Communist victory and the consolidation of Mao's rule, 1946–1952 Flashcards
(9 cards)
Communist victory: reasons for Communist success
Communist Victory:
Military Factors:
- Guerrilla Warfare; successful in Manchuria due to its hilly terrain and large forests
- Tactical Flexibility; tactical retreats in Manchuria at the start of the Civil War and from Yan’an in 1946
- Morale; Political indoctrination and ideological commitment of PLA
- Discipline of PLA
- Military leadership; Lin Biao helped in the transformation of PLA into a conventional army
Political Factors:
- Political Unity; Mao Zedong Thought
- Democratic Dictatorship; democratic centralism on a smaller scale
- Peasant Support and Land Reform; landlords and richer peasants subjected to humiliation and violence
- Broadening base of Communist support; peasant farmers, factory and railway workers, teachers, students policemen
- Propaganda; PLA troops
The state of China in the aftermath of war; regional and economic issues; industry and agriculture
- Ethnic, cultural and religious diversity of China made it hard for the CCP to establish a strong unified state
- The two most westerly provinces of Xinjiang and Tibet had not yet been conquered, and Taiwan had been inhabited by GMD
- Military campaign in 1949 secured control over capital of Xinjiang, however armed resistance to CCP rule continued until 1954
- New liberated areas were harder to assert control over, and hostile forces such as GMD supporters continued to resist communist rule.
- industrial Production in 1949 was 44% of its 1937 level, due to Red Army stripping Manchuria of its machinery and factories before leaving Manchuria
- Agricultural production in 1949 was 305 blow its 1937 level - food shortages
The People’s Republic of China: Mao’s position in government; the power structure and influence of the CCP
- Mao was the Chairman of CCP; dominated ideological debate and used this to control Party and Government
- CCP was at the heart of the government structure of the PRC
- Other parties were only tolerated as long as they did not threaten CCP Power
Mass party membership; democratic centralism
MASS PARTY MEMBERSHIP:
- Membership had increased from 4,448,000 in 1949 to 5,821,604 in 1950
- Membership of the CCP was restricted to those who could demonstrate ideological correctness
- Party Cadres permeated all levels of society; ensured that governmental system and armed forces were operating strictly in accordance with political direction of the State
- Mass organisations on a local level encouraged participation from public
DEMOCRATIC CENTRALISM:
- Party members were free to express opinions and participate in debate on policies but once the final decision had been made, the Party had to promote those policies and accept them
- Semi feudal System: Working Class, peasants, petty bourgeoisie and national bourgeoisie, as well as five black categories
The consolidation of power: mass mobilisation campaigns and purges
- Resist America Aid Korea Campaign, 1950-51: Westerners and foreigners were targeted and arrested, and by the end of 1950, China had become closed to Western Influence
- Suppression of Counter Revolutionaries Campaign, 1950-51: Focused on internal threats to Chinese revolution- this included anyone with a link to GMD regime, ‘bandits’, and members of religious sects; 28,332 people executed in less than a year
- 3-Antis Campaign, 1951-52: Targeted corruption, waste, obstructionist bureaucracy
- 5-Antis Campaign, 1952: Targeted Bribery, Tax evasion, theft of state property
- Thought Reform Campaign, 1951-52: Targeted at intellectuals
The role of the PLA
- in 1950, 5 million men, accounted for over 41% of state budget.
- it was decided in 1950 to begin the demobilisation of the PLA, reduced in size to 3.5 million by 1953
- ‘Learn from the PLA’ was one of the main propaganda slogans of the CCP
- PLA units used to pass on communist ideology to peasants; acted as propaganda
The use of terror and propaganda
- Labour Camps used to exert control over population by removing counter-revolutionaries; Mao set quotas for the numbers to be killed
- By 1951, all Chinese citizens aged over 15 had to acquire official residence permits to move to another area
Prostitution stamped out by 1953 - CCP tried to increase support through newspapers, theatre, cinema, radio and posters; propaganda networks were led by party cadres in mould public opinion in CCP favour
Land reform; attacks on landlords and land redistribution
- Agrarian Reform Law, 1950
- Those identified as landlords were paraded on stages subjected to denunciations and beatings at ‘Speak Bitterness’ meetings, and peasants were involved in the process in order to cement relationship between peasants and CCP
- 43% of land being redistributed to 60% of rural population
- Between 1.5 and 2 million people killed in these land reform campaigns between 1947 and 1952
PRC’s international position and dealings with neighbours: Korea , Tibet, Taiwan and the USSR
1949- Mao visits Stalin in Moscow
1950- Treaty of friendship between China and USSR
1950- PLA forces enter Tibet, and defeat Tibetan forces; Xizang becomes an ‘autonomous region’, Dalai Lama continues to head the government of the region; Land reform pursued vigorously in parts of Western Tibet
1949- Jiang flees to Taiwan with his GMD government, and is recognised by USA and western powers as the legitimate government of China; however, USA does not include Taiwan within ‘defence perimeter’ in a US doctrine in 1949; Mao was planning an invasion of Taiwan, but could not invade as he lacked the naval forces, and this situation was made worse by the Korean War.
1949- Mao travelled to Moscow to restore full Chinese Sovereignty over Manchuria, however, this bargain came with multiple additional costs that favoured the USSR more than it benefited China
Chinese commitment to Korean war: 3 million fought, 900,000 died
Korean War had driven a wedge between China and USA.
