Summary Detailed notes for topics 1 and 2: Mao's China
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Course
Unit 2E.1 - Mao\'s China, 1949-76
Institution
PEARSON (PEARSON)
Meticulously detailed A-level history notes, covering Topics 1 and 2. The notes provide precise, curriculum-specific insights that guarantee you a solid grasp of the subject matter.
1 - Establishing communist rule,1949-57
China in 1949
Political problems:
v In October 1949 Mao Zedong led his Communist forces to victory in the Chinese Civil War over
Chiang Kai-Shek and his nationalists the Kuomintang (GMD).
v However, China was backward, lacking an organized central government. No history or
experience of democratic rule or efficient government.
v Regions far from Beijing, i.e., Muslim Xinjiang, had little in common with the rest of China and
places like Tibet didn’t consider themselves to be Chinese at all.
Chinese society:
Ø Social attitudes rooted in Confucian tradition: women not considered equal & didn’t have right to
own property.
Ø Peasants lived in poverty, exploited by corrupt landlords and threatened by criminals, gangs and
bandits.
Ø 80% of population lived in rural cities and survived by farming the land
Ø Little healthcare outside of cities and education was v poor ∴ the vast majority of peasants
remained illiterate
Aftermath of the Chinese Civil War:
§ War between Nationalists & Communists killed millions, destroyed infrastructure and spread
poverty and malnutrition
§ Refugees clogged what remained of transport & filled streets
§ Although Nationalists fled to Taiwan, they stripped the country of assets i.e., gold, silver and
dollar reserves + cultural treasures including those form Beijing’s Forbidden City
§ China’s economy devastated. No stable or unified currency.
s Biggest problem = hyperinflation.
§ Unable to support itself through taxation GMD regime sought to bankroll its armies through
printing monies. Money economy had collapsed in places & ppl reverted to bartering
§ Shortage of consumers goods à ppl hoarding scarce supplies ∴ situation = worse
§ Many of the educated elite, including bureaucrats and businessmen left w nationalists ∴ few
experienced officials left w enough technological knowledge to rebuild the economy
§ CCP had support in rural areas where promises of land reform appealed to ppl. They were far less
popular with businessmen and middle classes in large cities like Shanghai
§ Nationalists remained a threat, bombing ships on the coast to prevent a communist attack, while
killing hundreds in the cities on the mainland the nationalists sent spies and saboteurs to attack
the new regime
China’s economy in 1949
the state of China's industry:
Ø When the communists came to power China's industries had been badly damaged by the years of
war and much of China's industrial equipment had been destroyed
, Ø In places retreating nationalist forces had attempted to sabotage industrial sites to prevent them
falling into the hands of the communists
Ø Areas where local power stations had been bombed or coal stocks were low lacked electricity
Ø At the end of the Second World War the Soviet Union (USSR) controlled Manchuria in the
northeast of China they dismantled industrial equipment in factories and mines confiscated tools
and gold and shipped them back to the USSR
Ø Factories needed to be reconstructed before industrial production could be improved
§ Raw materials were scarce, and it was difficult to get them to the factories
Ø In 1949 factory output was 44% below its 1937 level
Ø Many skilled personnel who had the knowledge required to rebuild industrial production had fled
to Taiwan with the nationalists
the state of China's agriculture:
v Communists did not have support among Chinese peasants who made up 80% of the population
Ø This was because they promised to introduce land reform however, agricultural tools and
livestock were in short supply and the most common fertilizer used by the peasants remained
human waste.
Ø This spread disease during the civil war many peasants had been forcibly conscripted into the
nationalist forces to replace soldiers lost in battle to the Communists.
Ø Farmers were dragged from their fields with the farms left unattended their crops wilted and
died this reduced food supplies to dangerously low levels
National infrastructure:
§ When communists came to power China was in chaos:
s previous nationalist government had been very corrupt: bribery of officials was commonplace
while many leaders hoarded supplies of sold food meant for the people for their own profit
s Transport networks were badly damaged an estimated half of the railway network had been
destroyed.
s Blowing up railway tracks and bridges had been a key tactic of the communists during the civil
war because it disrupted the nationalist’s ability to move their troops into battle. they had to
rebuild them quickly in order to consolidate control over large expanses of the country
comma particularly isolated rural areas far from Beijing.
s Telephone lines had been damaged while rivers and harbors were clogged up with ships sunk
during the years of conflict
The new power structure
the different roles of the Communist Party:
v The CCP coordinated the government. Growing to 5.8 million people by the end of 1950, it set
economic targets and controlled education in the prison camp system.
v Important members of the Communist Party held key roles in the government i.e., Peng Dehuai
was the minister of defence and also the commander in chief of the People's Liberation army
v Party cadres helped enforce the party's policies: they controlled schools and the legal system, and
they monitored the PLA and the civil service, and sharing they remain loyal.
v The cadres monitored work units called Danwei.
v All employees belong to one.
Ø There controlled permits needed for travel or marriage, access to housing or food.
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