Maintenance of Mao - Key Facts

Question 1

What was formed in 1954

Answer 1

Formal constitution that established China as a one party state.

Question 2

How was party structured?

Answer 2

• Mao as chairman
• Two vice chairmen
• Prime minister headed council of ministers

Question 3

Who was prime minister and for how long.

Answer 3

Zhou Enlai 1949-76

Question 4

What was government carried out by?

Answer 4

‘Politburo’ of 20 inner core CCP members all chosen by Mao, they had to put all decision making past Mao.

Question 5

How was country governed?

Answer 5

Split up into 6 regions, each governed by a bureau formed of 4 major officials.

Party cadres sent to regions to ‘educate’ the population on Maoist communism.

Question 6

What provided framework for legal system and when was it made?

Answer 6

1954 State constitution provided framework for legal system.

Question 7

What was legal system modelled on?

Answer 7

Soviet Union

Question 8

What happened in courts?

Answer 8

Party committees replaced courts and party cadres replaced judges

Question 9

Why did the court system exist?

Answer 9

For ‘show trials’ to demonstrate Mao’s fairness, but in realism was to prosecute any suspected opposition to Mao’s state.

Question 10

How we’re living standards increased?

Answer 10

Inflation was curbed, crime was checked.

Question 11

What were Danweis?

Answer 11

Work units headed by party cadres tasked with building urban development and increasing living standards

Question 12

What did residents committees do?

Answer 12

Controlled unemployment, public health and policing.

Question 13

What were ‘patriotic health campaigns’

Answer 13

Ran by residents committees to improve access to healthcare, however Mao didn’t believe in modern medicine and employed untrained ‘foot doctors’ who could offer little professional care.

Question 14

What was feared by Mao?

Answer 14

Counter revolutionary elements.

Question 15

What did Mao initially retain and cooperate with?

Answer 15

Petty and national bourgeois, however taxes implemented to reduce profits

Question 16

How did Mao stamp out ‘bourgeois individualism’ ?

Answer 16

Self criticism and rectification campaigns, Mao encouraged population to inform party cadres on any forms of capitalist individualism.

Question 17

In ____ , _____ intellectuals were made to take a course in _____

Answer 17

In 1951, 6500 intellectuals were made to take a course in communist thinking, If they did not agree or refused they were imprisoned.

Question 18

When was the land reform programme and what happened after it?

Answer 18

1950, after it party cadres were told to rouse peasants to attack and remove local landlords. Over 2 million landlords were murdered.

Question 19

What was the land reform programme of 1950 and how did it aid Mao?

Answer 19

Redistribution of landlord owned land to peasantry, gaining mass support.

Question 20

What were used to to stamp out landlords and bourgeois?

Answer 20

Struggle sessions, in which member would be taken before a panel and publicly humiliated and forced to declare moral failings. This was practiced in Yan’an soviet and helped Mao removed capitalist thinkers.

Question 21

When did Mao begin the purge of leading CCP members?

Answer 21

Early 1954

Question 22

What occurred in 1953?

Answer 22

Gao Gang and Rao Shushi purged and removed from CCP over alleged ‘undercover activities’ after debate over 5 year industry plan.

Question 23

What happened to Gao and Rao after purges?

Answer 23

Gap committed suicide

Rao imprisoned until death

Question 24

What was the name for labour camps?

Answer 24

Laogai Camps

Question 25

What were labour camps for and what were they modelled on?

Answer 25

‘Re-education through labour’

Modelled on Soviet gulags

Question 26

How many people were held in camps a year? How many were built?

Answer 26

10 million a year.

By 1976 over 10,00 built

Question 27

When was the cultural revolution?

Answer 27

1966-76

Question 28

What did Mao use to attack in the CR?

Answer 28

Radical Maoist students - Red Guards

Question 29

What were the ‘four olds’ ?

Answer 29

Culture, customs, practices and thought.

Question 30

What did historian Jung Chang say?

Answer 30

Mao wished to create a society devoid of any culture of thought, the population brain dead and made to carry out his demands.

Question 31

Why did Mao purge the group of five?

Answer 31

Said to support Deng Xioaping and Liu Shaoqi

Question 32

Who was said to be conspiring against Mao?

Answer 32

Liu shaoqi and Deng Xioaping

Question 33

Give 5 examples of propaganda used by Mao

Answer 33

• Lei Feng
• Ridiculing of US and Russia
• Little Red Book
• Representation as the sun
• Nationwide speakers

Question 34

When were mass movements?

Answer 34

1950-52

Question 35

Name two mass movements:

Answer 35

Resist America and aid Korea campaign - 1950

Suppression of counter revolutionaries campaign - 1950-51

Question 36

When was the hundred flowers campaign?

Answer 36

1956

Question 37

When did Mao lift censorship? When did he call it off?

Answer 37

1956 - June and July of 1956 saw mass criticism

Called off in early 1957

Question 38

When was the ‘anti rightist campaign’ and what was it?

Answer 38

July 1957 - persecution of over half a million ‘rightists’ who criticised in the hundred flowers campaign. They were publicly humiliated and executed.

Question 39

When did Mao shape Mao Zedong thought?

Answer 39

After studying communism and joining CCP in 1921

Question 40

Name two parts of Mao Zedong Thought vital to maintenance of power:

Answer 40

Continuous revolution

Ruthless determination

Question 41

When were self Criticism and rectification campaigns

Answer 41

1942-44

Question 42

When was the great leap forward?

Answer 42

1958-61