2 - agricultural and industrial changes Flashcards
(19 cards)
1
Q
How did the CCP attack landlordism?
A
- 1950 Agrarian Reform Law laid down the legal framework for land distribution.
- The army played a crucial role in silencing those who were hostile to the CCP.
- Landlords were publicly humiliated and their land/possessions were confiscated and divided up among other villagers.
- By the end of 1951, 10m landlords lost their land and 40% of the land had changed hands. 700,000 died, and it was often peasants that did the killings.
2
Q
What were the CCP’s first moves towards collectivisation
A
- From 1951, groups of ten families were encouraged to form Mutual Aid Teams (MATs), where they pooled together resources while retaining private ownership. Although it was voluntary, peasants outside MATs found it hard to get resources.
- In 1952 successful MATs were encouraged to form Agricultural Producers’ Co-operatives (APCs) which were theoretically more efficient. As an incentive, families with more land were allowed to keep some for personal use, and profits were shared out according to resources contributed and food produced.
- Results: only 14% of rural households were in APCs by March 1955. Many APCs had gone into debt because they had been rushed and had to borrow money for equipment. During the period of the First FYP, food production only increased by 3.8% per year, but this was mainly due to low productivity and not collectives.
3
Q
What were the features of the change from voluntary to enforced collectivisation?
A
- In July 1955, Mao called for all-out collectivisation. APCs grew from 17m households in July 1955 to 75m by January 1956. At the end of 1956 only 3% of peasants were farming as individuals.
- These APCs were classed as HPCs; families no longer owned the land and profits were shared out according to work points.
- It was an ideological success as the state now owned the means of production on which 90% of the population worked, and the CCP could exert more control.
4
Q
Why did Mao launch the Communes?
A
- Theoretically it would mean larger economies of scale, freeing up peasants for construction and higher food yields.
- Enthusiastic cadres claimed that local HPCs were asking to merge to release more manpower for the water control projects of 1957-58.
- Communes would stop the revolution from losing impetus, as it would mobilise 600m people during the GLF.
5
Q
How were Communes organised?
A
- The first People’s Commune had been established in April 1958 (which merged 27 collectives), before the announcement of the GLF in May.
- Between 1958-60, 26,000 Communes were established and it was not possible to move elsewhere without a passport.
6
Q
What was communal living like?
A
- Peasants’ working lives were directed by management teams.
- The Communes acted as the local government, providing public services.
- Peasants were supposed to have 6 hours of sleep every 2 days.
- Everyone between the ages of 15-50 had to be militia members and train with weapons.
7
Q
What were the features and impact of Lysenkoism?
A
- Made official policy by Mao in 1958.
- Deep ploughing, close planting, increased fertilisation and pest control had dangerous consequences:
–> Killing birds upset the ecological balance and led to an increase in bed bugs.
–> Increased fertilisation led to the destruction of thousands of peasants’ homes.
8
Q
How bad was the Great Famine (1958-62)?
A
- Between 30m-50m deaths.
- 25% of the Tibetan population was killed, and the government deliberately made the situation worse by forcing them to grow crops not suited to the environment.
- Central Chinese provinces were the worst hit, with 8m dead in Anhui.
- State requisitioning still increased during the Famine; 21% of the crop was taken in 1958, compared to 28% in 1959 before a drop back to 21% in 1960.
- Grain production fell from 200m tonnes in 1958 to 143.5m in 1960 to 160m in 1962.
9
Q
What were the causes of the Great Famine (1958-62)?
A
- Overambitious policy of developing agriculture and industry at the same time, with peasants expected to undertake a large amount of work.
- Lysenkoism.
- Experts purged in anti-rightist campaign.
- Demotivated peasants lacked productivity.
10
Q
How was private farming restored by Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping?
A
- In November 1960, an emergency directive was launched that allowed villagers to keep their private plots of land.
- In 1961, massive grain imports were arranged from Canada, Australia and the USA.
- In 1962 Mao called on Liu and Deng to restore food production levels.
- Many communes broke up into smaller collectives, and some reverted to private farming.
11
Q
How did the USSR support the First FYP?
A
- Over 10,000 civilian technicians were brought.
–> However, China had to pay their salaries and housing. - Russia agreed to lend China $300m.
–> However, China had to repay it with interest and hand over a large amount of their gold stocks.
12
Q
What were the successes and failures of the First FYP?
A
- Successes:
–> The annual growth rate was 9% per year.
–> Urban living standards improved in terms of wages and job security.
–> Most sectors reached their targets, and some exceeded them: coal production achieved 115% of its target, steel 130%. - Failures:
–> Soviet guidance exposed lack of education in Chinese workers; less than 50% of children under 16 were in full-time education.
–> The standard of economic planners decreased after they were purged during the ‘anti’ campaigns.
13
Q
Why did Mao launch the Second FYP?
A
- Economic reasons:
–> Encouraging signs from the Communes indicated that industry could now progress.
–> However, there were still debates about how to approach treating food producers (conservatives advocated for rewarding high food producers vs hardliners punishing low food producers). - Political reasons:
–> The mass mobilisation would help demonstrate Mao’s credentials as the next leader of the communist world.
–> Decentralisation satisfied Mao’s ideological preference.
14
Q
What were the features and impacts of the backyard furnace campaign?
A
- Mao launched it after the steel target was raised from 6m to 10.7m tonnes.
- In September 1958, 14% of China’s steel came from local furnaces, and by October it was 49%, and at its peak, 25% of the population had abandoned their normal activities to take part.
- In spring 1959, the leadership realised that the steel produced was useless, but they only cut back the campaign.
- The campaign also had negative environmental consequences, as woodland was destroyed to supply fuel, leading to worse flooding which led to more water conservancy schemes.
15
Q
What were the features of construction projects during the Second FYP?
A
- Work brigades were sent out from the communes with basic equipment.
- Some were disasters; the Three Gate Gorge Dam had to be rebuilt within a year. In many areas, new irrigation schemes disrupted drainage patterns and led to an increase in salination.
16
Q
What were the successes and failures of the Second FYP?
A
- Successes:
–> Tiananmen Square was built, and advances allowed nuclear weapons to be developed by 1964. - Failures:
–> By 1962, China was only producing 50% the amount of heavy industrial goods and 75% the amount of light industrial goods that were being made in 1958.
–> Lack of clear planning; Khrushchev withdrew all experts in 1960. This led to poor quality goods which caused problems with exports as China received complaints.
17
Q
What happened at the Lushan Conference, July 1959?
A
- Mao called it to assess the progress of the GLF.
- Peng Dehuai criticised the Plan, and became isolated as a troublemaker.
–> This led China to push ahead with the GLF at full pace.
–> It became clear that no one could criticse Mao.
18
Q
How did Liu and Deng reform the economy in the Third FYP (1962-65)?
A
- Deng and Liu were put in charge of the economy in 1962, who were helped by Chen Yun.
- Communes were broken up, thousands of inefficient projects were closed down, and there was a relaxation in the persecution of intellectuals.
- Positive results: agricultural production recovered to 1957 levels, oil, natural gas and manufactured goods significantly increased in production.
19
Q
What was the political impact of the Third FYP?
A
- Mao summoned the 7000-cadre conference in January 1962. Here, Liu implied that Mao could share some of the blame for China’s mistakes. Mao then withdrew from public life.
- When Mao returned in summer 1962, he condemned the revisionism of Liu and Deng, and they made a compromise about how the economy should be run.
