The reunification campaigns, 1949-50

How effectively did the communist party deal with opposition?

how did mao decieve his political opponents?

he promised disaffected groups what they wanted and then, once his power was more secure, he broke them one at a time

what did he do at the cppcc conference to give the impression that politics would be more inclusive?

the CPPCC conference including members of the Democratic League, a splinter group from the GMD

what was Mao's initial priority regarding opposition?

• mopping up the remaining areas of GMD military resistance in the south

• establishing political control over as much of China as possible

where was the PLA heartland?

Guangdong and the outlying provinces in the far west which had been asserting their independence from Beijing since 1912

who was sent there to deal with the political opposition?

the PLA

when did terror against enemies of the Party begin?

in rural areas in October 1950

where did terror against enemies of the Party spread to?

the cities in April 1951

how many lives did terror against enemies of the Party account for between October 1950 to April 1951?

at least one, possibly two, million lives

what were the forced labour camps in China called?

the laogai

after the terror, who was the next target of the regime?

professionals

why

their support became less important overtime

how many government servants were sacked in the 'three antis' movement of 1951?

1 million

in 1952, what community was attacked in the 'five antis' movement?

the business community

in 1955, what signified the end to the brief period of peasant land ownership?

the drive to collectivise agriculture

what happened then happened in 1956?

private businesses were nationalised

who suffered under the Hundred Flowers Campaign in 1957?

the intellectuals

what 3 areas did the reunification campaigns of 1949-50 take place in, in order?

Guangdong, Xinjiang and Tibet

where is Guangdong and what was its significance?

a coastal province in southern China and had been the GMD heartland during the last months of the civil war

what was the GMD capital?

the town of Guangzhou

when did Guangdong become capitulated to the PLA?

2 weeks after the PRC had been declared in Beijing as the GMD made no last effort to defend it

how successful was the reunification campaign in Guangdong?

war was not completely over as it dragged on in the far south until the end of 1950, and there were some nationalist forces in the far west that still needed to be dealt with

where was Xingjiang?

the westernmost province of China

what was the Russian significance regarding Xinjiang?

the Russians had more recently been developing the area as a potential buffer state, in case of further Japanese expansion in WW2

what was the ethnicity in Xinjiang?

80% were Uyghurs, most of whom were Muslims

who were Uyghurs?

a central Asian ethnic group who made up most of the population of Xinjiang

how was nationalist opposition in Xinjiang subdued by the Communist Party regarding local Uyghur leaders?

local Uyghur leaders were offered key posts in the regional council

how was nationalist opposition in Xinjiang subdued by the PLA?

Peng Dehuai used the PLA to capture Urumqi, the provincial capital at the end of 1949

how was further Communist control established in Xinjiang?

by the appointment of a Long March veteran to run the local CCP and army unit, while large numbers of Han Chinese were brought in to work on construction projects

who were Han Chinese people?

they were the main ethnic group in China

how successful was the reunification campaign in Xinjiang?

it was quite successful as Xinjiang became a security buffer zone for the PRC

what had Tibet been operating as since 1913?

an independent entity and had announced its intention to resist Communist conquest

why were the British no longer interested in protecting Tibet?

India was now independent

why did the US not intervene in protecting Tibet?

they were too busy with Korea

when did the PLA invade Tibet?

October 1950

how long did the invasion of Tibet last for?

6 months

when did Tibet come under Chinese sovreignty?

May 1951

how did the PRC begin a prolonged campaign to destroy Tibetan identity?

by bringing in large numbers of Han settlers and promoting a Chinese lifestyle

who backed local resistance in Tibet?

the American CIA who were anxious to make Buddhist friends in Vietnam

why was there a serious uprising in Tibet 1959?

when the Dalai Lama, Tibetan leader, fled to exile in India rather than waiting to be removed

how was Tibet valuable to China?

it served as a valuable security buffer

how old was the Dalai Lama when the PLA invaded Tibet?

15

why did the Dalai Lama accept asylum in Indian during the 1959 Tibetan uprising?

he believed that the Tibetan cause could be publicised more effectively from exile

who took over the Dalai Lama's role?

his deputy, the Panchen Lama

how long did the Panchen Lama support the PRC?

until 1962

what happened to the Panchen Lama after 1962?

he incurred Mao's anger for endorsing a petition criticising the treatment of Tibet during the famine. He spent the next 20 years in jail or under house arrest