30 years of age belonged to the commune militia who served as a police force to enforce rules.
food production - the vision: mess halls enabled communal eating, the theory being sharing meals would help to develop revolutionary fervour.
reality: they prevented people from taking too much food from the canteen and punished those who did not work hard enough.
childcare and education - the vision: crèches and boarding schools would also be provided.
reality: parents lost influence over the raising of the children. grand parents became isolated from their relatives.
role of women - the vision: with women no longer forced with housework and childcare, they would be able to escape domestic drudgery and join the men in fields.
reality: women were forced to carry out harsh physical labour that had been previously for the role of men.
older generation - the vision: grandparents would no longer be forced to help care for grandchildren - be free to spend time with other elderly people.
reality: grandparents became isolated from their relatives.
law and order - the vision: it was supposed to become the unit of local gov and take over responsibility for providing local services.
reality: all able bodied citizens between 15 and 50 years of age belonged to the commune militia.
role of party cadres - the vision: peasant’s working lives were directed by new management teams, who divided them into production brigades.
reality: the party could easily target commune residents with propaganda, further forgiving their revolutionary and militaristic spirit.
how successful was the First Five Year Plan 1953-57?
by 1949, industrial production had fallen by 10-20% of pre-war levels - China had fallen far behind the rest of the world.
1952 - CCP announced beginning of first 5 year plan.
very similar to USSR Five Year Plan - development of heavy industry - clear production targets would be set and monitored by the party.
the decision to follow USSR’s model of industrialization was based on:
-USSR’s rapid industrialization in 1930’s.
-USSR’s success in defeating Nazi Germany in 1940’s.
-China’s reliance on USSR as a trading partner in 1950’s.
in 1950, a Sino-Soviet agreement was signed. the USSR agreed to provide China with the economic assistance through the use of loans and advisors. 10,000 economic advisors poured into China.
