The communes + First Five year plan - Agriculture and Industry 1949-65

What is 'walking on two legs'?

-Maos phrase for the simultaneous increase of both industry and agriculture

When was private farming abolished?

August 1958

When and what was the first commune?

- Established July 1958
- in Henan province
- called Sputnik commune

What were communes? (the ideal version)

- typically around 5500 households
- organised by party cadres
- meant to be self reliant with food and industrial production
- communal creches, canteens, schools organised within
- women free to work (iron women)
- grandparents no longer have to care for grandkids

What was the Four Pests Campaign?

Flies, mosquitos, rats, and sparrows were outlawed due to claims they were eating grain
- people encouraged to hunt them down to bring in
- sparrows dying meant that caterpillar numbers increased, they ate more plants

What is Lysenkoism?

- agricultural theories created by Trofim Lysenko
- crops were grown extremely close together
- theories were false, often results were faked, communes moved all crops together to make it appear as if they were grown this way

What support did the USSr give China in industrialisation?

- Sino-Soviet mutual assistance treaty of February 1950
- 11,000 Soviet industrial experts sent to China
- 156 major industrial enterprises constructed or reconstructed
- 28,000 Chinese technicians sent to study in Russia
- $300 million loan over 5 years

When was the First Five Year Plan?

1952-1956

What were some successes of the first 5 year plan 1952-56?

- annual growth rate 16%
- heavy industry tripled
- industrial working class grew from 6 million to 10 million
- urbanisation meant increased government control

What were the aims of the first five year plan?

-develop heavy industry
- self sufficiency become autarkic state
-boost electricity production
-double to output of light industry

What were some failures of the first five year plan 1952-56?

- dependent on Soviet loans, with high interest ( often paid with grain meaning peasants on substinence levels)
- consumer goods supply still very low
- agriculture only gew by 2.1 per cent per year (avg) meaning not enough food to feed working class
- little investment in health or education