Establishing Control Flashcards
PLA
Allowed Mao to spread his power and gain control on a wider scale
PLA- reunification campaigns
Firstly, retrieving power from GMD by capturing their heartland Guangdong
Then province of Xinjiang- dilluting their minority culture,security buffer zone. 80% Uyghurs
Supressed dissidents in Tibet as they were independent and announced their intention of resisting Comm rule, destruction of Tibetan identity (Han Chinese settlers)
How many young conscripts were recruited yearly and what did this mean?
800,000 - means of indoctrination
Not PLA- Mao’s dominant position within govt, when was Mao made head of state and Party leader?
October 1949
What demonstrates that Mao directed policies
Decision to intervene in the Korean War 1950
What did rectification campaign do? The
Tone of fear and terror so that nobody in the Party dared to overrule him
What did Mao’s power allow him to do?
Launch campaigns like the Great Terror which caused people to conform as afraid
In contrast, how could this be argued as a less important factor (Mao’s power)?
Without PLA’s help, policies Mao introduced may not have gone ahead
What was special about the PLA?
The world’s largest army, made up of 5 million men in 1950
In Korean war, what did the fact that China’s armies had held USA at bay for almost 3 yrs do?
Significantly enhanced China’s international prestige so the PLA could claim to be the most powerful Communist nation
Argument against this
It was Mao who decided to intervene in the war
During war, army consuming 40% of the state budget so morale of Chinese people low so less likely to support Comm
3 & 5 antis and Great Terror
Removed Comm opponents
Deterred from resisting Comm rule
Fear of friends informing on you encouraged isolation within Chinese society so less risk of people coming together to fight against Party
