Moves towards agricultural cooperation

what is collectivisation?

the process whereby the state takes over the ownership of land and equipment that was previously in private hands

under collectivisation, who managed collective farms?

the state who supplied the peasants with food and accommodation in return for their labour

why did moves towards collectivisation begin rapidly?

because the Party never intended the peasantry to become established as a new class of landowners

what did Mao hope a measured approach to collectivisation would avoid?

a repeat of the disastrous situation experienced by Stalin in Russia as the peasants wouldn't be used to owning more land

what did Stalin experience regarding collectivisation?

he encountered so much resistance to collectivisation that he ended up eliminating the kulaks as a class. However, in Russia, the peasants had already been in possession of the land for 10 years and had become used to life under the New Economic Policy

how long did Mao say collectivisation would take?

about 15 years

from 1951, what were groups of ten or so families encouraged to do?

to unite to form Mutual Aid Teams (MATs)

who managed the Mutual Aid Teams?

peasant associations

what were Mutual Aid Teams?

a team in which groups of ten or so families could pool their labour, animals and equipment, while retaining their rights of private ownership

what were peasant associations?

organisations originally created in the 1920s to help peasants to defend their rights and campaign for lower rents

how were peasant associations revived in the 1950s?

by the work teams to get the villagers used to the idea of collective activity

in 1952, what were successful MATs encouraged to combine and form?

Agricultural Producers' Co-operatives (APCs) of 40-50 families

what could land be in APCs?

they could be pooled and therefore be consolidated into larger units and cultivated more efficiently than in traditional strips

what could families with larger holdings do in APCs?

they were still allowed to keep back some land for their personal use, while renting the rest to the APC, which was a strong incentive for richer families to join

how was profit shared amongst the APCs?

it was shared out at the end of the year, according to resources contributed and food produced