Can anyone help explain to me the roles of the Great Leap Forward and the 100 Flowers Campaign to Mao's rule in China

[Tony Petrovik]

As far as i know, the Great Leap Forward was equivalent to the Five-Year plans, except the changes were slower after the devastating effects of the 5YP on Russia.

My teacher said that the 100 flowers campaign helped Mao regain power when he was pushed to the 'backbench' or out of memory. But i dont really get what happened or how it does this.

If i remember correctly i remember students being sent into the countryside to teach and to smash antique items (i may be getting this confused with the 'cultural revolution'.

We covered China, but it's a very confusing topic compared to Hitler's Germany or Stalin's Russia. None of my class are really confident with China.

Tony

[Koura]

Hi

The Great Leap Forward in China was the Second Five Year Plan (much like Stalin's in Russia). The 'GLF' is just its nickname.

It was following in the footsteps of Stalin and was intended to overtake the USA in terms of production, aiming to overtake the British economy in 15 years instead of doing a 150 year Industrial Revolution like GB.

It was implemented through the use of 'Backyard Furnaces': people would have a furnace near their homes and would create their own steel by putting in scrap metal- a pretty stupid idea as the steel made was useless due to all the impurities in it so it was never actually used effectively. Mao also made up 'General Grain' and 'General Steel' to try and inspire the Chinese people to lead the population into a new and prosperous economy. However, not all the targets set were realistically possible, and many of them were changed if they were too hard or easy to meet.

State Owned Enterprise also occurred in the GLF- SOEs were industries under government control, eliminating capitalism. Privately owned firms could no longer exist, and values, prices and wages were all set by the state. The use of 'the iron rice bowl' was an insurance system to guarantee workers and job and protected wages.

Problems with the GLF:

Steel from the 'backyard furnaces' contained significant impurities and was therefore useless. Authorities ignored this issue so that they could still meet the targets they were given, despite dumping all the steel that was made!

Deforestation occurred across much of rural China to make way for blast furnaces

SOEs were ineffective and didn't always meet targets

Workers had no incentive to work- they would get the same pay regardless

After 1960, the USSR removed technical assistance from China, and 300 industrial plants closed as a result.

In 1959, the Lushan Conference was held to discuss the progress of the GLF and how to deal with the Great Famine* (1958) which had ensured as a result of it. Peng Dehui described the horrors of the famine, but no one backed him up so there was no evidence of what he said. He was denounced as a troublemaker whilst his delegates were worried about upsetting Mao. Peng's description was classed as fabrication by Mao and as fiction by peasants who were against collectivisation. Speeches were made at the conference, praising Mao and his work. Mao brought his wife to the conference with him so as to prevent people from criticising him. Over the course of the conference, talking of the famine became treason so no one spoke of it. As a result, no one did anything to stop it and quality of life in China plummeted.

*The Great Famine is often considered as China's msot devastating catastrophe (Dikotter). Between 15 million (government statistics) and 45 million (Dikotter) died in the famine which had resulted from the GLF. This was a result of the fact that crop yield had decreased by 200 million tonnes in 1958, making it impossible for everyone in China to be fed.

Thanks for posting this, I hadn't revised this topic myself yet! I'll look up my 100 Flowers notes when I get home as I don't have them on me at the moment, and will post them later if nobody else has by then.

Koura

[iamyourmum]

You're thinking of the cultural revolution but it shares similarity with the 100 flowers campaign.

The 100 flowers campaign was as a way for the people of China to share/voice their opinions but there are differing opinions over wether it was a way for Mao to eliminate those that were critical of his regime or if Mao was genuine in his appeal for ideas to be expressed.

Arguments that the 100 flowers campaign was a way for Mao to increase his power

1) Zhou Enlai, one of Mao’s most loyal supporters forced to admit that he was too slow in putting Mao’s industrialisation plans into action (which was not true). Mao was showing that nobody int he party or government (no matter their position) was beyond investigation or criticism. It demonstrated to the party that the only way to avoid suspicion was to conform to Mao’s wishes

2) The historian June Chang --> "the speed in which Mao recanted the policy demonstrated that it was a ploy for Mao to bring his critics to the forefront and execute them." Chang believes that the 100 flower campaign was a move towards a controlled society as Mao targeted those who were most likely to speak out - the intellectuals

Arguments against

1) Lee Feigion - revisionist US scholar believes that Mao had been genuine in his appeal for ideas to be expressed BUT not tolerant. Mao’s intention was to undermine the bureaucrats in the government who had too large on an influence on the running of affairs. By giving scientists and engineers the freedom to express their ideas (i.e. by exposing the corruption in the government), Mao sought to prevent party bureaucrats from interfering with technical decisions. Mao also wanted the peasants, students and workers to speak up to prevent government bureaucrats from ignoring their right.

2) Jonathan Spence sees the campaign as a result of contradictory thinking among CCP leaders. Spence calls the campaign a "muddled and inconclusive movement that grew out of conflicting attitudes within the CCP leadership” + “argument about pace and development that was best for China”

[Tony Petrovik]

Wow, thanks guys, I havent read all of your answers yet, but the bits I have are amazing. Thank you.

But is the Great Leap Forward really China's second Five-Year plan??

I was sure that it was the only plan i read about at all in China (Using the Cambridge History Authoritarian states textbook).

[Koura]

No problem

It really is, we use the 'access to history' book 'The People's Republic of China 1949-76' which has a whole chapter on the GLF China's first FYP was from 1952-56, and its second, also known as the Great Leap Forward, began in 1958. Since then there have been another 10 FYPs (although we don't really need to know about that!).

We used to use the Cambridge textbook before realising that our GCSE ones had more information than those (!) so now we use the access to history ones which our teacher used to give to her a level students.

Edited April 16, 2014 by Koura

[Tony Petrovik]

Ahhhh, we have the access to history ones too, but they're a bit complex if you don't get the basics (which i don't really :/ )

[Tony Petrovik]

Wait. Sorry to bother you guys again.

Can you please elaborate for me on the 100 flowers campaign and the Cultural revolution.

Sorry, it all seems really confusing (many in my class are just like "I'm just not going to do China and hope for the best")

The main areas of China I know of are

- Great Leap Forward (Economic five year plan focussing on industrialisation in urban areas and collectivisation in countryside

- Cultural revolution (Not absolutely sure what this is either)

- 100 flowers campaign (Mao's asking for opinions on how to run government etc.)

- Anti-rightist campaign (I don't what this is at all, I'm guessing it's a campaign against nationalism in favour of communism?)

Feel free to elaborate on what i have written or correct me.

I'd like to apologise for asking what to me seems like the same question, but it isn't because you've both given useful information that has helped, it's just that I'm trying to get more of an understanding, i can't memorise facts unless i have understanding to back them.

Thank you so very much for all of your help guys

Would it be possible for me to ask you guys, for a basic summary of each one, and i mean basic, don't want you guys to do my work for me. But just so i know where to start.

Edited April 16, 2014 by Tony Petrovik

[Koura]

Hi I'm in the process of writing up all of my China notes (Chinese Civil War and why the CCP won, consolidation of Mao (with 100 flowers campaign), collectivisation, FYPs, domestic and foreign policies, cultural revolution, and life in China after Mao) into stuff I can actually understand (I hate China too, but figure that I'll have to do a comparison question at some point and it's my only non-Western dictatorship Hopefully that will answer all your questions easily and concisely and maybe give you an idea of the bigger picture as well.

Once I've finished I'll attempt to upload it (I'm hoping to have finished by this evening with any luck!) and then you can take a look.

It's not a problem at all, to be honest I'd completely forgotten about China and your question was useful as it's helped me realise how little I know!

Edited April 16, 2014 by Koura

[Tony Petrovik]

Ok, thank you so very much and after you've uploaded it, i will take a look and send you my notes on China, they're extensive, will obviously need to cut down for dead needed facts for the exam but they're a start. Thanks

I agree, Mao is my only non-Western dictatorship. I bet yours are Stalin and Hitler?? well, mine are hahahha

But i honestly like the non-western state too, it's interesting history, a bit harder to understand, but in many aspects it's similar to Stalin's dictatorship. Similar but also in many ways different

Glad my question has allowed you to revise China

Feel so bad for all these exams coming up :/ gotta revise like crazy

But hopefully it'll be worth it in the end

[Koura]

Ok, so I lost the will to live and didn't do my domestic policy sheets (I'll do them tomorrow or something and then upload them if you like ) but this is all my notes on one big document.

I apologise in advance if you don't like diagrams and colours, I'm afraid that's how I work so there are timelines and all sorts in coordinating colours but they don't mean anything really!

A couple of notes: I often get confused between the KMT and the GMD- I had both sets of initials in my notes and only realised towards the end of my course that they're actually the same people! So on my notes I've written KMT, but on yours it might be GMD... they are the same apparently. Equally, I switch between CCP and CPC, also the same people... urgh I hate China!

Yeah, I did Mao, Hitler, Stalin, Lenin and Mussolini as my dictators I would've liked to have done another non-European one, maybe Hirohito or someone, so that we didn't have as much pressure on the Chinese one, but oh well!

I can't wait for the exams to be over to be honest, teachers are putting so much stress on us and it's not helping at all! I see you do very similar subjects to me so I guess we're under similar pressures.

Out of interest, I saw you do HL Physics and Maths Studies SL... how does that work? Physics is quite maths based?

Koura's China Bible!.docx

[Tony Petrovik]

I am a visual learner and I do like those things, but even if i didn't, how could I complain when you're being kind enough to give me the notes?

But yes, thank you.

Physics HL is a pain, but the theory is enjoyable (I'm not doing too well at it,) math studies is so simple, nearly all the topics are from higher level GCSE and I was ok with it back then and better now, i have more of an understanding than in GCSE.

I've been getting consistent 6s or 7s at math studies.

One question, does Lenin count as a dictator? I asked in another thread but someone said no because he's not on authoritarian states syllabus and I checked and that's correct.

[Koura]

Haha well thanks To be honest I hate revising so much, it's such a selfish exercise It's nice to think that other people are benefiting from me being bored to tears, at least that makes it a little more worthwhile!

Is he not? Thanks for the tip-off- our teachers just kind of wing it as far as that's concerned and don't really know what's what. I wouldn't write about him in an exam really, there's not enough to write about for a 45 minute long essay!

Edited April 20, 2014 by Koura

[iamyourmum]

Ok, so I lost the will to live and didn't do my domestic policy sheets (I'll do them tomorrow or something and then upload them if you like ) but this is all my notes on one big document.

I apologise in advance if you don't like diagrams and colours, I'm afraid that's how I work so there are timelines and all sorts in coordinating colours but they don't mean anything really!

A couple of notes: I often get confused between the KMT and the GMD- I had both sets of initials in my notes and only realised towards the end of my course that they're actually the same people! So on my notes I've written KMT, but on yours it might be GMD... they are the same apparently. Equally, I switch between CCP and CPC, also the same people... urgh I hate China!

Yeah, I did Mao, Hitler, Stalin, Lenin and Mussolini as my dictators I would've liked to have done another non-European one, maybe Hirohito or someone, so that we didn't have as much pressure on the Chinese one, but oh well!

I can't wait for the exams to be over to be honest, teachers are putting so much stress on us and it's not helping at all! I see you do very similar subjects to me so I guess we're under similar pressures.

Out of interest, I saw you do HL Physics and Maths Studies SL... how does that work? Physics is quite maths based?

Are you doing 5 dictators just for paper 2? o-O

That seems excessive ..

[Tony Petrovik]

I dont think Lenin counts as a dictator, it's not on the syllubus. Plus I've only done Mao, Hitler and Stalin.

But Koura, you must be a hard worker to have done all those dictators and made good notes like the ones you kindly provided,

[Chio1012]

Are you doing 5 dictators just for paper 2? o-O

That seems excessive ..

Yeah that's what I thought too; I read somewhere else that you should know a minimum of 4 dictators for p3 but haha...we were only taught 2 - Hitler and Mao. It's okay we've got Qing though.

Also I was looking for a discussion to post this in, but not sure which since there are so many topics for p3. Don't need a lot of contextual knowledge for it though:

Gray [on the boxer rebellion as a whole] “flinging mud in the faces of historians intent on finding important and compelling meaning in the event of the past”

if that is not the highest historiographical sass, i don't know what is

[Koura]

I don't know, I guess so! They overlap into Paper 3 as well though (we've not done so much specifically for paper 3 as our teachers told us a lot of it overlaps anyway?). My teachers are both A Level teachers who just teach IB on the side though, so I guess we've just done a slightly warped version of the A level course. Hopefully we've done enough of everything else to cover everything in the final exams though