3.1- Changes in agriculture Flashcards
What were Mao’s clear ideas when he became the leader of China?
The establishment of a communist system, in a way that it was ruled, the way the economy was run and in the way the people lived their lives
The modernisation of China’s economy
What was the first step of communism in Mao’s China?
First steps of communism was in the countryside. Modernisation required the movement of the population from the country to the town and sufficient food to feed urban workers.
A modern economy was based on industrial population. Mao needed more workers in the towns to develop modern industry he wanted enough food on the farms o feed everyone in the countryside. Mao believed this could be achieved by a reforming agriculture into a communist system of production
What happened in the Attack on the land lords and the agrarian reform law?
During the years of struggle Mao identified that communist achievement depended on the support of the peasants. Who made up large population of China. During the Civil war and before the war in the areas communist controlled. Mao ordered that the peasants be treated respectfully. He insisted that richer peasants were to be treated with modernisation and attacks should occour on the landlords that bullied peasants leading to Agrarians reform passed in 1950
What was the Agrarian reform?
-The property of large landlords was taken away from them and given to the peasants
-The properties of enemies of the state like Chiang Kai-shek and foreign nationalist was took.
Putting the reforms into action was left in the hands of the local communities. Many took opportunities to settle local disputes. Villages held struggle meetings to denounce rich landlords and lots of violence followed, Up to a million landlords were executed thousands beat and thousands send to camps they were re-educated to accept communist ideals. The agrarian reform law brought about the destruction of the old elite and won over the communism vast numbers of peasants benefited from this
What was the Mutual aid terms?
Once Landlords were removed the peasants were encouraged to share their equipment animals and work in mutual aid terms, consisted of 10 or fewer households, farmed land. Land was still owned by the peasants though, By the end of 1952 40% of peasants belonged to mutual aid teams.
What was the Agricultural Producers Co-operatives? (APC’S)
Next stage of communism in the countryside was the establishment of APC’s. Land still owned by the peasants but was managed centrally APC wads a large unit included animals equipment and labour. Up to 3-5 mutual aid teams.
Formation was encouraged by Moa from 1953, he believed it was an effective way of increasing production of food. APC’s created a demand for machinery, which boosted industry created a greater production of food in the countryside.
Creation of APC’s was most successful in areas where MAT existed. In some areas though richer peasants took the oppotunity to buy up large sections of the land and hired labour to work on it. recovery of capitalism undermined purpose of APC’s Communist official’s began to force peasants into APC’s. Peasant resistance was caused/ In 1949 Mao called to a temporary halt to the APC’s/ In the summer he moved APC’s to the next stage for the growth of communism.
What was Collectivisation?
Proccess of collectivisation of agriculture intensified in 1956-58 Mao took a leap forward/ Collectives were made up of 2,00 to 3,00 households. All the land and animal equipment belonged to the collectives. Mao really wanted to push the elective forward because he believed that the peasants were harming his effort to industrialise China by overeating and not sending their extra food to towns. In collectives the produce would not be the property of the peasants and party would send it to the towns. By the end of 1958 700 million people were in collective farms. with more than 26,00 communes across China.
What were the results of Collectivisation?
Results were a disaster. Mao claimed that collectivisation was wanted by peasants. this was just propaganda. It was forced on by the peasants and they reduced production as a reaction to this. Mao also interfered with traditional farming methods. Resulting in a huge decline in production and a wide famine was caused
What factors led to the great famine?
No incentives- Peasants no longer had any reason to produce more food than would meet their needs could not sell it.
The four noes campaign- Mao launched a campaign to get rid of sparrows flies and rats because they were pest tat ate crops. Peasants were encouraged to make loud noises to drive them away but without any birds the insects and caterpillars multiplied and ate more crops.
Political pressure- Mao believed poor scientific claims of soviet scientist who said they could increase the crops y up to 16 times by traditional methods. They were wrong peasants used them and were denounced by communist officials as energy of the states
Fear- Communist Officials didn’t dare speak out about failure of production and to try and impress Mao they lied about production
Natural causes- There was a drought in the North with reduced the harvest and flooding in the south damaged crops
What were the effects of the great famine?
Famine caused 50 million deaths in China. Parents sold their children husbands sold their wives to buy food. Some resorted to cannibalism.
In Tibet over 1 million people died people of Tibet had resisted communism and as a punishment . The CCP chose to extend famine to this region. They forced Tibetan peasants to abandon traditional crops and forced them to grow wheat and corn soil was not suitable for these crops production failed starvation resulted
