Homework 6

Three Tactics/Methods used by Mao to conquer China and secure power.

1. The Chang Chung model
   One of Mao's methods was to starve cities. This method was used in the city of Changchung, Manchuria in May 1948. It was a result of a failed direct assault led by Mao's communist armies. The idea was to starve the city into surrender and to "strictly ban civilians from leaving the city," said Lin Bao. Civilians were not allowed out of the city; those who had managed to leave were "persuaded" by Communists to return, and those who evaded the communist entered No Man's land where they died of the starvation they would have died from anyway in their homes. The city of Changchung was starving. The civilians were living off of tree leaves and grass. Aside from starving in their homes and on the streets, civilians were abused physically by soldiers. The civilian population had dropped from 500,000 people to 170,000 by the end of the five month starvation period. This model and method was used in other cities, says this source, but the other cities are not listed.
2. Communists exploited the citizens that lived in their own territories. Men of working age were drafted into the Red Army or were forced to work at the front, performing various bits of dangerous labor. The communists had conscripted over 1.5 milion laborers in Manchuria alone. Another 1.5 million were conscripted in the Peking-Tianjin campaign and 5.43 million in teh Huai-Hai campaign. 
3. The method of psychological warfare was another method used by the communists to conquer china. A main factor used in this method was the lack of food the Nationalists faced. Soldiers in the nationalist army would kill each other to acquire food and relied heavily on supplies that were never enough. The communists employed the use of loudspeakers to convey a bribe message to the nationalists. "Hey, Chiang Kaishek, we've got pancakes here, come on over and eat." This method caused many nationalist soldiers to convert to communism, thus further weakening the Nationalist army and furthering the Communists along to victory over China.

Differences in the Portrayal of Communists and their treatment to common People.

1. A major difference in this source from other sources, primarily the China Since 1900 source, is how the communists were badly treating peasants. The Brooman book clearly puts the communists in a better light, for it focuses primarily on the poor treatment the Nationalists gave to civilians. Brooman focuses on thing the Communists did for the peasants, whereas this source cites specific poor treatment towards peasants as a result of communist actions. 
2. The land reform was not previously seen as bad treatment. Brooman describes the land reform the communist started as taking away land from the rich and giving it to the poor. This land reform had negative effects, but Brooman makes the idea seem beneficial for the people. Chapter 30 of Mao the Untold Story describes how land reform was not primarily to give land to the people, but to "struggle against landlord" and promote violence. 
3. ?

Practices of the Chinese Civil War

1. A major and effective practice of the Chinese Civil war was starving cities and civilians to force surrender. This practice was used in Chanchung and other Nationalist controlled territories with beneficial effects for the Communist army. The idea was to blockade cities to force people to stay inside. Those who left were killed or forced back into the city where they would eventually die from hunger anyway. The Communists allowed people to leave who were beneficial to their cause, such as doctors. Those who were not useful were forced to die of hunger unless the Nationalists surrendered. 
2. Another practice of the civil war explained in this source was the use of mass campaigns. These mass campaigns were rallies that promoted class warfare. This practice called upon civilians to speak out against those who oppressed them, mainly landlord. It was a practice that employed the use of scapegoats. It was effective to an extent. It promoted communist ideologies and turned peasants more against the rich.

Examples of Total War

1. A total war is when every available resource is used to fight in battle. The communist went beyond direct assaults and used food as a weapon, for example starving cities and bribing Nationalists with food to surrender or convert to communism. Civilians were used as weapons as well. The civilians were used to speak out against rich and kill them. 
2. Another example of total war is targeting civilians and attacking them. Many peasants lost their houses; they were destroyed to prove fuel for cooking and materials to build bridges. This chapter specifically states that "the whole of Communist-held territory was turned into a giant war machine encompassing every aspect of a person's life." People were forced to work day and night for the war.

Land Reform

1. Land reform was supposed to be, and appeared to be, the Communist policy of redistributing land from the rich to the poor. This was employed in the fight against the Nationalists. This reform was not as it was said to be. Mao's main policy was not in fact to provide more land for the poor and less for the rich. Instead Mao only cared about a policy called dou-di-zhu, or "Struggle against the landlords." This meant that violence against the relatively better off was to be used and followed through. This caused class warfare through the "speak bitterness campaigns. Landlords and other oppressors were abused, stoned to death, hung from legs and wrists, and beat to death with farming tools by peasants. Land reform was not about giving land to the poor. It was about using the rich as scapegoats.

Mao's Main Aim

1. "Mao's main aim was to secure power, not to improve the lives of the peasants. To what extent to you agree with this statement?"
   Based on this source alone, I do agree with this statement. Mao claims that he was for the people, and wanted to make their lives better, but his actions say something different. Mao starved cities to hurt the army of the nationalist soldiers. But he did more than hurt the army. His war practice killed over 300,000 people in one city alone. And not only was Mao killing civilians that supported the nationalists, but he was exploiting his own supporters. He set up a draft that forced them to fight or work day and night. Over 7million people were forced to work and fight, many against their will. Mao's armies, upon his orders, attacked citizens who spoke against them. And even when Mao's power was almost completely secure, he started class warfare. Civilians were allowed to speak out against other civilians. Doing so caused grave consequences for those spoken against, and not doing so had just as a bad a consequence.