Flashcards for Education and Health in Mao’s China

What were the aims of education under Mao?

• Mass Literacy: Eradicate illiteracy, especially among peasants.

• Language Reform: Standardize Mandarin and introduce pinyin (1955).

• Higher Education: Develop universities and colleges to train a modern workforce.

What were the successes of education under Mao?

• Literacy rates rose from 20% (1949) to 70% (1976).

• National primary education system established by the mid-1950s.

• Pinyin standardized Mandarin, simplifying learning.

• Universities expanded significantly by 1958.

What were the failures of education under Mao?

• Cultural Revolution disrupted education (1966-1970), with 130 million youth stopping school.

• Fewer than 1% of the workforce had university degrees by Mao’s death.

• Only 11% of the population and 6% of CCP officials had education beyond age 16.

• Education became subservient to revolutionary goals, with students sent for "re-education" in rural areas.

What were the aims of healthcare under Mao?

• Patriotic Health Movements: Improve hygiene and eradicate diseases like dysentery and malaria.

• Medical Training: Train doctors and nurses for rural areas.

• Accessible Healthcare: Provide free medical services to peasants.

What were the successes of healthcare under Mao?

• Community efforts reduced endemic diseases and improved hygiene.

• 1 million barefoot doctors trained by 1973, providing basic healthcare for free.

• Improved access to healthcare in rural areas.

What were the failures of healthcare under Mao?

• Doctors were targeted as bourgeois elites during political campaigns.

• Medical training was deprioritized for political loyalty.

• Absurd practices: withholding anesthetics as "bourgeois luxuries."

• Barefoot doctors lacked training, and no comprehensive healthcare system was established.

How did the Cultural Revolution impact education?

• Education was devalued, with students rejecting traditional learning and ridiculing teachers.

• Schools and universities were disrupted, halting progress.

• Students were sent to rural areas for "re-education" instead of returning to school.

What were the key gains and losses in education under Mao?

• Gains: Increased literacy, standardized language, initial growth in higher education.

• Losses: Disrupted progress during the Cultural Revolution, devaluing of education, low levels of higher education attainment.

What were the key gains and losses in healthcare under Mao?

• Gains: Improved hygiene, disease prevention, and rural healthcare access through barefoot doctors.

• Losses: Political interference, insufficient infrastructure, and reliance on temporary solutions.

What is the summary of education and health under Mao?

• Both sectors saw early progress but were undermined by political priorities and the Cultural Revolution.

• Gains in literacy and disease prevention contrasted with losses in higher education and comprehensive healthcare development.