Land Reform in China

Paper Summary:

This paper studies the reasons behind as well as the effects on society of the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) land reform policy of the early 1950s. It examines how, when the Communist Party came to power in China in 1949, it became evident that there would finally be a complete overhaul of government policies. It also analyzes how land reform in a predominantly agriculturally based economy was essential to the creation of a new social order and the eradication of the previous Qing and Guomindang elements.

From the Paper:

"The living conditions and quality of life for many peasants before land reform, or Liberation were certainly very low. This gave the Communist Party a distinct advantage; most peasants had nothing to lose, and the idea of a society that would empower the exploited classes should prove immediately popular. However, there were setbacks. Although the peasants had nothing to lose, landlords, wealthy peasants and people related to the Guomindang were extremely worried, and this resulted in many people fleeing, to Hong Kong in particular. Many peasants were reluctant to join the revolution, being fearful of retribution should the Guomindang come back into power. They had never been involved in political life before, did not understand Marxist ideology, and could not perceive the class struggles within which they were told they were caught up. For this reason it was necessary to raise their class consciousness, a daunting task since peasants were mostly badly educated. Educated people who might be able to understand the Communist Party's social policies were often unwilling to wait around and find out the outcomes of these policies."

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