Mao's successes and failures

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NB - The official verdict of the central committee in 1981 concluded that Mao had been 70% correct, with 30% mistakes.

Political:

Success -

Strong ventral government established

Country United

No opposition

Got rid of gangs

Became a great power

Enjoyed mass support - especially from young.

Failure -

No involvement by people - PLA and CCP had all power

CCP control established via war (Korea) not popular consent

Chinese state exercised power in arbitrary way - no human rights, free speech, conscience etc.

Mao's withdrawal from politics after famine (1962) suggests he got it wrong

Frequent power struggles and purges (Rao Rushi and Gao Gang; Anti-rightist campaign; Cultural revolution - lost control)

Sacked important (and often capable) people like Liu and Deng to show authority

Economic:

Success -

SOEs allowed great production in industry. Steel production tripled between 50s and 70s

5 year plans increased production

Several industries created from scratch - e.g. machine tools/manufacturing/electricity/nuclear power

Increased industrial output = 10.2% average between 1957-72 (other low income countries average = 5.4%)

Better communication meant food production kept up with population growth

Industrial output increased by 13 times

Rail network doubled

Failure -

Failed to significantly industrialize

Famine 1958-62 (30 million dead)

1st 5 year plan falsified statistics

Too dependent on USSR and Lysenkoism

Great leap forward - silly ideas because intellectuals had been purged (backyard furnaces)

Unpopularity of collectivisation

Economic progress slowing in the 70s - not helped by China's isolation

Cultural revolution - industrial output fell by 14% in 1967

Income gap between urban and rural poor increased

Social:

Success -

Better position for women - could own land

Marriage law 1950

Literacy figures rose to 70% (96% of children in 1976)

Written form of Mandarin established - Pinyin

More social fairness - landlordism abolished

SOEs provided health care, education and housing

Life expectancy doubled

Opium addiction ended

1 million extra doctors

Failures -

Only 35% educated beyond the age of 12

Killed millions

Religion attacked - loss of values

Intellectuals persecuted - led to inexperience dominating economic policy

Advances made by women wiped out during famine

Education of millions disrupted during the cultural revolution

Prostitution and corruption

Cultural:

Success -

Mandarin

Sense of unity

Failures -

Cultural vandalism - destruction of monuments

Destruction of Confucian values

Tibet

Religion made inaccessible

Foreign:

Success -

Took on US in Korean War and drew!

Joined UN in 1971 - gained respect

Better relations with USA

Failure -

Isolated

Poor and worsening relations with the USSR worked against China economically

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