In 1949 when Mao Zedong rose to power as both Chairman of the ruling Communist Party and Chairman leader of China, he faced the "superhuman" (Lowe) task of controlling and organizing a country of more than 600 million people. The past half-century had left China weak and divided; this was due to class warfare (Boxer Rebellion), warlord law, the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, and the inefficient rule of the Nationalist party (KMD). He first set about unifying the vast nation by means of creating a dependable and solid line of communication everywhere from Beijing. He emphasized China was for the Chinese, and his policies of anti-foreigners, pro-proletariat reflected this.
This social reform successfully united a huge workforce and thus brought the nation a step closer to reaching its economic potential. Also propelling China forward was the reform of agriculture and industry; Mao's 1st and 2nd 5 Year Plans (the latter commonly known as The Great Leap Forward and significantly less successful than the first) changed how China operated forever. The cult of Mao waxed and waned throughout his regime: while it reached an epic low point in the 100 Flowers Campaign, Mao was the subject of near fanatic adulation during the Cultural Revolution.
[...] Account for the successes and failures of Mao Zedong's regime from 1949-1975 Introduction In 1949 when Mao Zedong rose to power as both Chairman of the ruling Communist Party and Chairman leader of China, he faced the “superhuman” (Lowe) task of controlling and organizing a country of more than 600 million people. The past half-century had left China weak and divided; this was due to class warfare (Boxer Rebellion), warlord law, the Japanese occupation of Manchuria, and the inefficient rule of the Nationalist party (KMD). [...]
[...] After these moderate successes came Mao's milestone 1st Five Year Plan (1956). It completed the processes of nationalization of industry and land, multiplied the urban population by two and led to a 9% growth in heavy industry output. Collectivization was a gradual and mostly peaceful process; by 1956, 95% of peasants were in co-operatives where they shared land and equipment (Lowe). By 1958 no privately farmed land was allowed at all. However, government investment in agriculture was low in comparison to Mao's focus on heavy industry; this lead to a relatively slow growth in agricultural output of only 3.6% p.a. [...]
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