Mao's China 1949-1976: Topic 1

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Who was invited to the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference?
Left-wing GMD members, reps. from the Democratic League
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Why?
To give the illusion of the new government being democratic
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What was democratic centralism?
Voice of the people would be represented in central elections to the legislature, democratically elected local congresses
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What issues existed with this policy?
Once the policy had been decided by the central government, no deviations from the prescribed line were allowed.
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By 1950 how many Party members were there?
5.8 million
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What was the power structure in China?
The Party had a Central Committee, which was dominated by the Politburo, controlled by a Standing Committee of five. Mao dominated Standing Committee
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Did all decisions the Politburo reached have to pass by Mao?
Yes
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What was the Central People's Government?
In theory derived its authority from the Political Consultative Council, in reality People's Gov. Council held all the control
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What responsibilities fell to the People's Government Council?
Combined legislative and executive powers, enacted laws and executed them, made treaties, declared wars
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Who headed the Gov. Council, later called the State Council?
Zhou Enlai
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How did the PLA help Mao to consolidate his power?
Controlled by the Party, reunification campaigns, intimidated Mao's opponents
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What was the PLA assigned the responsibility for?
The suppression of bandits, which meant any opposition to the CCP. 100,000 killed
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From the 1955 conscription law how many new recruits were guaranteed each year?
800,000
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What did soldiers refer to the PLA as?
"The Big University", as all soldiers were taught to read and write
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How did this benefit the regime?
They were fed communist propaganda
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How did the PLA control such a vast territory?
Through the creation of regional bureaux
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What were two of the posts filled by?
Military posts; PLA soldiers filled these. Ensured military control of the country
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What was "Learn from the PLA"?
Encouraged Chinese citizens to emulate the positive traits of the PLA; resourcefulness, bravery and (importantly) commitment to communism
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What legal exemption demonstrated the importance of the PLA to the Party?
The 1950 New Marriage Law made it more difficult for the wives of PLA soldiers to divorce their husbands.
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How did the PLA help the economic position of the country?
Helping with irrigation and construction projects
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How did Mao aim to transform the PLA into a modern fighting force?
The PLA abandoned guerilla-style fighting tactics, new academies set up in Beijing and Nanjing to train officers
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How much did the PLA decrease by?
From 5 million in 1950 to 3.5 million in 1953
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What was the Campaign against Counter-revolutionaries?
Launched in March 1950, aimed to remove any opposition
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Who was targeted?
People who worked with foreign universities or the nationalists; Christian missionaries and those with family in Taiwan
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What was self-registration?
Mao promised that anybody who had worked with the previous regime would be treated leniently if they self registered
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What benefits did Mao gain from intervention in the Korean War?
Allowed him to purge his "class enemies" under the pretence of looking for traitors,
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What was mass participation?
Ordinary Chinese people were urged to take part in struggle meetings in which counter-revolutionaries were denounced
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How many counter-revolutionary deaths were recorded in 1951?
The gov't recorded 800,000 counter-revolutionary deaths in 1951
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What did the Three Antis campaign target?
Corruption, waste, obstructionist bureaucracy within the Party
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What was the real aim of this Campaign?
To remove anyone the communists didn't like
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Why was this necessary?
Many civil servants had inherited their jobs from the nationalists, as the communists needed them to help run the country, now they had enough loyal party cadres
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What did the Five Antis campaign aim to target?
Bribery, tax evasion, theft of state property, cheating on government contracts, stealing state economic information
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How did they help to pressure businessmen into co-operation?
Encouraging them that if they denounced others they would be treated leniently
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What were workers encouraged to do?
Denounce their employers, "tiger beaters" gathered incriminating evidence against their employers
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What evidence was there that the campaigns were successful?
In Shanghai 99% of businessmen were found guilty of one of the five antis
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How did the CCP create joint public-private enterprises?
Businessmen had to pay fines, to cover the cost they had to sell stocks to the state
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How did the Five Antis secure communist control?
In an atmosphere of fear and repression, the only way to keep oneself safe was utter loyalty to the CCP
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Why did Mao want the reunification campaigns?
Border areas of Xinjiang and Tibet were liable to foreign influence, Tibet had a rival power source in the Dalai Lama
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How did the CCP aim to erase a separate Tibetan identity?
Teaching Mandarin in schools, aimed for 7 million Han Chinese to immigrate to Tibet
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Why was Mao afraid of the Dalai Lama?
He had a rival power base, could challenge Mao
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What was the dominant culture in Xinjiang?
The Uyghur culture; Islamic and spoke a Turkic language distant from Mandarin
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What happened to the nationalist contigent at the Political Consultative Conference?
Their plane crashed, killing all on board
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How did Mao aim to subjugate Xinjiang?
In-migration of Han Chinese people, establishment of the Production and Construction Corps
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Why were the communists worried about Guangdong?
Anti-communist sentiment remained strong in the area
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What evidence was there for this?
28,000 people killed during Suppress the Counter Revolutionaries campaign
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What were the laogai?
Mao's network of labour camps
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Where were they built?
China's most inhospitable regions, such as Qinghai's bleak mountains or the mosquito-infested swamps of Manchuria
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By 1955 how many people were undergoing forced labour?
1.3 million people
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What were most of these?
Political prisoners; including 300,000 doctors, engineers whose crimes included listening to foreign radio
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What were conditions like for inmates?
Very poor; in Guangdong's tin mines one in three took their own lives or died of disease within a year of arriving
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How much economically did the laogai contribute to the economy?
700 million yuan in industrial products and 350,000 tonnes of grain to the economy
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What other benefits did the laogai have to the regime?
Bombarded prisoners with propaganda, ideological reform
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What was the Hundred Flowers Campaign?
Some intellectuals stayed, Mao needed their help to build the New China
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Why did Mao seek to launch the Hundred Flowers Campaign?
Mao became concerned that the cadres had become less revolutionary, Mao wanted the intellectuals to criticise them
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What events in the USSR may have motivated Mao?
Khrushchev's secret speech made Mao, whose regime was built on terror, nervous
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Conversely, what may have motivated Mao?
He wanted legitimacy for his regime
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What did intellectuals criticise?
Their low wages, compared to the privileged lifestyle of Party elites
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How did Mao respond?
With the Anti-Rightist campaign
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What was the Anti-Rightist Campaign?
Damned critics as rightists and sent them to the laogai
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How many were sent to the laogai?
Between 400,000 and 700,000
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How did Chinese involvement in the Korean War improve Mao's position?
Model soldier hero; international prestige; Mao's personal prestige
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What was the model soldier hero?
Mao could stir the Chinese people with tales of PLA bravery, bolstered patriotic pride
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How did this help Mao's aims?
United China's many ethnic groups against the USA
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What was international prestige?
After years of oppression at the hands of the West, Mao had defeated them in Korea
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How did the Korean War boost Mao's personal prestige?
Several key members of the Politburo and Lin Biao urged him not to, Mao gained an upper hand. Proved he was a tough leader.
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What were the negative impacts of China's intervention in the Korean War?
USSR charged high interest, the Republic of China, relations with the West
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What was the issue with the Republic of China?
USA sent Navy to protect Taiwan, the realisation that the CCP couldn't reunify China was a massive blow to national pride
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How did it damage China's relations with the West?
China became a focus of hatred, couldn't build trade with the West like they hoped.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

Why?

Back

To give the illusion of the new government being democratic

Card 3

Front

What was democratic centralism?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What issues existed with this policy?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

By 1950 how many Party members were there?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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