IGCSE History

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• Introduction to IGCSE
• The Road to Affluence: USA 1917 - 1941 (A9)
  • 1917 - 1929
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• International Relations 1919-1939 (A8)
  • Collective Security
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  • Appeasement
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    • Appeasement in action
• Revolution in China 1949 - 1996 (A14)
  • 1949 - 1976
    • China under Mao
    • Reform under Liu and Deng
    • The reasons for the Cultural Revolution
    • The impact of the Cultural Revolution
    • China 1971 - 1976
  • 1976 - 1996
    • The defeat of the Gang of Four
    • China under Deng Xiaoping
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• South-East Asia 1945 - 1900 (A15)
  • Indo-China
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    • The struggle for control of Malaya
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• Conflict and Crisis is the Middle East 1946 - 1996 (A16)
  • Unit overview
  • 1946 - 1967
    • The creation of Israel
    • The impact of the war of 1948 - 1949
    • The Suez Crisis
    • Superpower involvement in the Middle East
    • The Six Day War
  • 1967 - 1996
    • International terrorism
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• The First World War (B4)
  • The Schlieffen Plan
  • Deadlock on the Western Front
  • Gallipoli
  • The Somme and Passchendaele
  • The War at Sea
  • The defeat of Germany
• The USA 1917-1929 (B7)
  • The Roaring Twenties
  • Advertising and consumerism
  • New forms of entertainment
  • Prohibition
  • Gangsterism
  • Hollywood
• China under Mao Zedong 1949 - 1959 (B10)
  • The creation of the Communist State
  • Land Reform
  • Communist society
  • The First Five Year Pan
  • The 100 Flowers
  • The Great Leap Forward
• The Changing Nature of Warfare (C3)
  • Unit overview
  • Warfare at the beginning of the 20th Century
  • Land warfare
  • Sea and aerial warfare
  • Atomic and nuclear weapons
  • Warfare at the end of the 20th Century
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Communist society

The 1950s saw very mixed results from Mao’s reforms overall. Many of the economic reforms failed dismally, but in other respects there were real improvements for the Chinese people. Mao did make real efforts to improve the lives of the Chinese people and destroy some of the unpleasant aspects of traditional Chinese society. Unemployment fell dramatically and insurance was introduced. However, urban workers had no right to choose where they worked and were assigned jobs by state labour offices. This often had little regard for the individual's abilities and a job was usually for life. Residence permits prevented people moving, and it was virtually impossible for peasants to move to the cities. In fact Mao tried to force city dwellers to move to the countryside on several occasions.

The restrictions on industrial workers were part of Mao’s attempts to control the cities, which had been the strongest areas of the GMD’s support. Mao instinctively distrusted urban workers and all forms of technical experts. This distrust continued all of his life and became one of the reasons for the Cultural Revolution.

On the positive side, an eight-hour, six-day working week was introduced. Workers received one week paid holiday a year and up to three weeks 'family visiting' holiday. This was intended to compensate industrial workers for the lack of choice in where they worked. Retirement was introduced at 50-55 for women and 55-60 for men. Pensions were 60%-80% of income. Health services and education were free for all. Education became a right and was made compulsory. Housing, water, electricity and other services were all subsidised.

Mao also tried to improve the status of women in China. Before 1950 Chinese women had few rights and were considered to be second class citizens. Peasants wanted sons to work in the fields, so daughters were often sold as slaves or forced to marry. Men could be polygamous and women could be concubines. Some progress had been made under the GMD, but the changes had had little impact outside of the cities. In the countryside traditional values survived. Mao, however, introduced important reforms from 1950. Equality of the sexes in education, employment and pay was made law and women were given the right to own property for the first time. In 1950 the Marriage Law banned arranged marriages, polygamy, child betrothal and concubinage, although some practices continued. Divorce was allowed in China for the first time. Maternity benefits were introduced in 1951, including feeding time and nurseries in government run businesses.

There were some significant results from Mao’s policies. By the 1970s almost 50% of China's doctors were women and 30% of engineers and scientists, but there were only two female ministers, out of 29 and only one of the twelve vice-premiers was female. While the CCP preached equality and enforced it in society, it did not practise what it preached. The Party hierarchy continued to be dominated by old men

Mao's policies regarding women were somewhat undermined by his determination to increase the population as much as possible. Mao saw an increase in the population as a way of increasing the strength of the nation. Peasants wanted sons who could work in the fields. Mao wanted a larger population because he believed in the use of manpower for industrial progress. However, by the late 1950s the consequences of unlimited population increase were becoming obvious.

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