What was the impact of the people's communes after 1958? Flashcards
(17 cards)
Why did Mao launch the communes?
To maximise food production and accelerate industrial growth.
The first Commune was Sputnik, established in the Henan province in April 1958.
What was the vision of the communes?
Instead of following the Marxist ideology, Mao wanted to build communism in the countryside first, forcing peasants to live in the communes.
How were the communes organised?
Production of steel and grain were given equal priority. The communes provided education, public health, childcare in creches and canteen facilities. Happiness homes cared for the elderly.
All able-bodied citizens between 15 and 50 years of age belong to the commune militia who served as a police force to enforce rules of the communes.
What was the Great Leap Forward?
May be referred to as walking on two legs, meaning that agriculture and industry would develop at the same time.
What was Lysenkoism?
An 8 point programme drafted by Mao based on Lysenko’s ideas, which farmers had to follow. However, his theories were fraudulent, as he manipulated his research in order to gain political influence.
What was the Four Pests Campaign?
Aimed to eradicate mosquitoes, sparrows, flies and rats because they were blamed for destroying the grain. This led to a huge ecological disaster and the great famine.
What was the harvest figure for the year in 1958?
The published figure was 375 million. The real figure was close to 200 million tonnes.
Describe the Great Famine.
About 45 million dead. Tibet had 25% of its population killed by the famine. People resorted to prostitution, selling children and cannibalism.
What are the five main causes for the Great Famine?
Mao was too ambitious, insisted Lysenkoism be applied in full, was dismissive of experts, cadres were afraid to speak out, and his own perspective on China’s priorities.
Why was Mao’s ambition a cause for the Great Famine?
He expected peasants to produce food, supervise backyard furnaces and work on water conservancy projects at the same time which was not possible.
Why was Lysenkoism a cause for the Great Famine?
Lysenko claimed that his super crops could produce yields 16 times greater than those produced by conventional methods.
Why were the cadres a cause for the Great Famine?
The cadres gave optimistic reports of how much their communes were producing, encouraging planners to set even higher targets.
Why was Mao’s perspective on China’s priorities a cause for the Great Famine?
Mao prioritised industrialising China rapidly instead of the importance of the lives of peasants.
What was the emergency directive?
The emergency directive in November 1960 allowed villages to keep their private plots of land and to engage in side occupations such as farming.
What were Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaping’s reforms?
Grain exports and seizing from the government halted, grain imported from Canada and Australia. Peasant market place restored, farmers allowed to sell surplus produce.
What were the successes of Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaping’s reforms?
Improved food distribution, famine dissipated. Grain production increased from 193 million tonnes in 1961 to 240 million tonnes in 1965.
What were the limitations of Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaping’s reforms?
Grain production levels were vulnerable because China was reliant on foreign imports until 1970. Agricultural regions continued to suffer from labour shortages.
