china 1

• china industry

  • All aspects of Chinese economy destroyed because of the war and involvement in WWII 
  • During civil war, Nationalist forces would often destroy industrial regions rather than let Communist forces take control over them 
  • Thus, many areas of China lacked fuel resources as well as electricity 
  • Intervention of USSR: by end of WWII, Manchuria was controlled by USSR, beginning to dismantle and transfer back to Soviet Union causing further widespread economic and industrial issues 
  • Result of these factors meant industrial output was 44% less than 1937 level  
• china agriculture

  • Vast majority of peasantry supported CP because of their promises of land reforms 
  • significant shortage of livestock and farming equipment as well as a propensity for diseases to spread 
  • Great deal of Chinese peasantry forcibly conscripted into Nationalist forces during war meaning labour shortage in agriculture 
  • Food production in 1945 was 30% lower than 1937 
  • Henan province had suffered a famine during WWII 
  • Wartime food requisitioning had been necessary to feed both army and cities, but this continued after 1949 due to size of PLA and continued growth of urban population 
• china infrastructure and inflation

  • Estimated 50% of railway networks were destroyed during civil war due to scorched earth tactics 
  • Similar method took place against bridges and other transport infrastructure 
  • Poor even before beginning of civil war as a result of corruption within Nationalist government 
  • With sources of revenue drastically reduced during war years, GMD had paid by borrowing and printing money, causing hyperinflation by 1949 
  • Worsened by Chiang Kai-Shek taking China’s foreign currency reserves with him to Taiwan 
• longer term situation

  • China was still a predominantly agricultural country- farming techniques were labour intensive using only basic levels of mechanisation, overwhelmingly reliant on horse and manpower; adequate food supplies 
  • Only 15% of China’s land was cultivable to increasing agricultural output was limited unless techniques were modernised and peasants were more productive 
  • Lack of industrial development in China became a problem for the government 
  • Overall hampered by underinvestment and under-skilled workforce 
• PLA

  • Vital part of general structure, used to round up criminal gangs and terrorising the population of China 
  • building broader support using physical role 
  • Through use of economic assistance, PLA was able to build popular support for CCP including the rebuilding of infrastructure 
  • World’s largest army- 5 million in 1950 
  • Cost 40% of state budgets so cuts: 3.5m in 1953 to 2.5m by 1957 
  • Under supervision of defence minister Peng Dehuai 
  • As it became smaller, PLA was more professional 
  • Acted as a means of indoctrination internally, workforce in public projects, enforcing government control 
• laogai

  • Network of labour camps to instil ‘reform through labour’ but in reality dealt with political opponents who made up majority of inmates  
  • Vast system of around 1.3 million imprisoned 
  • ideological motivations: camps would force inmates to attend brainwashing sessions 
  • Official explanation to ‘re-educate’ not punish 
  • Supplied terror that regime depended on to frighten population into conformity 
  • Serving political purpose and of significant economic value, contributing 700 million yan  
  • hazardous jobs in Great Leap Forward 
  • Further purge of counter-revolutionaries 
• reunification campaigns 1949-50

  • Guangdong: GMD heartland during last years of war 
  • Xinjiang: became security buffer zone for PRC 
  • Tibet: announced its intention to resist Communist conquest- PLA invaded in 1950 and became under Chinese sovereignty in 1951 
• labelling

  • Expanded household registration 
  • Employed workers assigned to danwei (work units) and denial of these became a powerful unit to enforce conformity and used to pry 
  • Individuals given class labels specifying family backgrounds, status or occupation 
  • Black labels were reactionary elements etc. and red elements were good 
• influence of pla

  • Initiated terror movements 
  • Organised crimes across China were faced with growth of terror campaigns organised by PLA 
  • Executed those involved in these systems and charged families for the cost of the bullet used to kill 
  • Cleanup of cities by removing petty criminals and ‘nuisances’ 
  • Beggars and prostitutes targeted 
  • Great Terror 1950-51: Korean War gave Mao an excuse to crush enemies jeapordising gains of revolution 
  • Brutal and widespread elements set the tone of Mao 
• three antis

  • Initiative to deal with internal party issues 
  • 1951: Mao declared there ought to be a cleanup throughout CCP- too much corruption and bureaucracy within both party and government 
  • Reality: removing opponents of Communism 
  • Those targeted were forced to admit their guilt through ‘struggle meetings’ 
• five antis 1952

  • focused on five key ‘negative’ areas of society and government which was bribery, tax evasion, theft of state property, breach of government contracts and stealing economic information pertinent to the state 
  • From an ideological perspective, the main targets were the bourgeoisie who were antithetical to Communist movement 
  • People were encouraged to find information against their former bosses and business owners 
  • Reinforced Mao's personal position 
  • Served dual purpose of being able to enrich CCP and increase their control over different areas of the economy 
• hundred flowers

  • Initiative presented by Mao in 1957 
  • Encouragement by CCP to speak freely and critically of Party 
  • In doing so, the campaign would give Mao both information and mandate to introduce anti-rightist campaign 
  • Influenced by recent events in Russia- destalinisation 
  • ‘Let a hundred flowers bloom, a hundred schools of thought contend’ 
• hundred flowers motivation

  • May have been genuine insistence to improve the party as Mao didn’t want to see CCP become too bureaucratic 
  • Also concerns of economic stagnation 
  • However, also served to give Mao informationto remove political enemies 
  • Mao believed many within CCP were not radical or revolutionary enough to conform with his ideals 
  • Labelled them ‘Conservative Communists’- if they were openly critical, they were purged 
  • international concerns levied by other Communist leaders- destalinisation
  • Asking intellectuals for help as most of Party were uneducated peasants 
• hundred flowers criticisms

  • Intellectuals strongly argued the regime had failed in its ability to introduce democratic reform and initiation of certain fundamental freedoms 
  • Members of CCP seemed to have luxurious lifestyles than ordinary Chinese citizens, something the CCP had criticised previous governments of 
• hundred flowers response

  • Instead of offering compromise, labelled criticisms as right-wing attacks 
  • Allowed him to begin anti-rightist campaign whereby 400-700,000 intellectuals were purged, sent to Laogai system or to the countryside 
  • Discouraged dissent, produced 500k inmates 
• korean war

  • From 25th June 1950 to July 1953 
  • Communist North Korea invaded Capitalist South Korea 
  • Coalition of UN nations led by US launched military campaign to take back South Korea and push Communists back 
  • UN nations invaded North Korea, where Mao intervened 
  • Conflict ended in ceasefire, formally ending hostilities 
• chinas involvement in korean war

  • Subsidiary benefits to CCP 
  • Enhanced national prestige of China- impoverished country helping other states 
  • Gave CCP excuse to purge more political opponents, labelling them anti-communist or capitalist sympathisers 
  • Helped unite Communist countries in region, more favourable view of Mao by Stalin  
  • Societal perspective: people encouraged to donate wages to war effort- ‘Resist America, Aid Korea’ campaign 
  • Developed sense of national pride and unity among China’s society 
• impact of korean war

  • 400k out of 3 million solders died 
  • $10 billion cost, relatively unaffordable given commitments to education, public spending and infrastructure 
  • No real fit state to enter an armed international conflict
  • Wartime terror increased Party’s power as local leaders given key roles in organising details 
  • Zhou Enlai organised student demonstrations and patriotic parades with chanting of anti-American slogans 
  • Persecution of those refusing participation 
  • Farmers’ crops compulsory requisitioned 
  • Vital industrial resources diverted to war, delaying development
• further purges from korean war

  • 1950: campaign to suppress counter-revolutionaries launched by Mao 
  • Designed to prevent any Nationalist sympathisers from undermining regime, forcing many previously nationalist individuals to emigrate, as well as arrests of Christian missionaries