China 1950-1981 Flashcards
(27 cards)
What was China like before Communism?
Lack of government - last emperor who was 6 yrs old, wsa overthrown and in 1911 there ws arevolution in China.
During WWII, Americans supplied CHian with weapons and supplies to fight the Chinese.
Japanese took advantages of Civil War in China and invaded. Japanese took food from the peasants, and Mao helped oust Jpaan.
Why did China become communist in 1950?
maltreatment of peasants under coorupt nationalists. The GMD (Goumindang - capitalists), orginially received support from USA with supplies. But the leader Chian Kai Shek was a poor military leader and avoided confrontation with Japaanese and held back supplies. They had moral corruption and bad discipline. Army stroes were sold on the black market rather than distributing them to the army and peasants.
Neglect and maltreatment of peasants - less and less of China public supported the nationalists and turned to communists in desperation, who treated them with respect. The CP also made effective use of low-technology guerilla warfare, greatly contrasting GMD whose scorched earth policies only destoryed peasants’ crops and land rather than stopping the Japananese. Continued failers of GMD and successes of Communists, with brilliant military leaders, and capped rent paid during the war - gopod for peasants. China became communist in 1950.
What were the Early purges in the 1950s?
Suppression of Coutner-Revolutionaries Oct 1950: aim to stamp out people with links to GMD, bandits and religious people, as well as non-political offences like murder, robbery etc.
The Three Antis Campaign 1951: Targeted party members and officials, aiming to end cooruption ,waste and delay
Five Antis Campaign (1952) - Aimed to end bribery, tax evasion, theft of state property, cheting and stealing economic information.
Mass meetings - organised for people to admit crimes or denounce others. Many suicides (2-300,000) suicides by those wishing to avoid denunciation).
Reunification campaigns from Octr 1950 - People’s Liberation Army sent to Tibet to assert Chinese claim of the land, despite Tibetans thinking themselves as independent. Tibet resisted for 6 months, regime of terror at eradicating Tibetan identity enforced.
Impaact:
Criminal gang control of cities like Shangai
Drop in widespread cooruption of Nationalist China
Cost of personal freedom - state control of individual was almost absolut
suicides due to mass meetings
Explain why Mao introduced the Hundred Flowers campaing in 1956-1957.`
- For genuine reasons and wanted people’s opinions.
By 1956 the popularity of CCP was starting to be lost, and there was increasing discontent among peasants. However, Mao had always been received warmly and perhaps did not realise the amount of criticism he would receive, and believed that it was possible to allow greater expression in China - good for propaganda for Communism. - It was a maniupaltion tactic/trick
not sincere, an attempt to discover any potential oopeonents
mao said people must carefully distinguish betweein poisonous weed and a fragrant flower
setting a trap - inviting people to speak out, then using what they said as an excuse to victimise them - evidenced through atbni-Rightist movements put in place targeting and purging of intellectuals
What wsa the impact of social reform under Mao?
Rellgion -wiped out, CCP regarded rilgion and superstitious. Christiands and Budddhists attacked, churches and temples destroyed. Customs and rituals were replaced b political meetings an discussions organised by CCP.
Healthcare - herbal remedies discourgaed, greater push for moreadvanced medicine, empahiss on prevention. Poopy fields destroyed to get rid of opium addiction.
Became free.
Environments - cities cleaned up. - campaign against rates - 1 rata week in Shanghai.
Women - marriage reform law in 1950, allowed women to divorce their husbands and gain custody over their own chidlren. More than one marriage and forced marraiges were banned. Women encouraged to work and become communist officials. Al china’s woman federation set up in 1949, eventaully had 40,000 staff working in 83 cities. But only 13% of people in CCP were women.
But women basically got more rights (over none).
Education - By 1960s, 90% China’s population had basic reading and writing skills, allowing Mao to introduce more written propaganda.
Mao expanded units to tarin in science and tech, so no longer sent to west to study
Mandarin was introduced and was the new standardise language
In 1949, 200 higher education institurion, in 1961 - 1289
Education essential to Mao, education of Chinese varied widely, but he tried to close this gap - easier to politicaly indoctrinate people.
What changes in agriculture did communsism bring?
Agrarian Reform Law - 1950:
shared out village land between peasants and land-lords put on trial, and accused of crimes.
Mutual Aid Teams 1952
peasants worked on each other’s land, fertilising, killing psts or harvesting so taht each family’s plot would become more productive
helped increase food production but not quickly enough to supply food for rising population
Problem: lots of quarrels about whose land should be worked on first
Cooperatives form 1953
land was jointly owned so one large crop could be grown efficiently
the cooperative’s resources could be pooled to buy equipemnet, fertilisers and seeds.
These farms typically had 30-50 families joining their land together
opposition from many peasants who did not want to give up land they worked so hard for
By 1957 over 90% of China;s peasants belonged to a cooperative
Communes (part of GLF) - 1958-159
all farmer cooperatives to be joined together as communes
each commune had industrial and farming targets
family life completely destroyed
all aspects of life pfocided for incl. schools and care for elderly
communes abolished private land and property altogether
many positions and roles
workers exposed to propaganda everyone
by end of 1958, most Chinese belonged to 1 of 40,000 communes.
Lack of freedom and family life.
How and why did Mao begin to develop industry in China?
Why:
Mao wanted China to becoem a world superpower, as when Mao came to power in 1949, China was behind the industrial nations of the world
Mao wanted to introduce communist ideology to industry whilst utlising the capitalist methods already in place
Dec 1949 -treaty of friendhsip betwenen China and USSR.
How: First Five Year Plan 1953-1957
highly succcessful, all targets surpassed
Aims:china to become industrial superpwer, state control over all businesses; rebuild transportation and infrastrucutre
Soviet Union scientis and engineers supervises millions of Chinese workers on almost 700 major projects
Thousands of Chinese students were sent for training in Soviet universities.
Help of USSSr strengthened bond between Communist states.
5 yr plan came from Stalin.
Focus on heavy industries to provide raw materials to build planes, trains and engines that would improve the transport infrastrucuture throught China.Also to start from scratch
To what extent was the First Five Year Plan a success?
Implement Communist ideology:
Workers wee highly motivated and surpassed all expectations
State control meant that people were no longer able to move from one job to another
Countryside remained very poor
Any failure would lead to less support for communists, since mao wanted to link everything to communism.
Increase Industrialisation to meet China’s growing needs:
Chinese workers surpassed all targets
Population of China’s towns soared as peasants moved to the jobs created in the new industries.
Living standards in the city improved but in the countrysided people remained very poor
State planning was disorganised
People were illterate - ruining machinery as could not read instructions.
Mao greatly improved industrailiation, though not agriculturally, and at the expense of human happiness.
Become a global power and develop like the USSR:
Bonds strengthened between China and USSR
Industrialisation was often paid for by loans from USSR, with very high rates of interest
This alliance greatly increased China’s chances of becoming a global superpweower, however ussr’s loans had quite harsh conditions
How successful was the Great Leap Forward?
Aims: Mao believed that China had become backward-looking again and needed a new revolution to inspier the people.
Focuses on getting villages and towns involved in small-scale industry.
Agriculture targeted - industry could only cpropser if the workforce were well fed
Wanted steel production to equal UK in 15 yrs.
Economic Cost - Failures:
Lysenko farming - didn’t suit all the lands in China, and the idea was to plant crops closer together and deeper in the soil. Peasants forced to try these methods which didn’t work. People did less work as not longer getting recognitoin and food and pay for hard work.
Teh Four Noes: Aim to get rid of flies, mosquitoes, rats and psarrows. No sparrows meant that no pestss on the grain were eaten and crops were destroyed.
Famine: 1961 there were a series of droughts - 3yrs of disaster. An estimated 30 million died - largest famine in history.
Economic cost - industrial failures:
Quarrel with NK - NK withdrew his expert advisors from China. Although Chinese people were willing they did not have the technical expertise to make the paln work, leading to many mistakes
Massive amounts of steel/iron that were produced were brittle, imupure and almost unusable
Political cost:
Mao discrditied - forced to resign as head of stead, and remained Party Chairman instead, in 1959
Communes abandoned, and reduced to a manageable size and private ownership of land was reinstated - ideological aims of Mao undone.
Social Cost
Life on Communes for peasants - people worked less hard as they were less motivated since the commune system meant that they no longer received any more food or pay for working hard. Drought set back farming production too.
How far was the Dazhai commmune an example of success?
Success:
1952 a cooperative set up - very successful, by 1956 all households had joined together
Dazhai claimed to have not been affected by famine in GLF
Betweene 1953 and 1962, Chen proposed his 10 yr reclamation plan - build dams so land can be reclaimed and terraced, these could then be joined together to form large fields - between 1953 and 1958, 180 dams were built.
Failur:
agricultural land spread across several slopes - difficult to protect aginst floods and irigate
Dazhai claimed to have no loans bar 1 in 1954
They may have been exaggerating their acheiveemnt
In 1963, Dazhai suffered from terribel floods - were the dams really that successful?
Did Dazhai really achieved this all by thesmselvse?
Why di dMao introduce the Cutlural REvolution?
Cultural REvoluion: purge capitalist influences and boourgeois thingking, reeducation, and attacking Four Olds: old culture, old ideas, old habits and old customs Began 16th May 1966-1976 when Mao died.
Regaining status/removing powerful threats:
The GLF was a big, embarrassing failure
IN 1962, Deng Xiaoping and Liu-Shao-qi were apopointed to solve problems of famine, and by 1965 production was equal to 1957 levels. This was threatening as these two dudes were actually successful.
Restoring China to Mao’s idea of communism (mao zedong thought):
Middle class were getting welathy again, at expense of ordinary people and peasons
Mobilisation of war
Usa had begun to interfere with Vietnam WAr, and Mao was concerned that he needed to be able to call upon the Chinese people if necessary in the event of conflict
What was the impact of the Cultural Revolution?
Poltical:
Mao removed political threats - Liu was imprisoned and died in 1969, and Deng was subject to public humiliation.
Media only depicting Mao in a good light was allowed.
Cult of personality meant that people were personally loyal ot Mao, not just he CCP.
Education and skills
Young people did not have access to a formal education in these years
shortages of doctors - Mao provided training, and by 1973 over 1 million new doctros
Mao sent thousands of Red Guards to be reeducated
China became a cultural desert. Writers, intellectuals and teachers were imprisoned and executed. Jian Qing spearheaded the movement. All traditional and foreign books were banned. Only writings, works of art and films that supported Maoist ideology were allowed. Libraries and museums were closed and their collections destroyed. Jiang Qing commissioned a series of opera-ballets that were to be watched throughout China. The effects on Chinese culture lasted until the death of Mao in 1976. Only culture that supported the cult of personality of Mao was allowed.
Industry
schools and colleges closes, so economy started to suffer
Industry fell as faith of many Chinese people in communist party was damaged
People focused more on the chaos in the cities, due to violeence and strikes that life came to a standstill.
Violence
Red Guards destroyed many of China’s treasures, with the forbidden city only just surviving. An extreme example in 1966 in Beijing were university students and teachers,, with hundreds of locacl tudents, ocmmitted 6,618 acts of vandalism.
Red Guards went on a rampage, aiming to stamp out the Four Olds - old culture, old idea, old habits and old customs
Children were encouraged to denounce their parents
Destruction of the tradiaitonal family was complete. Children were told to regard Mao and the Communist Party as their true paretnts and therefore they had to be loyal to them first. Young people were taught to inform on their parents. Any kind of normal family life was destroyed.
How was Deng Xiaoping able to take power after Mao?
Hed had a great ability to gain popularityContacts in party and military
worked with Liu to end Great Famine - popular
Worked with Zhou on foreign affairs
Deng goes to American in Cold War - 1979, add human touch to him
builds his reputation amongst wider party and by April 1977, resumes his role as CCP general secretary
influence began to grow at expense of Hua’s
builds up support from military
What were Deng Xiaopings aims?
modernise Chiane to compete with WEst, Industrialise China, good education and maintain communist system.
Four modernisations:
Agriculture
Industrial Development
Defense
Science and Technology
(remember AIDS)
Agriculture: old communist rural practises successfully changed.
1981 house responsibility was implemened - peasants were able to keep and sell their profits as long as they paid taxes and contributed to local tagers
natural disasters were a problem - 1980 and 1982 severe droughts led to 14 million people needing emergency rations
Industry
1980, Deng set up his first special economic zones near Hong Kong and Taiwan - had potentailly excellent trade links and could attract foreign trade.
Unions were re-established.
End of state-control meant that jobs were no longer guaranteedd.
Some workers had to find 2nd jobs to supplement income becuase of intro of market forces.
Political change under Deng Xiaoping
Four cardinal principles written after Democracy wall in 1979.
They included:
uphold socialist path
Keep PRC (people’s republic of China)
keep CCP
uphold values of Mao Zedong thought
Democracy Wall - questioning and protesting social and political issues from nov 1978.
Deng Xiaoping did not support political reform - arrested people who had put up letters and posters.
1978, Deng had removed Mao’s 4 great freedoms.
The trial of the Gang of Four
The gag of four included Mao’s wife, they were heavy supporters of the cultural revolution and were greatly disliked by the public and the military
They were collectiviely accused of framing/persectuing 727,420 peole of whom 34,724 people died during Cultural REvoluion. Wanted to persecute them w/o discrediting Mao’s name.
The four people were subject to ridicule, Jiang Qing first given death penatly then lift imprisonment.
Social change under Deng
Education:
1977 National College Entrance Exam - higher education was based on academic ability not social status. More people netered higher education as a result.
No. of universites increased, and Deng sent thousands of students abroad
Empahiss on higher education caused some lower school closures in urban and rural areas. Commune smeantchidlren learned, but some families now controlling their own land wanted hcildren to stay home and work, not learn.
Women:
One child policy introduced in 1978. This supported 1 child families, giving them benefits such as salary bonuses, larger homes, and good places at schools for the child. But families with >1 child would face fines. Control was more severe in towns than rural areas, with parents allowed to try again if their first was a girl.
What was the impact of the Hundred Flowers campaign?
During the hundred flowers campign, intellectuals rused to criticise many aspects of government, after their inital reluctance due to the purge of intellectuals in 1955. There were complaints about human irghts abuses, corruption, low standards of living and some even criticised Mao himslef. The government was bombarded with posters, speeches and books. Mao had not expected this level of criticism and quickly halted the campaign.
The Hundred Flowers Campaign came to an end and was replaced by the anti-rightist movement. The university staff, schoolteachers, writers and artists who had been at the head of the campaign were forced to withdraw their views. The party was also purged of members who had been too vocal in their criticism. Between 300,000 and 750,000 people were persecuted and sent to labour camps for correction and “re-education”. Mao may have originally inteded to encourage freedom of speech. However, the result was that the intellectuals were more reluctant than ever to criticise Mao and his party.
Key events during the Cultural Revolution
1966, posters celebrating Mao’s achievemtns appeared everywhere and millions of copies of Mao’s Little Red Book were printed and distributed free of charge. Mao called for the young people to rise up and rid China of the Anti-Communist elelemtns within the Party, schools, universities and society as a whole. He wanted to attack the Four Olds: old culture, old ideas, old habits and old customes. - Cultural Revolution
August 1966 - Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shao-qi dismissed from their positions in the party. Liu was imprisioned and eventually died in 1969. Deng was publicly humiliated.
1966 - Vandalism
1966 - famous Bombard the Headquarters poster put up by Mao, attacking the leaders from the top downwards, and many were accused and removed from office. It seemed liked every day good people were being exposed as evil. People felt that the Cultural REvolution was a wonderful thing because when the enemies were gone China would be much safer.
1966 - Mao swims in the Yangtze River to show he was fit and well. (Apparently he swan faster than today’s olympic swimmers).
1966-1969, Mao called for the young people of China to form the Red guards. These Red Guards then went on a rampage. Children denounced their own parents for being anti-communist and schools and colleges were closed down. Mao’s wife Jian Qing organised huge Red Guard demonstrations throughout 1967 and 1968.
By 1967, the Red Guards began to divide into rival factions. Using the weapons that Lin Biao’s army had provided them with, they bagen to fight street battles.
By 1968, the PLA had to step in.
Between 1967 and 1972 over 12 million young people were sent to the countryside to be re-educated and to laern the way of the peasants.
By 1973, over a million new doctors had been trained (China was facing a shortage of doctors due to closure of universities).
1976 - Mao dies.
What were the Role of the Red Guards?
1966-1969, Mao called for the young people of China to form the Red guards. These Red Guards then went on a rampage. Children denounced their own parents for being anti-communist and schools and colleges were closed down. Mao’s wife Jian Qing organised huge Red Guard demonstrations throughout 1967 and 1968.
factories, offices, and even local communist party offices were ransacked. The Red Guard brke into homes. Books, works of art, suspect technology - anything that could be considered anti-revolutionary - were smashed or burnt.
By 1967, the Cultural Revolution was rapidly spinning out of control. The Red Guard was dividing into rival facitons. Usin weapons Lin Biao’s army had provided them with, the Red Guard began to fight street battle.s IN other areas, Red Guards fought with gangs of peasants or even militia formed from ousted managers and local party officials. By 1968, action was needed and Lin Biao’s people’s liberation army (PLA) stepped in to disarm the Red Guards and restore peace and order. The violent pahses of the Cultural Revolution was over. However, it is estimated that at least 1 million people were killed in the Cultural revolution, and hundreds of thousands were unjustly accused and persecuted.
After peace was restored, between 1967 and 1972 over 12 million young people were sent to the countryside to be re-educated and to learn the wya of the peasants. Many of the Red Guards were shocked to see how poor Chinese peasants were and how hard their lives were.
What was the impact of communism in Tibet?
Impact of communism:
Mao’s troops invaded Tibet in 1950, and by May 1951 Mao had agreed that even though Tibet weas part of Chinese territory they would not interfere in the traditional government, religion adn society that already existed. However, by 1959 Tibet was in chaos and the Chinese government did not keep to the agreement. In Lhasa (Tibetan capital) there was an uprising against Chinese rule, the Tibetans had heard that the Chinese were planning to kidnap the Dalai Lama (Tibetan political and religious leader). Resistance to Chinese rule was widespread throughout Tibet, and the Dalai Lama fled to India and the revolt was put down swiftly. Mao, now, wanted mroe than ever to remove the influence of Buddhism and the cultrual identity of the Tibetan people.
In 1958, Mao had launched the Great Leap Forward. It ahd the same disastrous results in Tibet as the rest of China. The Tibetans were forced to grow wheat instead of barely and oats that was more suited to their climates, and therefore suffered poor harvests as a result. The Chinese were still requistioning large amounts for themselves. 1/4 of Tibet’s 4 million people died from starvation. They were also forced to meltdown their traditional jewellery into useless steel. All of this was not only an attempt to spread communist ideals, but also an attack on the traditional Tibetan way of life.
What was the impact of the Cultural REvolution on tibet?
Mao’s attack on the Four Olds aimed to eradicate Tibetan culture completely. The Cultural Revolution was launched in Tibet on 25th August in 1966 when their holiest shrine, the Jokhand Temple in Lhasa was attaced - it was ransacked, a full on attack at buddhism. Monasteries throughout Tibet were plundered and destroyed. An estimated 600,000 monks in 1950 but by 1979 most had been imprisoned or dead. Only 7 of the 6,000 monasteries were left at the end of the Culturlal REvolution. Mani prayer stones were removed and became the floors of public toilets and slaughterhourses. MOnks and Buddhist religious leaders were persecuted. Almost all Tibetan schools and universtities were shut down. REd Guard groups were formed throughout Tibet.
The Chinese also attacked the Tibetan Language. Grammatical “reforms” were introduced to make the Tibetan language more similar to the spoken language of the Chinese people. As a result, it became incromprehensible when written down. The Tibetan term for China, Gyanak, was banned because it implied China was a separate country from Tibet. By the 1970s, any kind of religious practise was banned, even personal worship. Hairstyels, clothing and architecture that showed any kind fo culture were prhibited. Only Maoist ideas and cultures were tolerated.
What was the nature of communist propaganda and what was its impact?
When China became a communist party in 1949, Mao embarked on a propaganda campiagn. The aim of the propaganda was to persuade anybody who might oppose Communism to support his ideals, and in turn, to control the thoughts and actions of the Chinese people. The population of China leartn to hide their true feelings and say and act how the party wanted them to. Some did this out of love for Mao, others did it because they feared the consseuqnces of not doing so.
Propaganda took many different forms: wall posters, loudspeakers broadcast thee latest Communist achievements, all newspapers were censored and the government produced progaganda films (eg anti-American film, Resist-America, Aid Korea during the Korean War).
As the Cultural Revolution began, propaganda specifically linked to Mao became more widespread. A cult of personality grew, students became personally loyal to him and not the party. Much of Mao’s propaganda centred upon the idea that the Chinese believed his word above everything else.
Dazhai community as a case study of Communist Party repression
Dazhai had become the national model for agriculture, not just for China’s agricultural policy, but as an expression of loyalty to Mao. Farmers were expected to work day and night.
The farming methods employed at Dazhiai had disastrous ecological consequences. One model did not fit all due to China’s vast terrain. Eg. in the Hunuan Province forests were cut down to create agricultural land without considering the sandy soil. A year later a flood caused sand to erod into reviers leaving piles of sand in the rice fields.
During the cultural revolution, Dazhai became and almost pilgramage-like destination. In 1966, at height of red guard activity, it was a major place for young people to visit. Estimated between 1964 and 1971 4.5 million people visited. As part of Cultural REvolution, the Dazhai peasants were given a poliitcal education in the field, and would pause during meal times to discuss red book. However, the Red Guads still killed 141 people, of whom 124 were peasant farmers. The campaign against anything capitalist meant that Dazahir people were forced to barter to exchange goods.
Positive changes - rural hamlet to well-established village with many faciliies. By the 1970s, Dazhai was unrecognisabel to the small commune in the 1940s, and became very clsoe ot Mao’s utopian idea of a model village.
Women were also valued as key members of society in Dazhai. In 1963, the iron ladies emerged - they did a lot of work, helping with farming, and their leader Guo Fenglian became leader of Dazhai in 1973 following her influence in cultural revolution growing.
Questionable whether Dazhai acheivements were real - got help from machines not available elsewhere - Dazhai got a lot of money that could have been put elsewhere.
What the immediate aftermath of Mao’s death?
After Mao died in September 1976, there was a power struggle within the communist Party as to who was going to take his palced. There were 3 potential options: Hua Guofeng (nominated by Mao as his successor), the Gang of Four (led by Jian Qing) and Deng Xiaoping. Upon Mao’s death, Hua immediately succeeded to all positions that Mao had held within the party and state. It was from this position that Hua began to tackle the Gang of Four.
The Gang of Four were Maoist Hardliners, they believed that they would be Mao’s natural successors. However, they were arrested for planning a coup. The gang had over-estimated their support within the army and were too unpopular in Beijin to have any hope of holding power.
With the removal of the Gang of Four, it appeared that Hua’s position was confirmed. However, Deng used his excellent links the the PLA and leading party members to his advantage. He was reinstated to the politburo, having been expelled during the cultural revolution. Deng used re-admitance to increasinlgy isolate hua. Deng’s supporters within the party grew and earlier accusations that Deng had criticised the party were dropped by the Politburo. In 1977 Deng was the CCP General Secretary again. HUa continued as a premier until 1978, but in a much weakened political position. Deng was to rule China until his death in 1997.
In 1978, the CCP met for its first major meeting since Mao’s death. At the meeting, Deng was confirmed as the leader of China, some innocent victims of the Revolution were rehabilitated and they accepted Deng’s four modernisations as the way to aid China’s development. This set the agenda for reforming China. There were also many debates about how to handle Mao’s legacy.
