The Chinese have thrived on tradition and the importance of family values both of which have exhibited themselves through the movements of the communist revolution. They advocated the regulation of the entire community by the State centering their policies on Marxist values and anti-capitalist theories. Pre-1949 China was seen to be drifting towards the western inspired aura of capitalism by the communists who, according to them, would wreak havocs in the forms of economic disparity and uneven distribution of wealth. As such, when the Communist party came to power in 1949, they made sure that their ideologies were enforced either by way of persuasion or force. Their practices were strict and downright brutal as those who opposed them were either converted forcefully or abandoned. An account of their measures is provided by E. Friedmans version of documented narration of a town called Wugong in Raoyang County within the province of Heibei (1991). Friedman concentrated on filling in the gaps of change that history left out while depicting Chinas new found socialist movement and the way it was buttressed by the rural areas.
Raoyang was Chinas countryside and up until the end of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century was no more than a rural district. It had seen little in the way of prosperity and was dotted by peasants and low wage workers who managed themselves by farming crops and livestock. Textile was seemingly the only industry catering to the luxury market with silk as the main product but the County was largely attributed to agricultural produce. In the first half of the 20th century, counties in North China became victims to food shortages and famine that hindered economic prosperity greatly. The Qing dynasty ended its reign in 1917 and was replaced by the Republic of China which ruled till 1949.
During this era, the provincial governments sought to increase tax revenue from the rural provinces (such as Heibei) and were largely successful in doing so. The tax collection system wreaked much grief among the poor since the preferred system made the wealthy residents of a village pay on the poors behalf and later collect the same from them. This collection system gave rise to bullies, oppression from whom caused upheaval within the rural peasants who became increasingly inclined to a change in government. Moreover, beginning from 1939, the Japanese control of North China further curbed local prosperity as the Japanese resorted to exporting the agricultural produce to their homeland. In 1942 and 1943, the decline in crop production did not help Raoyangs case at all. These oppressive exports soon turned into a famine situation in North China and only added to the grievances of the people of Heibei. The Chinese peasantry was overworked and underpaid and was in desperate need of a change.
The looting and pillaging also undermined the capabilities of the honest worker and while Raoyang County itself was not as badly affected as the neighboring Counties (such as Pingshan County), living conditions were still progressively harsh paving way for the Communist take-over. The years 1942-1943 saw immense difficulties as the greater part of North China was hit with drought and famine affecting some hundreds of thousands of people. Raoyang was just as badly affected and was only kept going by the foresight of the Communist heads who taxed the rich in order to serve the poor. Their efforts were especially prominent in Wugong (Li). It was only their involvement in distributing the wealth from the poor to the peasants that kept some from dying of starvation. As a result, the rift towards a communist government became stronger as the support from the rural peasants grew.
The First Failed Attempt of the Chinese Communist Party
The communist party started off as early as 1931 when they tried to form a separate state within the Republic of China called the Chinese Soviet Republic. This Republic, led by Mao Zemin, had its own currency. They did not succeed for too long, and were met with resistance from the early start. Under Mao Zemins supervision, plenty of resistance was offered to the nationalists. However, this attempt at forming a separatist State was flawed because of the nationalist governments constant planning against these emerging communists. When Mao Zemin was later on removed from the communist Red Army leadership and replaced with other more militarily incompetent commanders, Chiang Kai-shek, the Nationalist leader, did well to blow the Communists out of the water and annihilate their group by a series of careful military endeavors. However, Zhou Enlai, part of the Red Army leadership who later became the first Premier of the Peoples Republic of China, was wise to plant his own informants within Chiangs clan and thus keep him informed of later operations. His informants helped him and his commanders evade the assault that Chiang planned in 1934 and eventually lead the nation into communism by the late 40s.
The Soviet State was a failed attempt at introducing the country to communism. The nationalists felt constantly threatened by their presence and eventually besieged them for one final time in 1934, so as to topple this State within a State. The Jiangxi State, which had the most concentration of communists and served as their central government, was brought to its knees when the Chinese Red Army suffered many losses at the hands of the nationalists. This was mainly because of the mismanagement that the change in leadership provided. After the Jiangxi Soviet collapsed in 1934, the Soviet continued to exist formally and was only completely annulled in 1937.
Communist Revolution
After the peasants had seen the suffering and disarray that the nationalist governments antics caused during the Japanese occupation in the 40s, the rural districts were ready for a change. The war with the Japanese finally came to an end with them surrendering in 1945, but the traces of their wrath were spread far and beyond rural North China. Between 1943 and 1945, Raoyang and the rest of Heibei saw the worst cases of natural disaster that the country had seen in recent times. On top of that, the Japanese forces were bent upon using the little that was harvested for their own homeland and creating further shortages within rural China. Scarcity of food resources caused the peasants immense grievances over anything else.
According to estimates, 101 of 329 households sold their lands and tools to survive (Li). The shortage was so severe that people had to resort to selling whatever they had that could help them survive, even if it were their own children. The famine itself was not responsible for the rebellion however. Experts suggest that the root cause of all uprisings have to do with the depreciation of the social fabric of the state, which together with famine causes the people enough agony for them to get up and take a stand. The degree of desperation altered the psychology of the locals so adversely that people had to sell their own daughters to stay alive, sell themselves in prearranged prostitution, steal from others and betray. In such a state, morals disappear and give way to unadulterated obscenity. It would not matter if the person being stolen from is poorer or worse off as long as it satisfied the one stealing. Such was the situation of rural China in the late 30s and 40s.
The foresight of the communist few enabled them to procure the wealth of the rich in order to feed the poor beginning in 1938. This practice began in Wugong, a village in Raoyang County. The wealthy were taxed in order to literally save the lives of those with nothing. When the Japanese finally left in 1945, it began of a wave of socialist reform. The landlords were urged to forgo their property and leave. Those who posed threats to this regime change were uprooted and expelled from the land and forced to leave their property behind. The process involved the scheme of double reduction, lowering rents and interest rates alike (Li). Thus, the land was reallocated from the rich to the poor and desperately poor alike, so that now they had enough to grow on and sustain. Peasants were understandably relieved since now they had a way of living their lives without fear of uncertainties of food and sustenance. By March 1946, the process of reallocation of land was complete and rural North China was given a means to survive. The Communists were welcome to take over and in 1949 they did, forming the Peoples Republic of China.
Raoyang post 1949
CCP had managed to create a strong base in Wugong thanks to its continued resistance to the Japanese in the 40s, its measures to curb famine by taxing the rich, and converting the village into a prime example of success with organized cooperation amongst the peasants. As the curbs were placed on intra-village activities, concentration was had on the activities and incomes within the village. Wugong rose as a status symbol with its rise in per capita income and rural prosperity. Cultural group events were held within the village for people to meet and function even better as a unit. This was where they chose most of their brides as well. Up until the 80s Wugong thrived with cotton and wheat production becoming much more prosperous than the neighboring regions (Friedman, Pickowicz and Selden).
The socialist movement was led by Mao Zedong. During the collectivization, the rural villagers were restricted to trading within the natural village and were prohibited from engaging in inter-village commerce. Strict adherence to the rules was required by Mao Zedong as he advocated some drastic land reforms in favor of the poorpeasant population. He lodged the Great Leap Forward campaign in 1958 which, together with his other reforms geared towards collectivization created unprecedented levels of famine. The ferocity and self-belief of his campaigns could be judged by the fact that anti Maoist sentiments were rendered immediately punishable under his rule.
The collectivization, however, brought with it many hindrances. It created a pattern and market restrictions that kept the villagers from seeking women from places too far away from their own. Prior to the 1950s, the people of Raoyang County relied on other markets for their business as well as cultural developments but this was actively advocated against by Mao Zedong.
However, there was a fear within the villagers for a lack of inheritance and the continuation of the family as a result of collectivization (Li). The socialists created a new relationship between the family and the state and effectively put the latter in charge throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s. Wugong by this time had become the prime example of communist success with its relatively greater levels of prosperity. But in all this rush for prosperity and social integration, the socialists created shortages of food and further famine. The Great Leap Forward of Mao Zedong in 1958 proved a failure as it resulted in millions of deaths throughout China accredited to the famine resulting from them. The reeducation process started by Mao Zedong was flawed since it actively shunned those who were against Maoist principles and rendered severe punishments to them. Everyday life became even more difficult with the Cultural Revolution in 1966 which deployed the Red Guards to keep the ordinary citizen in check. Any non revolutionary action was immediately curbed with physical force. It brought education and public transport to a stand-still and politics became the epicenter of daily Chinese life up until the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. From here on out China saw a host of economic reforms and conflicts in the name of power but grew steadily both economically and socially.
It was urged that the limited success of the socialist movement was mainly due to the unchanged way of life the peasants were granted under the communist regime. The reason the peasants did not stand up and rebel was because of the grants of means of survival and the seemingly prosperous results Wugong depicted. It was the continuity of life and the desire for change for those in rural China who had seen constant bombardments of natural disasters of malnutrition and lack of resources that kept them from rebelling against the state, even though it was causing unfavorable results. The socialists were allowed to intervene as the peasants supported patriarchal authority with their non intellectual responses thereby creating further problems of famine and shortage of resources, directly attributed to economic mismanagement. The illusion of prosperity remained a prime deciding factor and the Maoists were thus allowed to enforce their ideologies upon the less-than-demanding rural population by the use of force. The result may have been a failed socialist state, but it gave China a clean slate to start building economically upon and become the world player it is today.
Raoyang was Chinas countryside and up until the end of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century was no more than a rural district. It had seen little in the way of prosperity and was dotted by peasants and low wage workers who managed themselves by farming crops and livestock. Textile was seemingly the only industry catering to the luxury market with silk as the main product but the County was largely attributed to agricultural produce. In the first half of the 20th century, counties in North China became victims to food shortages and famine that hindered economic prosperity greatly. The Qing dynasty ended its reign in 1917 and was replaced by the Republic of China which ruled till 1949.
During this era, the provincial governments sought to increase tax revenue from the rural provinces (such as Heibei) and were largely successful in doing so. The tax collection system wreaked much grief among the poor since the preferred system made the wealthy residents of a village pay on the poors behalf and later collect the same from them. This collection system gave rise to bullies, oppression from whom caused upheaval within the rural peasants who became increasingly inclined to a change in government. Moreover, beginning from 1939, the Japanese control of North China further curbed local prosperity as the Japanese resorted to exporting the agricultural produce to their homeland. In 1942 and 1943, the decline in crop production did not help Raoyangs case at all. These oppressive exports soon turned into a famine situation in North China and only added to the grievances of the people of Heibei. The Chinese peasantry was overworked and underpaid and was in desperate need of a change.
The looting and pillaging also undermined the capabilities of the honest worker and while Raoyang County itself was not as badly affected as the neighboring Counties (such as Pingshan County), living conditions were still progressively harsh paving way for the Communist take-over. The years 1942-1943 saw immense difficulties as the greater part of North China was hit with drought and famine affecting some hundreds of thousands of people. Raoyang was just as badly affected and was only kept going by the foresight of the Communist heads who taxed the rich in order to serve the poor. Their efforts were especially prominent in Wugong (Li). It was only their involvement in distributing the wealth from the poor to the peasants that kept some from dying of starvation. As a result, the rift towards a communist government became stronger as the support from the rural peasants grew.
The First Failed Attempt of the Chinese Communist Party
The communist party started off as early as 1931 when they tried to form a separate state within the Republic of China called the Chinese Soviet Republic. This Republic, led by Mao Zemin, had its own currency. They did not succeed for too long, and were met with resistance from the early start. Under Mao Zemins supervision, plenty of resistance was offered to the nationalists. However, this attempt at forming a separatist State was flawed because of the nationalist governments constant planning against these emerging communists. When Mao Zemin was later on removed from the communist Red Army leadership and replaced with other more militarily incompetent commanders, Chiang Kai-shek, the Nationalist leader, did well to blow the Communists out of the water and annihilate their group by a series of careful military endeavors. However, Zhou Enlai, part of the Red Army leadership who later became the first Premier of the Peoples Republic of China, was wise to plant his own informants within Chiangs clan and thus keep him informed of later operations. His informants helped him and his commanders evade the assault that Chiang planned in 1934 and eventually lead the nation into communism by the late 40s.
The Soviet State was a failed attempt at introducing the country to communism. The nationalists felt constantly threatened by their presence and eventually besieged them for one final time in 1934, so as to topple this State within a State. The Jiangxi State, which had the most concentration of communists and served as their central government, was brought to its knees when the Chinese Red Army suffered many losses at the hands of the nationalists. This was mainly because of the mismanagement that the change in leadership provided. After the Jiangxi Soviet collapsed in 1934, the Soviet continued to exist formally and was only completely annulled in 1937.
Communist Revolution
After the peasants had seen the suffering and disarray that the nationalist governments antics caused during the Japanese occupation in the 40s, the rural districts were ready for a change. The war with the Japanese finally came to an end with them surrendering in 1945, but the traces of their wrath were spread far and beyond rural North China. Between 1943 and 1945, Raoyang and the rest of Heibei saw the worst cases of natural disaster that the country had seen in recent times. On top of that, the Japanese forces were bent upon using the little that was harvested for their own homeland and creating further shortages within rural China. Scarcity of food resources caused the peasants immense grievances over anything else.
According to estimates, 101 of 329 households sold their lands and tools to survive (Li). The shortage was so severe that people had to resort to selling whatever they had that could help them survive, even if it were their own children. The famine itself was not responsible for the rebellion however. Experts suggest that the root cause of all uprisings have to do with the depreciation of the social fabric of the state, which together with famine causes the people enough agony for them to get up and take a stand. The degree of desperation altered the psychology of the locals so adversely that people had to sell their own daughters to stay alive, sell themselves in prearranged prostitution, steal from others and betray. In such a state, morals disappear and give way to unadulterated obscenity. It would not matter if the person being stolen from is poorer or worse off as long as it satisfied the one stealing. Such was the situation of rural China in the late 30s and 40s.
The foresight of the communist few enabled them to procure the wealth of the rich in order to feed the poor beginning in 1938. This practice began in Wugong, a village in Raoyang County. The wealthy were taxed in order to literally save the lives of those with nothing. When the Japanese finally left in 1945, it began of a wave of socialist reform. The landlords were urged to forgo their property and leave. Those who posed threats to this regime change were uprooted and expelled from the land and forced to leave their property behind. The process involved the scheme of double reduction, lowering rents and interest rates alike (Li). Thus, the land was reallocated from the rich to the poor and desperately poor alike, so that now they had enough to grow on and sustain. Peasants were understandably relieved since now they had a way of living their lives without fear of uncertainties of food and sustenance. By March 1946, the process of reallocation of land was complete and rural North China was given a means to survive. The Communists were welcome to take over and in 1949 they did, forming the Peoples Republic of China.
Raoyang post 1949
CCP had managed to create a strong base in Wugong thanks to its continued resistance to the Japanese in the 40s, its measures to curb famine by taxing the rich, and converting the village into a prime example of success with organized cooperation amongst the peasants. As the curbs were placed on intra-village activities, concentration was had on the activities and incomes within the village. Wugong rose as a status symbol with its rise in per capita income and rural prosperity. Cultural group events were held within the village for people to meet and function even better as a unit. This was where they chose most of their brides as well. Up until the 80s Wugong thrived with cotton and wheat production becoming much more prosperous than the neighboring regions (Friedman, Pickowicz and Selden).
The socialist movement was led by Mao Zedong. During the collectivization, the rural villagers were restricted to trading within the natural village and were prohibited from engaging in inter-village commerce. Strict adherence to the rules was required by Mao Zedong as he advocated some drastic land reforms in favor of the poorpeasant population. He lodged the Great Leap Forward campaign in 1958 which, together with his other reforms geared towards collectivization created unprecedented levels of famine. The ferocity and self-belief of his campaigns could be judged by the fact that anti Maoist sentiments were rendered immediately punishable under his rule.
The collectivization, however, brought with it many hindrances. It created a pattern and market restrictions that kept the villagers from seeking women from places too far away from their own. Prior to the 1950s, the people of Raoyang County relied on other markets for their business as well as cultural developments but this was actively advocated against by Mao Zedong.
However, there was a fear within the villagers for a lack of inheritance and the continuation of the family as a result of collectivization (Li). The socialists created a new relationship between the family and the state and effectively put the latter in charge throughout the 50s, 60s and 70s. Wugong by this time had become the prime example of communist success with its relatively greater levels of prosperity. But in all this rush for prosperity and social integration, the socialists created shortages of food and further famine. The Great Leap Forward of Mao Zedong in 1958 proved a failure as it resulted in millions of deaths throughout China accredited to the famine resulting from them. The reeducation process started by Mao Zedong was flawed since it actively shunned those who were against Maoist principles and rendered severe punishments to them. Everyday life became even more difficult with the Cultural Revolution in 1966 which deployed the Red Guards to keep the ordinary citizen in check. Any non revolutionary action was immediately curbed with physical force. It brought education and public transport to a stand-still and politics became the epicenter of daily Chinese life up until the death of Mao Zedong in 1976. From here on out China saw a host of economic reforms and conflicts in the name of power but grew steadily both economically and socially.
It was urged that the limited success of the socialist movement was mainly due to the unchanged way of life the peasants were granted under the communist regime. The reason the peasants did not stand up and rebel was because of the grants of means of survival and the seemingly prosperous results Wugong depicted. It was the continuity of life and the desire for change for those in rural China who had seen constant bombardments of natural disasters of malnutrition and lack of resources that kept them from rebelling against the state, even though it was causing unfavorable results. The socialists were allowed to intervene as the peasants supported patriarchal authority with their non intellectual responses thereby creating further problems of famine and shortage of resources, directly attributed to economic mismanagement. The illusion of prosperity remained a prime deciding factor and the Maoists were thus allowed to enforce their ideologies upon the less-than-demanding rural population by the use of force. The result may have been a failed socialist state, but it gave China a clean slate to start building economically upon and become the world player it is today.
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