Mao´s domestic policy

The Land Reform, FYP´s and Industry

Collectivisation, the first Five year plan, 1952-56

• Campaigns agaist the landlords: Together with the land reform, the peasants were supposed to lead the land reform by themselves

• ” Dig the bitter roots, vomit the bitter waters”• Redistribution of the land: all the people owned as much

as the poorest peasant• Co-operatives to be established; Mao encouraged the

peasants to work together instead of buying their own tiny pieces of land

• Public trials: land lords and enemies of the state were executed

• From 1954 the party encouraged the peasants to even closer collaboration / APC- agricultural producers co-operatives to be established

- poor harvests and food riots : the plan was suspended for a year and came into action in 1955 ( Liu Shaoqi opposed, Mao in charge)* See table, p.147

Collectivisation and Great Leap Forward, 1958

• The second five year plan to be launched; larger communes to be established, no private farming any more..

• Campaigns like ” the four pests campaign”, Lysenkoism→ communal farming failed to work, no knowledge on farming on a large communal scale→ famine

Industry• * nationalization straight after the establishment of PRC

- in 1953 20 % heavy industry was still privately owned- experts & loans from the USSR

• The first five year plan, 1953-57- the Soviet influence, the same model to be followed- The emphasis on state-directed growth of heavy industry: coal, steel and petro-chemicals- New industrial areas like Manchuria, Lanzhou- Roads and Railways were built - Urbanisation- A considerable degree of success in stimulating the production!

The First Five Year Plan, 1952-6: economy performance1952 Index of national income 100

1953 1141954 120,61955 128,31956 146,41957 1531958 186,71959 202,1

G.L.F, 1958 onwards• Why?- Final consolidation of power ( less bureaucracy needed within the party:

”the Yanan sprit”)- Independence from the USSR ( loans and experts..)- the Hundred Flowers Campaign had revealed his enemies; a failure to

some extent- China should be walking on two legs; agriculture and industry- Ideological disagreements; no compromise should be made with the

capitalist thought ( pay differentials etc)

• The role of the Cadres• Development of rural communes ( Henan experiment)• Emphasis on heavy industry ( state-owned enterprises,

subsidies, fixed rates of pay, output targets), surplus to the state

- production of metals locally; 90 million peasants forced into backyard industrial projects; smelting of crude steel ( medals, pots and pans, tools to be smelted)

Mao´s economic programme; A success?

• See table , p.151• Source A , p.160, Source B, p.161• Rural industrialisation spread and China’s infrastructure was developedBUT e.g. the quality of steel was so poor that is could not be used for the industrial purposes ( 1% was usable)- Famine in the countryside ( surplus given to the state, exported to the

USSR..- Poor government planning, climate conditions made the situation ever

worse

Result

• Between 20 and 50 million people died because of the G.L.F• At the Lushan Conference in 1959 Peng Dehuai openly attacked

Mao because of the catastrophy→ he was dismissed• Result: Mao withdrew from the office from 1959: Liu Shaoqi and

Deng Xiaoping to deal with the crisis* grain from Australia and Canada* central planning, pay differentials brought back, urban

workers to the countryside

Liu Shaoqi´s and Deng Xiaoping´s economic recovery

• In 1961 communes reorganised; peasants´had more time to work in the fields instead of unnecessary industrial work

• Small private farms reintroduced • Lack of industrial experts ( overall production fell in the 1960´s)

BUT the discovery of new oil and gas fields helped the revival• Agricultural production revived in five years• The programme to be attacked by Mao quite soon; the cultural

revolution about to begin…