Concise, clear and detailed revision notes for A-Level Edexcel History.
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1.1 China in 1949
Politics Emperors/warlords ran their own provinces and private fiefdoms (Confucian)
GMD (capitalist nationalists) vs CCP (Marxist communism)
CCP seized power as a result of military success after Civil war, not from the support of
the people
CCP promised land reforms which gave them the support of peasants = 80% population
CCP had little preparation for running the country
China disorganised - different languages, minorities, lacked an organised central
government
Law/order Chaotic after end of imperial rule 1 million bandits went around the countryside
preying on refugees displaced by the Japanese invasion - clogged streets, transport,
unsanitary cities
Few officials left to run cities with enough knowledge to rebuild the economy
Lack of planning by the CCP due to the speed of the collapse of the nationalists
Currency Lack of unity no stable or even unified currency
Hyperinflation taxes could not support GMD so more money was printed = reverted to
bartering. 1946 it cost 100 yuan to pay for an egg
Industry Damaged by war output was 44% lower in 1949 than 1937, retreating nationalist
forces destroyed industrial sites to prevent them falling into the hands of communists
Raw materials and transport were scarce The USSR controlled Manchuria where
China's steel mills were and took all the goods
Lack of support Industrial workers were illiterate and there were few of them - could
not read propaganda = conflicted with Marxist ideas that industrial workers were the key
to revolution
Infrastructur Disorganised Lack of a central government + lack of a unified language
e Lack of unity Over 50 ethnic and religious groups with their own traditions
Previous gvt was corrupt bribery, hoarding supplies, selling food meant for the people,
warlords, bandits
Urban v Rural Isolated Rural and urban China were very isolated from each other due to a lack of
infrastructure
Unprepared Peasants farmers made up communist soldiers who were confused by
ways of life in cities e.g. elevators = not prepared to run cities or set up an efficient gvt
administration
Agriculture Farmers were illiterate and not interested in politics incapable of understanding
Marxism. They wanted to escape poverty and own their own land
Land reform peasants who ploughed the land would own it and not rent from
landlords
Subsistence farming lack of farmers over war causing soil quality to deplete and crops
to die = reduced food supplies to dangerous levels
Lack of unity vast areas of land meant it was impossible to send 'cadres' to every
village to organise land reform - lacked knowledge of how villages were organised,
language barriers, peasants were selfish and disinterested in politics
,
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