How succesful were the communists in creating a political system that would give them control of power within the prc

Why was it important for the communists to act quickly to establish a new political system?

- If they waited too long, they could have lost their gains and China could have slipped into anarchy.

- It was also vital to give the new regime an air of legitimacy, so that people accepted its authority.

When was the fall of beijing?

• jan 1949

What evidence is there to suggest that the CCP was willing to work with other groups?

- Collaborating with other groups helped split up the Nationalists and gained wider popularity.

- Temporary bodies set up to help run the contrite and a provisional constitution was set up

How did the government control the press?

- Through Xinhua, the government-controlled press agency.

what was its purpose?

ensure that newspapers reported favourably on government policies and party initiatives, receiving positive publicity from the outset.

• What was the Chinese People's political convulsive conference (CPPCC)?

• What did it comprise of?

• a meeting which took the first steps in preparing a new political system to replace the Nationalists

• Comprised of 600 delegates

what did the com party do in sept 1949

arranged a meeting with the cppcc to prepare their first steps in preparing a new political system

how many delegates in cppcc

600

who did they appoint

the Central People’s Government

What was the Common Program and what did it declare?

• A temporary constitution that was to steer china through the next 5 years

• It approved of the state symbols such as the flag, national anthem, calandar and capital city

What did it declare?

• China had been transformed based on an alliance between the peasants and workers whips interests would be represented by the government

• wide range of personal freedoms- like gender equality

what did its declarations theoretically make china?

one of the freest countries in the world

how did the reality of china differ from what they promised

• very different- it gave the army and police the right to supress all counter revolutionary activity

China was not ready for full socialism yet and so what happened in between that

a transitional period of cooperation between the working class and the existing capitalist elements of society

What did Mao declare in his ‘On the People’s Democratic Dictatorship?

he identified the 4 classes of people who should be allowed to have rights in the new china- everyone else (‘the 5 black categories’) was the be suppressed

what did he call this?

‘new democracy’

(democratic centralism)

What was 'democratic centralism'?

• 'Democratic centralism'= the central government rubberstamp proposals put in front of it by the Politburo the future constitution acted as a legislator and all existing laws that had been passed by the GMD were abolished

How did the CCP ensure it remained in control of the new, regional structure?

- Divided china into 6 regions so decisions could be made at a national level and imposed throughout the country

- 4 senior communist officials were in place over each region (a military commander, an army political commissar, a government chairman and a party secretary)

This could be highly concentrated. Edge Bao Gang held all 4 positions in Manchuria

What was the purpose of this level of central control?

to prevent china from returning to its warlord years of the 1920s where the powerful regional leaders fought eachother while the central government was powerless

What changes were made by the 1954 constitution?

- The national peoples congress was created as the new legislator

- State council took over the functions of the Central People's Government

- 6 regions now were 21 provinces, 5 autonomous border regions and two urban centres (beijing and shanghai)

Why was it principally the same thing?

- The communist party retained control of the entire electoral processes

- Real power remained in the highest part bodies

What evidence is there to suggest that the communist system became more bureaucratic after 1949?

- Number of bureacrats needed to staff the system grew from 720,000 to 8 million in 1959

Why did this worry Mao?

- This could slow down the pace of revolution

- Could become more focused on preserving the status quo to safeguard their careers

- The more paperwork the longer change takes

- Reflected Russia

What did mao feel went wrong in russia?

bureaucratisation of the revolution

What evidence is there to suggest that the communist party dominated the state structure?

• Leading CCP officials held key positions in the state and army

For example Peng Dehuai was defence minister and commander in chief of the PLA

how did they try to hide their dominance?

through the language used in the 1949 and 1954 constitutions

what role did zhou enlai have from 1949 to his death in 1976?

premier of the state council

What position did Mao have throughout his post 1949 life?

• Head of state

• Stood down in 1958 but retained his position as Chairman of the party

why did he retain his position as head of the party?

because that is where the real power laid

where were the party head quarters?

Beijing in Zhongnanahi

What is the chinese version of the russian kremlin?

tiananmen square

Who could be a member of the communist party in China

• those who could prove their commitment and ideological correctness

what did the party grow from in 1949 to 1950

• In 1949 there were 4.5 million members and in 1950 rose to 5.8 million

what was the total population?

500 million

what were trained party members called and what did they do?

• Cadres

• played key roles in monitoring the running of the civil service, legal systems, schools and army at a local level to ensure that mao was being adhered to

How did the party mobilise the people during this time?

• Mass participation in party groups were encouraged

• Caused people to play a positive role and identify with the parties causes

What were the groups, and how many members did they have?

• youth league - 9 million in 1953

• women's federation- 76 million members

what were the work units called that everyone had to belong to led by cadres?

what did it permit?

• danweis

• the danwei issued permits to travel, marry and change jobs

Why was the PLA so significant by 1950?

• Epitomised revolutionary values of self-discipline and sacrifice and perseverance against the odds after the defeat of japan and the GMD

How did the size of the PLA change?

And why did Mao do this?

• 5 million men in 1950, took up 40% of the state budget

• Largest army in the world

• Tied up so much manpower that could be better deployed and so reduced to 3.5 million by 1953

• And again to 2.5 million by 1957

What was it reduced to by 1953?

What was it reduced to by 1957?

• 3.5 million

• 2.5 million

What impact did the reduction of size have on the PLA?

• The PLA was more professional and advanced and less egalitarian

• Different pay scales defined rank

What happened in 1956 to ensure the PLA didnt run the risk of losing the goodwill of the peasantry?

drew up a new code of conduct which stressed the need to help peasants on the farms

Why was the PLA still significant for the PRC after 1949?

• Acted as a means of indoctrination to the 800,000 men who were recruited each year for a 3 year course

• As a workforce in public works projects to rebuild transport and infrastructure after the wars

• As a means of informing central government control

what was the PLA’s external role?

to achieve Great Power status for China

when did the opportunity to display their strength arise?

during the korean war