Establishing communist rule Flashcards
(34 cards)
negative poliitical impact civil war
- Regions away from Beijing little in common with China
- Muslim Xinjiang
- Tibet reject communists
- Continued nationalists presence
- Spies - Saboteurs - Bomb ships on coast
positice political impact civil war
- Mao’s position reinforced
- Reputation as a military commander
- Transition guerilla to open warfare
- Strength of will overcome doubt of his military commanders
- Support of PLA
- **Restore stability **
- Different political factions in the GMD (Nationalists) had been difficult to control
- Led to Mao realising the importance of concentrating power at the top -> reinforced by military power
-** Broaden support & CW show value of that ** - Cultivate peasant support -> promised land reform
- Red army treated peasants better and more fairly than the GMD
industry impact civil war
- eeconomy crippled
- chinese industrial output dropped
- Hyper inflation
- underskilled
industry impact civil war - economy crippled
by 12 yrs of war
By 1936 economy was recovering, set back by focus on war 1937+
industry impact civil war - chinese industrial output dropped
- due to damage caused by japanese bombing and nationalists scorched earth tactics as retreating
- By 1945, industrial output 25% below pre-war levels
- Factories needed to be constructed/rebuilt but many skilled personnel needed to rebuild industrial production fled to taiwan
- Few experienced officials to run cities/ w/ technical knowledge to rebuild economy
industry impact civil war - hyper inflation
- GMD pay for war printing + borrowing money - cause hyperinflation by 1945
- 1949 Hyperinflation stood at 1000%
- Worsened by Chiang took China’s foreign currency reserves when fled to Taiwan
- Russia declared war on Japan shortly before Japanese surrendered -> russians seized industrial assets in Manchuria
National infrastructure civil war
- underdeveloped and ruined by bombing and lack of maintenance 1937 - 49
- 1949 only Manchuria + population centres of East coast & lower Yangtze had transport and communication systems in place
- Communist key tactic was blow up tracks destroyed bridges -> approx ½ railway destroyed
- Rivers clogged up with sunken ships
- Communication infrastructure major overhaul in order for economic to be possible
agricultural impact civil war
- food supply critical 1949
- underdeveloped
agricultural impact civil war - food supply critical 1949
Disruption to agriculture -> conscription by GMD + 1000s displaced by those from fleeing from the Japanese in the east -> crops wilted and died -> farms left unattended -> no one caring for crops
Food production in 1945 30% lower than 1937
Wartime requisitioning
Continuing after 1949 -> size PLA & growth urban -> fed by surplus of countryside
20% in cities
agricultural impact civil war - underdeveloped
China predominantly agriculture country
Labour intensive
Basic levels of mechanisms
Developed slowly under nationalists
Farmers hit by steep drop in food prices
Only 15 % of land cultivable
By 1949 modernisation was increasingly needed by 1949 inc. population and demand in cities
Population 541 mn 1949
587 mn 1953
20 mn dead war
common programme
1954 constitution
Role of Communist Party
Post-Power Seizure Urgency (1949): The CCP had to act swiftly after gaining power to prevent China from descending into anarchy.
Establishing Legitimacy: The new regime aimed to project an image of legitimacy and authority.
Initial Collaboration: The CCP initially collaborated with other groups to:
Divide the nationalist opposition.
Create an appearance of widespread popular support.
Coordinate the government.
Party Membership Growth: The CCP grew significantly, reaching 5.8 million members by the end of 1950.
Control Mechanisms: The CCP established economic targets and controlled education and the prison camp system.
Party Cadres: Individual party members responsible for:
Reporting on the loyalty of party colleagues and the public.
Enforcing party policies.
Controlling schools and the legal system.
Monitoring the PLA (at a local level) and the civil service to ensure loyalty.
Monitoring Danweis (work units).
Ensuring adherence to Mao’s directives.
Mass Participation through Party Groups: The CCP utilized mass participation through various party-affiliated groups, including youth organizations.
Early Governance (until at least 1954): The CCP governed:
Collaboratively with temporary bodies.
Under a provisional constitution.
Politburo Dominance: The Politburo:
Instructed the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).
Comprised 14 key Communist leaders.
Made key decisions through its five-man Standing Committee.
Decisions of the Standing Committee became law.
Key members included Mao Zedong (Chairman of both the party and the Standing Committee), Zhou Enlai, and Liu Shaoqi.
Role of gov
Here’s a summarized bullet-point version of the CCP’s basic principles and government structure post-1954:
Basic Principles:
Nationalism: Aimed for freedom from all foreign exploitation, including from Soviet influence; given top priority.
Continuing Revolution: Advocated working with former GMD supporters for their expertise in administration and the economy.
Capitalism regulated and limited nationalization occurred in 1949 to prevent stagnation.
Listening to the People: Emphasized the importance of staying connected with the general population.
Mass Mobilization: Believed the enthusiasm of revolutionary masses was more valuable than purely economic expertise.
Centralism: Focused on centrally developing all aspects of society and the economy, with a strong emphasis on agriculture.
Government Structure (1954 onwards):
CPPCC (Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference): An advisory body to the National People’s Congress (NPC), meeting annually.
National People’s Congress (NPC): Responsible for new legislation but largely rubber-stamped decisions made by the Politburo.
State Council: The new name for the former Central People’s Government.
Levels of Government:
National:
NPC
State Council
Various ministries and agencies.
Provincial:
People’s Congress and government at the provincial level.
Local:
People’s Congresses and councils at the county, municipal, and village levels.
Role of PLA
Here’s a summarized bullet-point version of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA):
Revolutionary Values: Epitomized revolutionary values such as discipline, self-sacrifice, and perseverance.
World’s Largest Army (1950): Became the world’s largest army by 1950, incurring significant expense.
Army Size Reduction (1953): Mao reduced the army’s size in 1953 to maintain Party control.
Gaining Peasant Support: The PLA was used to maintain the support of the peasantry.
A code of conduct was established by the political department in 1950 to guide PLA interactions with peasants on collective farms.
Indoctrination Source: Served as a key source of political indoctrination.
Workforce Role: Assisted in building public works and community projects, such as transport infrastructure.
Enforcing Central Control: Played a crucial role in enforcing central government control in the regions.
Half of regional officials were high-ranking PLA officials.
Control Over the People: Acted as a tool for maintaining control over the population.
Economic Role: Had an economic function through its involvement in various projects.
Achieving Great Power Status: Contributed to China’s achievement of great power status.
Propaganda Role: Served a propaganda function.
The Korean War, where the PLA fought UN forces, generated heroic tales of model soldiers.
Organizational Levels:
National:
National Defense Council
General Staff
Provincial and Local:
Military Commander
Political Commissar
Communist Party branches within the PLA.
Role of bureucracy
- huge # of bureaucrats needed to help establish new regime + Party’s control
- burgeoning bureaucracy needed to
- intro land reform
- run the cities
- intro. centrally planned economy
- The # of state officials inc. vry rapidly
- nearly 11x larger from 1949-59
- Bureaucracy ^ = Mao’s fear ^
Role of Mao
- leader of CP
- Head of state 1949
- led communist to victory in civil war
- massive personal prestige and influence
- his ideas → Mao Zedong Thought guiding principle of gov.
- communism
- remove opposition
- democratic centralism
Democratic Centralism
Democratic Centralism: A political principle combining democracy with central leadership, emphasizing unity and discipline after open debate.
‘Democratic’ Aspect (Controlled):
Elections held at lowest levels (village/town councils) and upwards.
Lower bodies sent representatives to higher levels.
BUT: Controlled by the CCP as a one-party state with no opportunity to elect a different party.
Aim: Gave the impression that Beijing was listening to the people.
Centralism Aspect (Imposed):
Decisions made centrally were imposed at all levels, based on the perceived best collective interest.
Justification: Party leaders were considered uniquely educated in revolutionary ideology and best placed to know the workers’ interests.
Focus: Prioritized the collective over individual interests.
Implementation:
Central government rubber-stamped Politburo proposals.
The CPPCC drafted the future constitution and initially acted as the legislature.
All GMD laws and the old judicial system were abolished.
Six regional bureaux were established to impose national decisions throughout the country.
Each region had four key senior Communist officials (some held multiple roles): Army Political Commissar, Government Chairman, Military Commander, and Party Secretary (most powerful).
Mao’s Goal: High central control was desired to prevent a return to the warlord era of the 1920s.
The reunification campaign - Guangdong
- PLA v nationalist forces in far south till end of 1950
Reunification campaign Xinjiang
- 80% Uyghur, most muslim
- own identitity
- more in common with USSR then China
- local Uyghur leaders given key positions in regional council
- appoint a Long March veteran to be head of local CCP and PLA
- Han chinese brought in
reunification campaign Tibet
- Oct 1950 invaded
- 6 mths later May 1951 under chinese sovereignty
- destroy Tibet identity by bringing in han chinese settler
Labelling
- danwei (work Unit) -> responsible for hosuing food, clothes
- ration supply = means able to deny = powerful as ensures conformitty
- dangan - dossier - containing detqailed personal info. of anyone brought to senior Party memberships attention
- class labels -> based off presumed loyalty to the revolution -> taking into account, family background, social status, and profession
- ‘red or black’
- children inherit label -> outcasts
Great Terror
- 1950/51
- brutal and widespread aim to tackle counter-revs + deter others
- March 1951 Rao Shushi propoposal to become more inward looking approved
- Tao Zhu -> Guanggxi region -> brutal treatment of suspected national sentiment 0> kill about 2.5 per a thousand in 122 mths
- Maos Quota = 1 per a 1000 voice of moderation
- calm Oct 1952
Crackdown on crime
- prostitutes, vagrants relocated to countryside
- triads targetted
- over 150,000 criminals arrested
