Mao’s Radical Reforms & Big Push (1949–1960) Flashcards
(15 cards)
What were Mao’s immediate priorities after founding the PRC in 1949?
Land reform, economic recovery, elimination of class enemies.
What was the goal of land reform (1949–1953)?
Redistribution of land from landlords to peasants, elimination of feudal class.
How did collectivization (1955–1957) change rural China?
Private farms merged into collective farms, no private ownership of land.
What were the main components of the Great Leap Forward (1958–1960)?
People’s Communes, backyard steel production, increased grain targets.
Why did backyard steel production fail?
Poor-quality steel, destruction of resources, diversion of labor from agriculture.
How did local officials contribute to the Great Leap Forward famine?
Inflated production figures, led to excessive grain requisitioning.
What was the estimated death toll of the Great Leap Forward?
30 million people, making it the deadliest famine in history.
people’s communes
The People’s Communes were large-scale collectivized farming and production units introduced, aimed to rapidly industrialize China and increase agricultural productivity, but ultimately led to widespread famine and economic disaster.
New Democracy
transitional economic and political strategy,
land Reform (1949–1952):
The redistribution of land from landlords to poor peasants.
Over 800,000 landlords were executed as “class enemies.”
Created peasant support for the CCP and weakened old elite
state-Controlled Heavy Industry:
The government nationalized major industries, banks, and transportation while letting smaller businesses operate freely.
Limited Capitalism Allowed:
Private businesses and local entrepreneurs were still permitted.
The CCP encouraged some industrialists to remain active in rebuilding the economy.
Some elements of market economy coexisted with socialist planning
Cooperatives
farmers pooled land and resources while still maintaining some private ownership.
What are collectives?
Fully socialist agricultural units where all land and resources were state-owned, and farmers worked under government-set production quotas. They replaced cooperatives by 1956 and expanded during the Great Leap Forward (1958–1960).
What was the Hundred Flowers Campaign?
A 1956–1957 movement launched by Mao Zedong encouraging intellectuals and citizens to express their opinions about the government. When criticism became widespread, Mao reversed the policy, leading to political purges.
What was the Anti-Rightist Movement?
A 1957–1959 CCP crackdown on those who criticized the government during the Hundred Flowers Campaign. Over 500,000 intellectuals and officials were labeled ‘rightists’ and punished through labor camps, imprisonment, or execution.
What is the Dictator’s Dilemma?
A political theory describing how dictators cannot accurately gauge public support because repression forces people to lie about their true opinions, creating false information that misguides decision-making
a dictator never knows the level of support in his country
What is the Big Push Strategy?
An economic model aimed at rapid industrialization through heavy state investment in large-scale projects and forced labor mobilization. It was central to Mao’s Great Leap Forward (1958–1960) but ultimately failed, causing mass famine.
