1. China in 1949

Question 1

When was the Republic of China created?

Answer 1

1949

Question 2

What was China like in 1949?

Answer 2

Very backward
Lacked an organised central gov
Economy was reliant on small scale agricultural prod

Question 3

What % of the population lived in rural areas?

Answer 3

80%

Question 4

What were some of the issues that the CCP faced?

Answer 4

Left behind in the industrial revolution
Education was poor
Social attitudes were traditional
Women were not equal

Question 5

How long had China be in conflict for?

Answer 5

40 years

Question 6

When did the Japanese invade China?

Answer 6

1937

Question 7

Who was the civil war between?

Answer 7

Nationalists and communists

Question 8

What was the outcome of the civil war for China?

Answer 8

Infrastructure was destroyed
Poverty and malnutrition was spread
Refugees clogged transportation

Question 9

Who was the nationalists led by?

Answer 9

Chiang Kai-Shek in Guomindang

Question 10

When did the communist party form?

Answer 10

1921

Question 11

Why had Chinese people lost faith in the emporer

Answer 11

The old system was unable to keep up with the modern world

Question 12

How long was the civil war?

Answer 12

1946-1949

Question 13

How had the CCP seized control?

Answer 13

As a result of its military success, not through democratic elections which many deemed as unfair

Question 14

How many died in the civil war?

Answer 14

Tens of millions

Question 15

Who were the communists not popular with?

Answer 15

Businessmen and the middle class
Peasant had little understanding of communism

Question 16

What did the GMD take with them as they fled?

Answer 16

The countries gold, silver and dollar reserves as well as cultural treasures

Question 17

What was the consequence of the GMD leaving China?

Answer 17

Many of the educated elite left too - meant there were far less experienced officials who had little to no technological knowledge

Question 18

Where did the GMD flee to?

Answer 18

Taiwan

Question 19

What was the issue with bandits?

Answer 19

They roamed the countryside, preying on refugees and clogged the transport system

Question 20

What was the issue with money in China?

Answer 20

China had no unified currency and were dealing with hyperinflation
They were unable to support themselves through taxation

Question 21

What had people resorted to in terms of money?

Answer 21

Bartering and hoarding scarce supplies

Question 22

What had happened to industrial equipment?

Answer 22

Had been destroyed by thee war or by nationalist forces

Question 23

What had happened to local power stations and coal stores?

Answer 23

They had been bombed
Coal stores lacked electricity

Question 24

What was the significance of Manchuria

Answer 24

Chinas steel mines were here
Manchuria was a huge reserve for iron ore, coal and fertile farmland

Question 25

What did the Soviet Union do in Manchuria?

Answer 25

Dismantled industrial equipment in factories and mines Took tools and gold and shipped them back

Question 26

What was the factory output in 1959?

Answer 26

44% below its level in 1939

Question 27

What % of the population worked in industry?

Answer 27

5%

Question 28

What were the issues with peasants?

Answer 28

Many were illiterate, uneducated and didn't understand political ideas

Question 29

What did the peasants think about landlords?

Answer 29

That they were unfairly exploited by them They made them pay high rents and hand over their produce

Question 30

What was in shortage on farms?

Answer 30

Tools Livestock Fertiliser

Question 31

What was the state of food production in 1949?

Answer 31

Food production was at subsistence level which caused famine and disease

Question 32

What was already embedded into society?

Answer 32

Party organisations

Question 33

Why was land reform difficult?

Answer 33

Most of the land had already been redistributed Vast areas made it impossible to send party activists to re-organise land reform Cadres lacked knowledge and were untrained

Question 34

Did peasants care about communism/land reform?

Answer 34

Peasants were only interested in their own villages and local area, not with national political issues or revolutionary ideology

Question 35

What was the issue with nationalist presence?

Answer 35

Nationalists forces had been corrupt, using bribery and hoarding food supplies for their own profit

Question 36

What was the issue of warlords?

Answer 36

They still controlled large areas

Question 37

What were some of the social/cultural issues?

Answer 37

The central government lacked a unified language Over 50 ethnic groups and religious groups made control hard

Question 38

What had been destroyed in the war?

Answer 38

Half of the railway network - bombing had been a method Telephone lines Rivers and harbour sewers were clogged up Ships were sunk

Question 39

What did every city in China lack?

Answer 39

An established national infrastructure

Question 40

What was the nationalist threat?

Answer 40

Often sent spies and saboteurs to attack the new regime