Mao to Tiananmen Square

Mao to Tiananmen Square

Taiwan= Nationalist China -U.S. aided Controlled by Chiang Kai-Shek Mainland=People’s Republic of China -Soviet Union aided Controlled by Mao China divided PRC= People’s Republic of China ROC= Republic of China

Mao Inherits a “post civil war” underdeveloped country Years of foreign and civil wars had caused widespread damage to Chinese industry. Many peasants were on military service and were away from their villages Small units of land Lack of investment FARMING PROBLEMS FACING CHINA IN 1950’s INDUSTRY No farm machinery, no fertilisers Outdated machines Damage to transport systems –roads, rail, bridges Old-fashioned methods of farming by hand. INEQUALITIES BETWEEN RICH AND POOR In the cities, factories and businesses were owned by an elite rich. In the countryside, most of the land was owned by a few rich landowners The ordinary people lived in great poverty, poor housing, working long hours, often in dangerous conditions, for low pay, poor health, little education.

The Great Leap Forward • A five year plan (1958-1963) to develop the agriculture and industry in China • Ag = food to feed and sell • Ind = manufacturing to build infrastructure and sell products

Collective “manpower” - working collectively produces greater gains than working competitively The Great Leap Forward • What do you see in the picture? • What are the people doing? • Why are the people there? • Who are these people? • How many people do you think are in the picture? • How do they feel about the Great Leap Forward, and how does this affect them?

Mao ZeDong’s Aims • ‘to overtake all capitalist countries in a fairly short time, and become one of the richest, most advanced and powerful countries in the world’ • To do this he must move he people from illiterate farm workers to a cutting edge productive modern society (realistic?)

Goal of Great Leap (Politically)? • Goal - catch up with Great Britain and Russia • ‘The imperialists are like the sun at five o’clock in the afternoon while we are like the sun at six o’clock in the morning. The East wind is bound to prevail over the West wind because we are powerful and strong.’

Why Great Leap? • Sputnik, Autumn 1957 • Soviet Union economic achievement (model of communism producing results) • Wanted China to succeed differently (less reliant on machinery, more reliant on man power) • Wanted “Self-reliance” ，，

MAO'S ECONOMIC AIMS Mao wanted China to be a great military power But China was poor and over 90% of its population were peasant farmers. HOW WAS THIS TO BE ACHIEVED? 1. FIVE YEAR PLANS were introduced - based on the Russian model. Russian advisers were brought in to help. 2. IRON AND STEEL - Mao made iron and steel production the central focus of his industrial reform program. 3. FARMING REFORMS - The cost of modernizing industry would have to be paid by selling Chinese farm produce. Mao saw that Chinese farming also needed to be reformed. BUT he believed in manual “hands in the dirt” as being more valuable than a machine doing all the work. * Believed in manual labor as being “connected” to the work. Building something with your own 2 hands produces pride and concern for quality

Mao’s belief • The collectivized peasants would produce a surplus of food • This surplus food could be sold abroad to raise money to expand Chinese industry Sounds like capitalism (re-investing profit to expand and update the company), BUT the benefit is for the country not the individual

The emperor of the “Blue Ants” • Mechanical diggers were shunned favor of the hands of workers • Bridges, canals and dams were constructed by hand • Thousands dressed in identical blue uniforms

Tiananmen Square Built • Began in 1957 • Completed within 2 years • Mao wanted it to be bigger than Moscow’s red square. • Cooperated with Russia but wanted to be better

Backyard Furnaces • Mao’s naive belief was producing masses of steel would solve China’s economic problems • Insisted on construction of ‘backyard furnaces’ • China would draw supplies of iron and steel from large foundries, mills and small family kiln Localized production – each person is a small factory in itself

Backyard Furnaces

Home-made goods • Worthless steel • Most of it was unrecognizable • Goodwill did not produce good steel

State owned enterprises • SOE’s fulfilled notion of centrally controlled industry • Wanted industry under total government direction • No profit-making concerns • No bargaining • Prices, output targets and wages were fixed by the state

Falling of SOE’s • Inefficient • SOE’s were given state subsidies • Workers received guaranteed wages • No motivation for managers or workers • No initiative • Is this why “communism” doesn’t work?

Snap shot of the “Ideal” • 25,000 peasant workers • Organized into “People’s Communes” where they ate, slept, and worked together, all for the benefit of the state, rather than the benefit of the individual.

Growing Division (1962-1965) • Mao Zedong vs. Deng Xiaoping • charismatic leadership vs. bureaucracy Deng Xiaoping

Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) • Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution • commitment to revolution and “class struggle” • power struggle to succeed Mao • Phase in developments to move away from Mao’s policies • Into a more modern approach (with greater state control)

Mao Dies in 1976, • Turning point in China • End of the Cultural Revolution

Mao’s legacies

China since 1945 • Mao dies in 1976 and Deng Xiaoping comes to power. • Deng institutes the Four Modernizations, which focuses on improving agriculture, industry, science and technology as well as defense. • Deng was in power until his death in 1997 • He was the Leader during the Tiananmen Square event

Mao to Tiananmen Square