China

• Mao Zedong - Communist leader who became first leader of China after the communist revolution in 1949
• Korean War (1950-1953) - conflict between North Korea, supported by China and USSR, and South Korea, supported by USA and UN forces.
• Mao‘s policies towards women:

  • women’s roles improved
  • encouraged to take a place in society
  • marriage law in 1950

  Consequences:

  • Made divorce easier
  • Men could only have one wife
• Many peasants were illiterate:

  Mao launched literary campaign - 1950s

  • hugely successful

  1945 - New, easier written form of Mandarin introduced
• Hundred flowers campaign (1956-57)

  Causes:

  • Believed showing discussion = communism superior over capitalism
  • Open debate - later opened to intellectuals

  Consequences:

  • Intellectuals criticised Mao
  • Shut down in less than a year
  • Replaced by anti-rightist movement
• Agrarian Reform Law (1950)

  Causes:

  • Shared lands between peasants
  • People worked together (cooperative and collective farms)

  Consequences:

  • Landlords put on trial
  • Gained support of communists
• First Five-Year Plan (1953-57)

  Causes:

  • Aid building of industries
  • Production boost of steel, coal etc

  Consequences:

  • Motivated workers passed all targets - steel production x2 in a year
  • State planning disorganised
  • Good transport lines set up all through China
• The Great Leap Forward (Second five-year plan)(1958-63)

  Causes:

  • Small scale industry
  • Targeting agriculture
  • Communes to form

  Consequences:

  • Targets of production unrealistic
  • Steel unusable
  • Failure
• The Great Leap Forward:

  ’Four Noes’ - agricultural policy:

  Affected crop production

  • Eradication of sparrows = more pests

  Consequences:

  • Serious famine and death
• During the Cold War, China became increasingly isolated from other countries as it refused to join international organisations such as the United Nations.
• In addition, China's economic policies, particularly the Great Leap Forward and Cultural Revolution, led to significant internal instability and suffering among its population.
• Cultural Revolution -

  Mao called for young people to rid China of anti-communist elements

  Causes:

  • Wanted to attack four olds: old culture, old customs, old habits, old rituals
  • People betraying Mao after failure of Great Leap Forward
  • Needed to call upon Chinese people in case of war
• Cultural Revolution -

  Red guards:

  • Young people
  • Went on a rampage

  Consequences of red guards:

  • Red guards formed rival factions
  • PLA disarmed red guards
• Cultural Revolution -

  Overall consequences:

  • Destroyed monuments/treasures
  • Destroyed family life
  • China was a culture desert
  • Closure of universities = shortage in doctors
• Dazhai -

  • Chen was leader

  1946: first mutual aids team

  1953-62: Chen proposed ’Ten-Year Reclamation Plan”

  • To build dams to enable land to be reclaimed + terraced
  • Terracing is symbolic of Dazhai

  Consequences:

  • Lots of terraces built
  • Lots of dams built
  • Not affected by famine
• Dazhai -

  Became national model:

  • Copying Dazhai was obedience to China’s agricultural policy and loyalty to Mao

  Consequences: (Farming methods had disastrous effects)

  • People had different types of land - Mao failed to appreciate
  • Became a pilgrimage-like destination
  • Became a well-established villiage
• Propaganda -

  Propaganda campaign - used to persuade people to support Mao’s ideals

  • Posters, loud speakers, newspapers
  • Loud-speakers to broadcast music
• Mao’s Cult of Personality - Students who were personally loyal to Mao

  (Cult of personality grew)
• Deng Xioping - succeeded Mao in 1976
• Deng wanted reforms in: agriculture, science, technology and industry
• Deng’s Agricultural Policies:

  • Communes abandoned

  Household responsibility system (1981)

  • Allowed peasants to sell excess profit
  • Entrepreneurial spirit

  Consequences:

  • Hugely successful
• Deng’s Social Change:

  • National College Entrance Exam re-established (NCEE) (1978)
  • Open-door policy - students went abroad
  • One-child policy (1978)
  • Increase in infanticide
  • Imbalance of population
• Deng’s Industrial Policies:

  • More freedom: businesses make decisions and sell excess for profit
  • Open-door policies - promoted relations with west

  Set up ’Special Economic Zones’

  • E.g in Hong Kong and Taiwan
  • Workers paid on performance
  • No state control - no guaranteed jobs
• Deng’s Political change:

  • ’Four Cardinal Principles’ (1979) - maintains existing system
  • Democracy wall - way to voice opinion
  • Removed Mao’s ‘Four Great Freedoms’ (1978)
  • Ministry of Justice re-established
  • Introduced some electoral reforms
• My Lai Massacre - (1968) During Vietnam war