IB History- Consolidation of Power by Mao

June 1950, lasted until 1952

Place peasants into different classes (rich, middle, or poor) and eliminate landlords. Replace old elites with communist power structures. Violence killed 800,000+ landlords. Sought to preserve rich peasant economy so agricultural production wouldn’t drop.

To get rid of landlords, gain more power in the agricultural sector, and remunerate peasants, allowing them to have more authority and be less likely to live lives in poverty, and to classify peasants into certain classes. Preserve agricultural production.

Killed 800 thousand landlords, sorted peasants into rich, middle, or poor peasants, and gave peasants more land to own. CCP increased control over the land and agricultural production. More access to local villages.

The CCP gained influence in villages by eliminating landlords, allowing peasants to own land and boosting CCP's popularity among the majority. This instilled fear among elites, aiding CCP control.

Spring 1951

The CCP targeted urban counter-revolutionaries, including civil servants and secret societies from the previous regime, along with capitalists and intellectuals. The campaign involved aggressive tactics, such as public executions, to eliminate opposition. Despite its brutality, the initiative went unnoticed outside specific groups and didn't involve mass mobilization of the populace.

Eliminate prominent party opposition- GMD holdovers, secret societies, and intellectuals who posed a threat to the communist regime.

The campaign went largely unnoticed by the public. However, many innocent people were also killed amidst the trialing. 

The CCP's campaign eliminated political opponents, including GMD civil servants and urban secret societies, consolidating their power in China. This brutal suppression ensured CCP's sole governance at all levels, instilling fear and support through both action and intimidation.

Winter 1951-1952

The Three Anti campaign aimed to eradicate corruption in urban areas of China and raise funds for the Korean War. Focusing on bureaucratism, corruption, and waste, it targeted basic-level cadres. The campaign utilized methods from the Yan'an era, including study groups and mass mobilization, relying on social ostracism, criticism, and self-criticism. Confessions were incentivized with vague promises of rewards and exposed individuals faced punishment. This campaign, marked by fear and coercion, helped Mao maintain government control.

Two Main Goals: Fund efforts for Korean War

Second: Party leaders worried that ranks in the cities were becoming more corrupt.

Campaign worked to traumatize those involved in corruption. People in study groups experienced a complete change in person. Removed authority from corrupt.

The campaign aimed to consolidate power by removing corrupt cadres, instilling fear and preventing further corruption. This fear made cadres cautious and incentivized them to expose others, strengthening control over both cadres and the urban population.

Winter 1951-52

Focused on corruption in urban china- Businessmen. Used Yan’an Era techniques like mass mobilization, thought reform, and social ostracism to eliminate corruption, tax evasion, stealing state property, stealing state economic secrets, and cheating on state contracts.

Eliminate five behaviours displayed by urban businessmen: Corruption, tax evasion, stealing state property, cheating on state contracts, and stealing state economic secrets. These were unified by an overlying goal of eliminating corruption.

Campaign cultivated a state of fear among businessmen, many saw deteriorating relations with workers. Businessmen also sold businesses to government at cheap prices out of fear. Established unions.

The CCP was able to successfully consolidate both political and economic power during this time period. By implementing these policies, many businessmen ended up selling their businesses to the government, providing the CCP with a more powerful control over the Chinese economy. Additionally, the CCP helped establish unions among workers during this era, meaning they also gained working-class support in urban areas.

Winter and Spring 1951-1952

Mobilized students to question their teachers, moving educational model to resemble a Soviet one instead of a European/American one. Changed traditional roles in schools.

This campaign had a goal to change university curriculum in China to be more like that of Soviets than of European or American models. This campaign also wanted to divert from traditional roles in schools, by giving the students more power to criticize their teachers.

The campaign did traumatize teachers, proving to be successful in mobilizing students. Teachers were more afraid of being condemned by their students, and educational models moved closer to Soviet models.

The CCP emphasized education as a vital source of knowledge for future generations. They shifted towards a Communist-based approach, mirroring the Soviet model, to exert control over students. This instilled fear in teachers, diminishing their influence and compelling them to align their teachings with Communist ideals.

1955-1956

Chinese agricultural production remained poor, and land reform didn’t help with long term productivity of agriculture. The CCP followed the Soviet model of collectiving agriculture. China moved towards this goal in several stages, with peasants being encouraged to form Mutual Aid Teams, involving pooling labor, and became encouraged to join Agricultural Producers Cooperatives (APCs). Payment was based on work done for the co-op and the other half would be based on resources contributed. Rich peasants didn’t want to participate, and the CCP allowed those who wanted to withdraw leave.

The goals of agricultural cooperativization were to increase China’s agricultural productivity by collectivizing agriculture.

This campaign wasn’t particularly successful, as the way the campaign handled payment discouraged rich and middle-class peasants from participating. There was no prominent increase of agricultural output either.

The campaign successfully consolidated power by collectivizing over 92% of peasant households by 1956. This gave the CCP greater control over agriculture, enabling regulation of food distribution, exports, and allocation for urban development. Mao collaborated with local leaders, garnering peasant support and strengthening his authority.

1955-1956

The Socialist Transformation of Industry and Commerce offered urban capitalists to sell their businesses at bargain prices to the state. Most of these people eagerly sold them, due to trauma from past years of failure. Some business owners even pleaded with the government to buy their business.

The CCP wanted to have more control over the economy and businesses that were owned by the people.

Many people were eager to sell their business. This was because of past years of trauma, so many were willing to leave their businesses.

The CCP strengthened its control over businesses and the economy, shifting towards a Communist-controlled model where the government owned most businesses. This enhanced overall control over the population, reducing economic risks and tensions. The CCP's efforts were viewed positively by civilians, fostering a sense of assistance and reducing the likelihood of rebellion.