Establishing Communist rule, 1949-57 COMPLETE NOTES
Key developments
- China had undergone dramatic changes in the period before the CCP seized power on the 1 st
October 1949
- The Qing dynasty had been overthrown in 1911, a dynasty which had bee in power since
1644
- The disintegration of the Qing dynasty led to a period of chaos, with rival warlords fighting to
establish control of its regions
- It took ten years for Chiangmai Kai-seek and the nationalist Party (GMD) brought the
warlords and brought china under greater control l
- In the period 1927-37, Chiang established relative political stability and attempted to destroy
the communists
o Chiang launched a number of campaigns to finish off the communist party which led
to, in 1934, 100,000 communists embarking on retreat which became glorified as the
Long march
o It was here that Mao asserted his leadership over the Party
- By 1937, and the invasion of the Japanese, the GMD and CCP made a United front against
the invaders
- Open civil war between GMD and CCP broke out in 1946
- In December 1949, Chiang left the mainland and flew to join his forces on Taiwan
How serious were the problem facing the PRC when it was set up in 1949
The aftermath of the civil war 1946-49
- By bringing the years of conflict to an end generated goodwill towards the communists
- Proved they were capable of much more effective organisation then the nationalists
- As far as Mao was concerned, the civil war had greatly strengthened his position on top of
this party
o Once the war was over, Mao was unquestionably regarded as the architect of new
China and his authority could not be easily challenged
o He had the devoted loyalty of the PLA behind him
- Mao intended to use this power to restore stability to China and he believed that the only
way to do this was to make all political opposition impossible
o It was therefore Mao’s intention to return to a political system where all power lay at
the top, in his and the CCP’s hands, reinforced by military power as and when
necessary
The state of China’s industry, agriculture and national infrastructure
The immediate impact of war
- Chinese economy had been crippled by 12 years of war
- Chinas industrial output dropped because the Japanese’s sized the most productive areas as
they advanced southwards
o Japanese bombing raids caused serious damage to Chinese industries and productive
capacity fell further due to scorched earth tactic of the retreating nationalist forces
o By 1949, industrial output was 25% of its pre war level
o Russia had an opportunity to advance into Manchuria and seize many Chinese
industrial assets before they left in 1945
- The food supply situation in 1949 was critical
, o Disruption to agriculture had been caused by the conscription of peasants to fight
rival enemies
o Food by 1949 was 30% lower than it had been at the start of the war in 1937
o Food requisitioning had been necessary during the Japanese invasion and this would
need to continue due to the growth of urban population and growth of the PLA
- China’s finances were also devastated by the war years
o Inflation stood at 1000 percent by 1949 and matters were made worse for the
communist government government when Chiang took China’s foreign currency
reserves with him when he fled to Twain
The longer term situation
- When the Communists came to power in 1949, china was predominantly an agricultural
country
o Producing mainly rice, what and oilseed crops
o Farming methods were labour intensive
- By 1949, agricultural output was limited due to only 15% of the land being cultivatable, and
this was becoming increasingly necessary by 1949 because more people were moving to the
cities and the total population was rising rapidly
o Stood at 541 million in 1949 rising to 563 million in 1951
- Lack of industrial development in China was even more pressing for the communists
o Although China’s industries were modernist, China had not yet experienced an
Industrial Revolution
- The most advanced industrial areas lay in Manchuria, but Manchuria had been in the
Japanese hands since 1931
o They had further developed its iron and steel industries, but much of the new plant
then fell into soviet hands
o If the Chinese government wished to move industrialisation forward, the rail, road
and telephone links would have to be restored and modernised as a matter of
urgency
How successful were the communists in creating a political system that would give them control of
power within the PRC
- Preparations for the new China began as soon as Beijing fell, at the end of January 1949,
although it was not until October when the new regime was declared officially
- Communist party collaborated over the planning with other groups who were also opposed
to the GMD
o This gave the new regime an appearance of wider population
o The communists kept up this pretence until they were strong enough to stand alone
in the early 1950s
- Temporary bodies were set up to run the country and a provisional constitution was adopted
until 1954 where a more permanent political institution could be adopted
o It was immediate clear that the Communist Party would be leading the government
and that its power would be based on a continuing partnership with the PLA
- Government control of press, which was already considered normal before 1949, was
continued through Xinhua, the government controlled press agency
o This ensured that all of the mass circulation newspapers reported favourably on
government policies and party initiatives
The organisation of the government
- In September 1949, the communist party arranged a meeting of the Chinese Peopl’s Political
Consultive Conference (CPPCC)
Key developments
- China had undergone dramatic changes in the period before the CCP seized power on the 1 st
October 1949
- The Qing dynasty had been overthrown in 1911, a dynasty which had bee in power since
1644
- The disintegration of the Qing dynasty led to a period of chaos, with rival warlords fighting to
establish control of its regions
- It took ten years for Chiangmai Kai-seek and the nationalist Party (GMD) brought the
warlords and brought china under greater control l
- In the period 1927-37, Chiang established relative political stability and attempted to destroy
the communists
o Chiang launched a number of campaigns to finish off the communist party which led
to, in 1934, 100,000 communists embarking on retreat which became glorified as the
Long march
o It was here that Mao asserted his leadership over the Party
- By 1937, and the invasion of the Japanese, the GMD and CCP made a United front against
the invaders
- Open civil war between GMD and CCP broke out in 1946
- In December 1949, Chiang left the mainland and flew to join his forces on Taiwan
How serious were the problem facing the PRC when it was set up in 1949
The aftermath of the civil war 1946-49
- By bringing the years of conflict to an end generated goodwill towards the communists
- Proved they were capable of much more effective organisation then the nationalists
- As far as Mao was concerned, the civil war had greatly strengthened his position on top of
this party
o Once the war was over, Mao was unquestionably regarded as the architect of new
China and his authority could not be easily challenged
o He had the devoted loyalty of the PLA behind him
- Mao intended to use this power to restore stability to China and he believed that the only
way to do this was to make all political opposition impossible
o It was therefore Mao’s intention to return to a political system where all power lay at
the top, in his and the CCP’s hands, reinforced by military power as and when
necessary
The state of China’s industry, agriculture and national infrastructure
The immediate impact of war
- Chinese economy had been crippled by 12 years of war
- Chinas industrial output dropped because the Japanese’s sized the most productive areas as
they advanced southwards
o Japanese bombing raids caused serious damage to Chinese industries and productive
capacity fell further due to scorched earth tactic of the retreating nationalist forces
o By 1949, industrial output was 25% of its pre war level
o Russia had an opportunity to advance into Manchuria and seize many Chinese
industrial assets before they left in 1945
- The food supply situation in 1949 was critical
, o Disruption to agriculture had been caused by the conscription of peasants to fight
rival enemies
o Food by 1949 was 30% lower than it had been at the start of the war in 1937
o Food requisitioning had been necessary during the Japanese invasion and this would
need to continue due to the growth of urban population and growth of the PLA
- China’s finances were also devastated by the war years
o Inflation stood at 1000 percent by 1949 and matters were made worse for the
communist government government when Chiang took China’s foreign currency
reserves with him when he fled to Twain
The longer term situation
- When the Communists came to power in 1949, china was predominantly an agricultural
country
o Producing mainly rice, what and oilseed crops
o Farming methods were labour intensive
- By 1949, agricultural output was limited due to only 15% of the land being cultivatable, and
this was becoming increasingly necessary by 1949 because more people were moving to the
cities and the total population was rising rapidly
o Stood at 541 million in 1949 rising to 563 million in 1951
- Lack of industrial development in China was even more pressing for the communists
o Although China’s industries were modernist, China had not yet experienced an
Industrial Revolution
- The most advanced industrial areas lay in Manchuria, but Manchuria had been in the
Japanese hands since 1931
o They had further developed its iron and steel industries, but much of the new plant
then fell into soviet hands
o If the Chinese government wished to move industrialisation forward, the rail, road
and telephone links would have to be restored and modernised as a matter of
urgency
How successful were the communists in creating a political system that would give them control of
power within the PRC
- Preparations for the new China began as soon as Beijing fell, at the end of January 1949,
although it was not until October when the new regime was declared officially
- Communist party collaborated over the planning with other groups who were also opposed
to the GMD
o This gave the new regime an appearance of wider population
o The communists kept up this pretence until they were strong enough to stand alone
in the early 1950s
- Temporary bodies were set up to run the country and a provisional constitution was adopted
until 1954 where a more permanent political institution could be adopted
o It was immediate clear that the Communist Party would be leading the government
and that its power would be based on a continuing partnership with the PLA
- Government control of press, which was already considered normal before 1949, was
continued through Xinhua, the government controlled press agency
o This ensured that all of the mass circulation newspapers reported favourably on
government policies and party initiatives
The organisation of the government
- In September 1949, the communist party arranged a meeting of the Chinese Peopl’s Political
Consultive Conference (CPPCC)
