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New China

New China. Background. World War II Destruction Collaborators Civil War Armies, inflation, refugees → Communist Party has to become a ruling party. Understanding the Transition. Why it is interesting: Transition between two very different societies Questions to ask:

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New China

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  1. New China

  2. Background • World War II • Destruction • Collaborators • Civil War • Armies, inflation, refugees → Communist Party has to become a ruling party

  3. Understanding the Transition • Why it is interesting: Transition between two very different societies • Questions to ask: • Was the new state something new, or was it a continuation of earlier 20th century practices? • Was the 1950s a golden age? • How much choice did people have in what they did?

  4. The Communist Party • The earliest members: Urban intellectuals • The top leadership till the 1980s • Peasant leaders from the base areas • Little education and very dependent on the party • Young intellectuals who joined in Yan’an • Strong commitment to Communist ideals • Middle class backgrounds make them too dependent on the party Strong sense of community and strong ideals

  5. Changes in the Countryside • Initial rent reduction and other limited changes • Identify potential activists • Land Reform • Give class designations eg poor peasant, landlord • Confiscate property from rich peasants and landlords and redistribute to hired labourers and poor peasants • Results • Class labels (hereditary) • Destruction of social institutions

  6. Changes in the Countryside • Initial rent reduction and other limited changes • Identify potential activists • Land Reform • Give class designations eg poor peasant, landlord • Confiscate property from rich peasants and landlords and redistribute to hired labourers and poor peasants • Results • Class labels (hereditary) • Destruction of social institutions

  7. Changes in the Cities • Economic recovery • Korean War • Campaigns of 1951-2 • Suppression of Counter-Revolutionaries • Three-Anti and Five-Anti • Results • Government can collect taxes effectively • Recruit activists • Class labels

  8. Poster from the Korean WarLong live the victory of the Korean People’s Army and the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army

  9. The Questions Again • How new were the practices of the Communist state? To what extent were they a continuation of early 20th century practices? • Was the 1950s a “golden age”? • How much choice did people have in what they did? Was this a “totalitarian” state?

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