Needed to have an easy transition for peasants, workers and capitalists

Involved restructuring economy, social programs and politics

Country divided into 6 zones controlled by military until 1954

Treaty of Friendship w/ Russia (1945) – guaranteed Soviets Outer Mongolia, assured mutual defense, China agreed not to let anyone else to trade in Manchuria and Xinjuang

Mao believed US-Soviet rivalry the main political force on the world, nervous about a US-Soviet alliance to invade China

Mao believed US wanted to attack USSR but was not ready, so they attacked intermediate zones instead

US refused to acknowledge PRC, Mao made it difficult by imprisoning, kicking out or beating up American businessmen & ambassadors

CCP organized mass movements to connect public to important political decisions, giving them an active role in developments through marches, discussions, poster campaigns

Cadres were formed into 8 levels of command

Media: People’s Daily set up to spread propaganda and denounce anti-communism

Crime: crackdown on organized crime, abolished prostitution, rehabilitated opium addicts, outlawed gambling

Secret police similar to Russia’s KGB created to deal with KMT agents

Classes of people are created:

FIVE RED CATEGORIES SEVEN BLACK CATEGORIES

1. Poor/Middle Class Peasants

2. Workers3. Revolutionary

Soldiers4. Revolutionary

Cadres5. Dependents of

martyrs

1. Landlords2. Rich Peasants3. Reactionaries4. Bad Elements5. Rightists6. Traitors7. Spies

One Million fell under Black Category

Marriage: Free & consensual, no longer arranged, gave women equality

Forbidden: child marriage, polygamy, killing/selling children, feet binding

Health Clinics/Child care centers set up Education: literacy campaigns, focused

on science & Maoist ideas

Business taken from landlords & KMT Private business by National Capitalists Trade under state control Co-operatives Small individual business Banks nationalized Trade State stores set up State determines prices & wages By 1956 private sector gone, state

controls everything

Feudal/forced labor abolished Cadres dispersed in countryside Cadres set up local peasant

associations/militias Landlords refund rent Status of villager rises “Speak Bitterness” meetings for

villagers to denounce their oppressors

Property of rich given to peasants Some plots too small, cooperatives are

created Collectivization at first voluntary, by

1955 it’s compulsory, private ownership abolished

Trade unions organized on Soviet model converting workers into Party members

Five year Plan 1953 Competition among workers to fill quotas Stress underdeveloped interior (cities) Focus on Heavy Industry Large scale projects Army repaired railway system, built roads

and canals