Compare and Analyze the political, social and economic affects of Mao's regime from 1950-1957.
With this investigation I seek to compare and evaluate the political, economic and social effects of Mao's regime. The majority of this investigation will outline some of Mao's great reforms such as the Agrarian reform, the Three and Five Antis Movements and the First Five Year Plan. The objectives of each plan will be discussed with emphasis on the political, economic and social effects. I will assess the results of each of the political, economic and social effects to see which had the greatest effect on the people of China. The main sources that will be used in reference are Mao TseTung and China, Mao's China and After, and China's Economy and the Maoist Strategy.
B. In 1951, Mao launched a campaign called the Three Antis Movement. The goal of this movement was "to oppose corruption, waste and bureacratism" (Fitzgerald 80). Mao was trying to eliminate all his political opponents and other "counterrevolutionaries" so that he would have only those intellectuals he wanted. The movement attacked capitalists, merchants, financiers and members of the CCP. L.P. Fitzgerald and Maurice Meisner both point out that Mao also instigated "reindoctrination", otherwise known as brainwashing. The following year, Mao implemented the Five Antis Campaign. The goal of this campaign was to oppose "bribery, tax evasion, fraud, leakage of state industrial secrets and theft of state property" (Fitzgerald pg. 80). This led to the end of capitalist industry as much of it was slowly collectivized. Business owners were reduced to employees or managers and had no say in the policy and direction of the business. Mao slowly had the economy come under the control of one central group.
Following the initiation of the Five Antis Campaign in 1952, Mao launched the Agrarian Reforms. His ultimate goal with the land reforms was to give the land to the peasants, establish communes and abolish the landlord class.
