Agricultural and industrial changes Flashcards
Agarian land Reforms 1950
the aim was to destroy the landlord class
1950-52 land redistributed to peasants under slogan ‘land to the tiller’
Impact of Land reforms
over 40% of land redistributed
struggle sessions held against land lords
-1-2 million were executed
Communes
huge + compulsory
- around 5000 households in one commune
communes features
markets banned as it = capitalism
family bond = destroyed
men + women slept in different dorms
1st five year plan successes 1952-56
annual growth rate averaged 16%
heavy industry output nearly tripled
volume of train freight doubled
- enabling development across china
Cons of the 1st
growth fueled by USSR Loans, which had very high interest rates
- very little investment in education or healtcare
- supply of consumer goods was very low like USSR 1st 5yp
reason for launching second 5YP and GLF
1958-62
1st FYP resulted in low agricultural growth less than 5%
- more food needed to drive industrialisation
Mao wanted to transform + industrialise China
The many reasons for failure of GLF
poor weather conditions in 1959 + 1960
- floods in South drought in North
- fear of Mao within CCP officers to tell Mao truth of the failures of GLF
- 100 flowers removed many tech experts
1959 Lushan conference
Fall of Peng dehuai
- Peng wrote letter about GLF
- Mao used it to End Peng’s career
- CCP official Peng taken down- no one felt safe to speak out
FAMINE WORSENED
impact of great famine during GLF
Up to 30 mill deaths in total
famine worse in rural areas
- Tibet lost 1/5 of population
- 1959-60 15 million fewer children born as women too weak to conceive
What was GLF known as
“Worst Human disaster to befall China”
Key Stats for grain 1958
1958 = decent harvest 375 mill tonnes claimed
- around 200 mill in reality
Key Stats for grain GLF 1959
1959 = one of the worst harvests for years
270 mill tonnnes claimed
- 170 in reality
1960 = even WORSE
Key stats for Steel 1958
50% of steel produced in backyard furnaces
most was unusable
