how serious were problems facing the PRC when it was set up in 1949?

Why was the situation in 1949 ( after so many years of unrest) favourable for the communists?

Simply bringing an end to the years of conflict generated goodwill for the communists

Why was it good that the communists extended the areas under their control during the war

They proved that they had more effective organisation than the nationalists, who had squandered their opportunities for so long

Why did non-communists have an element of wishful thinking in imagining that life under Mao would be tolerable and that they would have a role to play in helping to rebuild China?

Mao made it clear that creating communist society would be a long term project and in the shortterm he declared he would work with all social groups who had Chinas interests at heart. To many this was more attractive and realistic than fleeing to join the Nationalists in Taiwan

Why did mao think the civil war strengthened his position at the top of the party?

His reputation as military commander had been elevated by the way he supervised the successful transition from geurilla to open warefare: it was his strength of will that allowed him to overcome the doubts of his military commanders

What was Mao unquestionably regarded as once the war was over?

the architect of the new China. His authority could not easily be challeneged. He had the devolted loyalty of the Chinese army behind him

what was the chinese army called

The Peoples Liberation Army (PLA)

How did mao intend to use his new power to restore stability to china?

By making all political opposition impossible

What had Mao done earlier in Yanan?

imposed his personal aurthority and supressed all opposition. Was a lesson he learned from observing the difficulties faced by Chiang Kai shek who found difficulty controlling china due to precense of factions in his own party, the GMD

How did the communists originally cultivate support?

Focused on peasants, by ensuring their Red army treated peasants more fairly than GMD forces, and by organising land redistribution from lanownders to poor peasants.

Why did the communists have to broaden their support base past peasants

More cities fell under their authority during the civil war

WHat was the first city the communists controlled?

Harbin in northern Manchuria- it was here that they gained their first experience of administering a large urban area.

Why, in regards to war, did chinas industrial output drop?

The japenese seized the most productive areas as they advanced southwards. Japanese bombing raids caused serious damage to chinese industry due to the Scorched-earth tactics of the nationaloist forces

scortched earth

tactics used by the retreating nationalost forces-involve destroying resources and infrastructure whilst retreating inorder to prevent the enemy using them

what did china's industrial output stand at by the time the japanese were defeated in 1945?

only 25% of its pre-war level

What disrupted agriculture and led to a critical food supply situation in 1949?

The conscription of peasants to fight in the rival army as well as the displacement of thousands of people fleeing inland to escape the japanese in the east

What province suffered a famine in 1945 that accounted for 2 to 3 million lives?

Henan

Why did wartime food requisitioning continue after 1949?

in order to feed both the army and the cities, because of the size of the PLA and the continued growth of the urban population

Arouns 1949, what percent of the population lived in cities that depended on food surpluses from the countryside even though the countryside could not even feed itself?

20%

why were chinas finances devastated by the war years

Sources of revenue were drastically reduced so the GMD has paid for the war by borrowing and printing money, causing hyperinflation

What was the inflation rate in 1949

around 1000%

How were finance matters made worse when the communists came into power?

Chiang took chinas foreign currency reserves with him when he fled to Taiwan

Why were problems prolonged after 1945 despite the japanese vacating the areas they occupied in 1945

-civil war broke out

-russians had declared war on japanese shortly before the japanese surrendered, giving the russians the opportunity to advance into Manchuria and seize many of its industrial assests.

What was agriculture like when the communists came into power?

Dominated the country. Farming methods= labour intensive, used only basic levels of mechanisation, overwhelmingly reliant on man and horse power. Tactors unheard of.

What were food supllies like for the vast majority of the population who lived in rural areas when the communists came into power?

They were adequate, providing there were no natural disasters- which china suffereded frequenly from

What natural disaster happened in 1931?

The 1931 Yangtze River floods- followed two years of droughts and were considered as the worst anywjere in the 20th century, costing over 3 million lives and destroying vast areas of agricultural land

What did tradtionalists view natural disasters as? Example?

Viewed them as a sign that the ruler had lost the 'mandate to heaven' ( people no longer had to obey his authority). Eg a few weeks before Maos death in 1976, the Tangshan earthquake killed nearly half a mill- many saw it as a sign of Maos imminent demise.

Only 15% of land in China was cultivatable. What did this mean?

Scope for increasing agricultural output was limited unless techniques were modernised and the peasantrs became more productive

What was the total population of China in 1949, 1951, 1953?

1949- 541 mill

1951- 563 mill

1953- 587 mill

Why was lack of industrial development a pressing problem for the incoming communists in 1949?

China had not yet experiences an industrial revolution- due to low labour costs made it less urgent to develop labour-saving machinary + poor communications infrastructure and a lack of technical knowledge

What prompted chiang kai shek to set up the National resource committe in 1932 to channel investments into industry?

The loss of manchuria ( one of the most advanced industrial areas in china) to the japanese in 1931 and then to the soviets in 1945

Why was the NRC good for the communists?

70% of the industry was state owned, NRC had a staff of 30,000 technical experts + a workforce of 250,000- mny of which stayed to serve the communists after 1949

What would chinas future ability to survive to require?

Industrial development imposed from above by the state- subsequently agriculture would need to also become more productive inorder to feed the industrial workers.

Why was the already seriously underdevloped economic infrastucture of china reduced further to ruins?

Bombing raids and lack of maintenance between 1937 and 1949

Example of how mao attempted to begin communications infrastucture development in 1949

Was quick to install a state radio station in beijing on 1949