B10: China under Mao Zedong, 1949-59

How did Mao create a Communist State?

From October 1949 Mao was the undisputed leader of The Peoples Republic of
China.
n China! it was the Communist Part" that reall" mattered. t too# all of the
decisions! while the $o%ernment simpl" enforced them.
China immediatel" became a one part" state. &n"one who showed an" opposition
to communism was labelled a counter're%olutionar" or an imperialist.
To a%oid accusations! Chinese increasin$l" tried to pro%e their lo"alt" b" accusin$
others. This produced an atmosphere of suspicion and re%en$e.
Mao belie%ed that the stren$th of the Part" la" with the peasants in the
countr"side. (e set out to destro" an" remainin$ support for the )M* in the cities
and ordered massacres of suspects.
&ll traditional Chinese reli$ions! as well as other world reli$ions were attac#ed.
Maoist slo$ans be$an to appear on walls all o%er China for the first time.
The Chinese people were accustomed to bein$ told what to do and followed
Maos orders almost without +uestion.
Mao realised that he had to offer the Chinese people somethin$ in return for
their lo"alt". n particular! he had to reward the peasants.
How was and re!orm introduced?
This be$an with an attac# on landlords. ,andlords were forced to $i%e up their
propert"! which was then redistributed amon$ the peasants.
Man" landlords were then tried b" %illa$e courts and often e-ecuted. Reform too#
no account of the si.e or %alue of the holdin$.
Mao wanted peasants to be aware that he was actin$ in their interests and that real
chan$es were bein$ made. /o reform had to be a ma0or issue.
Tenant farmers were $i%en title deeds to their land and landless peasants were
$i%en plots. This $a%e hundreds of millions of peasants a sta#e in China for the
first time and made them e%en more lo"al to Mao.
How was societ" changed in Communist China?
Mao made real efforts to impro%e the li%es of the Chinese people. 1nemplo"ment
fell dramaticall" and insurance was introduced.
2ut urban wor#ers had no ri$ht to choose where the" wor#ed and were assi$ned
0obs b" state labour offices.
Residence permits pre%ented people mo%in$! and it was %irtuall" impossible for
peasants to mo%e to the cities.
&n ei$ht'hour! si-'da" wor#in$ wee# was introduced. 3or#ers recei%ed one wee#
paid holida" a "ear and up to three wee#s 4famil" %isitin$4 holida".
Retirement was introduced at 56'55 for women and 55'76 for men.
Pensions! a health ser%ices and education were pro%ided. 8ducation became a
ri$ht and was made compulsor". (ousin$! water! electricit" and other ser%ices
were all subsidised.
How did Mao change the status o! women?
8+ualit" of the se-es in education! emplo"ment and pa" was made law and
women were $i%en the ri$ht to own propert" for the first time.
n 1956 the Marria$e ,aw banned arran$ed marria$es! pol"$am"! child betrothal
and concubina$e! althou$h some practices continued.
*i%orce was allowed in China for the first time. Maternit" benefits were
introduced in 1951! includin$ feedin$ time and nurseries in $o%ernment run
businesses.
2" the 1996s almost 56: of China4s doctors were women and ;6: of en$ineers
and scientists
#h" was the $irst $i%e &'an (egun?
The ci%il war had resulted in inflation and famine.
The population was risin$ rapidl" and production needed to be increased.
(ow successful was Mao<
2" 195=! inflation was down from 1666: to 15:.
Public e-penditure had been reduced and ta-es on cit" dwellers had been
increased.
The First Fi%e >ear Plan was aimed at rapid industrial $rowth! which would
enable China to de%elop +uic#l". The main areas of concentration were coal! steel
and petro'chemicals.
8conomic $rowth ran at 9: per annum durin$ the fi%e "ears. ?ational
e-penditure rose from 7!@16 million "uan in 195= to =9!6=6 million "uan in 1959.
The success of the First Fi%e >ear Plan was to some e-tent due to the presence of
16!666 ad%isers from /o%iet Russia. These were almost the last e-amples of
/o%iet influence in China.
Mao belie%ed that Chinese communism should be based on a$ricultural
communes and not on the urban wor#ers.
#h" did Mao start )he Hundred $'owers?
The First Fi%e >ear Plan created hu$e problems. The increase in the numbers of
cit" dwellers meant that food and housin$ were in %er" short suppl".
Mao allowed public discussion of the plan. n Ma" 1957 ,u *un$"i! the
propa$anda chief of the CCP issued the slo$an 4,et a hundred flowers bloom and
a thousand schools of thou$ht contend.
Mao seemed to be callin$ for a $reat debate on the Fi%e >ear Plan. Mao also
seems to ha%e heard that local CCP officials had been accused of actin$ hea%"'
handedl" and wanted to hear other opinions.
2ut there is also e%idence that Maos ideas were becomin$ less popular in China.
To Mao! chan$es such as this ma" su$$ested a wea#enin$ of his position in China.
&n alternati%e %iew of the (undred Flowers is that Mao was simpl" encoura$in$
his opponents to spea# out so that he could identif" them and deal with them.
#hat were the resu'ts o! )he Hundred $'owers?
Man" people openl" criticised the Plan! especiall" uni%ersit" lecturers! artists!
writers and teachers. 8%en Mao himself was included.
Mao called an immediate end to the campai$n and be$an the &nti'ri$htist
mo%ement! which was directed b" *en$ Aiaopin$.
/ome leadin$ fi$ures in the CCP were pur$ed. &lto$ether about 566!666 people
were remo%ed.
#h" was Co''ecti%isation introduced?
The population of China4s cities had $rown! but food supplies had not matched the
increase.
Maos solution was to brin$ peasants under central control. (e ordered the
creation of =5!666 Communes.
,ife in the Communes was strictl" re$imented. Peasants were ordered to li%e
communall" in dormitories! eat in mess halls and tear down their own houses
&ll indi%idual plots of land were confiscated b" the Commune and peasants were
also ordered to farm accordin$ to instructions and not accordin$ to their own
e-perience.
The ideas of the /o%iet scientist Trofim ,"sen#o were adopted. (e had put
forward fraudulent theories! which did $reat harm to farmin$.
The results of Collecti%isation were disastrous. n 195@ China produced =66
million tonnes of $rain and 4.; million tonnes of meat! but b" 1976 the fi$ures
were 14;.5
million tonnes of wheat and 1.; million tonnes of meat.
The falls in production led to a ma0or famine and about ;6!666!666 Chinese died.
8%en Mao had to admit that Collecti%isation was a failure! but he reacted b"
accusin$ officials of incompetence.
#hat was the *reat ea+ $orward?
The )reat ,eap Forward was an attempt to turn China into an industrial
superpower within fifteen "ears b" usin$ the massi%e manpower of the countr".
3or#ers who had mi$rated to towns durin$ the First Fi%e >ear Plan were sent
bac# to their communes to wor#.
The fundamental idea behind the )reat ,eap Forward was that industrial
de%elopment could be achie%ed throu$h the indi%idual efforts of the ordinar"
Chinese people.
The )reat ,eap Forward would reinforce the rural communit" and a%oid the
creation of a class of Be-perts! which Mao so distrusted.
&ll o%er China people be$an to set up bac#"ard blast furnaces and produce steel!
which was often unusable.
Peasants ne$lected their crops that went to ruin. &ll o%er China the har%est was
left to rot and this made the famine brou$ht about b" Collecti%isation all the
worse.
#h" did the *reat ea+ $orward !ai'?
Ma0or industrial de%elopment needed capital in%estment! technolo$" and
plannin$C
The peasants did not #now what the" were doin$.
Mao was afraid that if he allowed the creation of a class of e-perts he would lose
control of the re%olution.
Maos personal pride and paranoia was allowed ta#e precedence o%er common'
sense and as man" as ;6!666!666 Chinese died of star%ation as a result
?ational income fell b" =9: and inflation rose from 6.=: to 17.=:.