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Summary HISTORY A LEVEL MAO'S CHINA THEME 4 NOTES (A*)
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theme 4 - social changesTo what extent did the status of women change between 1949 and 1976?
Women had little rights - expected to be obedient etc.
Communists promised the freedom of women
Communists wanted to destroy family as social unit - followed confucius and was
bourgeoisie
Foot binding
Breaking toes of young girls and folding to make smaller - seen as attractive
Officially banned in 1911, but still in practice
Communists banned it - ended quicker
The marriage law, 1950
Changed from contractual agreement to a freely entered individual process
Mao hated arranged marriage - refused his own
Mao wanted freedom of women and recognised value as half the population
Main clauses:
o Arranged marriages outlawed
o People forced to marry could divorce
o All marriages and divorces registered with government
o Divorce easier on equal terms
o Women could retain property when married
o Concubinage and polygamy outlawed
Communists tackled issue quicly with propoganda etc. - shows importance
However traditional attitudes hard to change, especially in muslim regions - shown by
second campaign in 1953
The impact of collectivisation on women's lives
1950 Agarian Reform Law - women could own property. Quickly reversed in
collectivisation
Communes in theory good for women: canteens, kindergartens, laundries etc. freed
them
However, facilities rarely provided or good standard
Hard labour put women at disadvantage - earned less work points
No consideration for pregnancy or menstration
Women suffered in famine - earned less food and had to feed children. Drove them to
prostitution. Divorces higher and some wives sold
Women and the family
Communist wanted to destroy family values - seen as confucian.
Comunes supposed to reduce women's roles as family raisers
Changes to sudden - women disorientated
Children and elderly suffered most in famine - extra mouths to feed
, After famine, men tried to claim back sold wives. Caused chaos for Party
Family considered one of 'four olds' - parents attacked in Cultural Revolution
Teenagers seperated from families after Cultural Revolution disrupted the family -
hard to integrate back in
Party needed to restrict population growth (though Mao liked mass mobilisation)
1962 - contraceptives made available
1971 - campaign by Mao to reduce family sizes - family planning
The nature and extent of change
Arranged marriages decreased sharply - people divorced in unhappy marriages
Authority of parents replaced with head of work units
Female employment increased sharply in 5-year plans - however piecework meant
they earnt less
Hard to move up hierachy, dominated by men
Still not many women in higher education
Women expected to fill male roles - not allowed to do their own thing
Cultural Revolution bad for women - attacks on family and gender issues not
important
Had to do violent things
The problem of changing traditional views, especially in the countryside
Most resistance in rural areas, especially western Muslim areas
Cadres used propoganda in these areas
All-China Women's Federation trained male cadres
However, still strong male resistance
Women not treated equally in agricultural work - heavy labour meant less work points
Party keen to change, but hard to implement
How successful were the changes made to education and health provision?
Mao needed educated population to progress economy
Needed healthy workforce to be more productive
The growth of literacy
Literacy very low in 1949 - rose gradually
Little investment in primary education - focused on Korean War
Mao wanted new system - however elite schools present for Party official's children
Expansion in technical higher education - some went to Russian universities
Pinyin
Modernised form of mandarin - helped speed up literacy improvements
Mandarin hard to learn - symbols and lots of different accents
Pinyin also facilitated communcation with outside countries
The collapse of education after 1966
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