How Was The American Revolution Influenced By Economic And Social Factors
Economic and social factors could be said to have played a prominent role in the coming to power of Mao, in that discontent was heavily influenced by peasants’ extremely poor economic situations as a result of both inflation and exploitation, which generated animosity towards the upper classes and hence the entire feudalistic system, as well as giving Mao an opportunity to appeal to the desperation of the peasants, for whom the prospect of his leadership in their eyes promised an infinitely more just and financially stable life. However many of the economic and social factors were a result of other, perhaps more heavily contributing factors such as the devastation brought upon China were primarily a result of the civil war in which they had
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been submerged as well as he weakness of the governmental structure and its inability to deal with the situation, which was then exploited by aspects of Mao’s ideology. These aspects in themselves had further contributions to the coming to power of Mao, which worked in addition to poor social and economic conditions in order to ensure that Mao emerged as an autocratic leader of China, meaning that although economic and social conditions were a crucial in the success of Mao’s ideology, it is unlikely that they are the main reason, due to the fact that their emergence and impact is so heavily reliant on other factors.
The presence of economic issues in the early 20th century such as high government taxes which contributed to resentment by the peasants in that they did not have enough to eat and were struggling to survive, particularly with the added financial pressure posed by inflation and corrupt government officials. This meant that an angered lower class arose that sought a form of justice, their continual exploitation meaning they were more likely to align with communist concepts such as those of revolution presented by Mao. This resulted in Mao gleaning the support of many peasants who were unsatisfied by their poor quality of life and was therefore able to utilise their assistance in order to be victorious in the civil war that ultimately brought him to power. However these economic issues only arose as a result of the weak governmental system, this is demonstrated by the fact that improvements were made under Jiang in 1928, who was able to formulate a new currency and promote industrial growth, exemplifying the way in which resentment toward the economy prior to the civil war was as a result of governmental corruption and inefficiency.
Furthermore, the economic conditions that occurred as a result of the civil war from 1946 to 1949 in which the Nationalist government printed more bank notes in order to pay for the cost of war stimulating hyperinflation, which, by May 1946 had caused prices to rise by 1000%, flowed by an additional 2000% by February 1974, lead to strikes and rebellions, demonstrating the way in which the increasing pressure made people disillusioned with the nationalist system and eager for a change in power structure, something Mao was ultimately able to provide and therefore stimulated their support for him and . However, hyperinflation although contributing to Mao’s coming to power was not only a direct result of the civil war, but additionally the government’s failure at tackling the situation efficiently, as they attempted to increase wages in order to combat the situation but this was ineffective as food companies merely raised prices. Furthermore had they undertaken their later actions in August 1948 more quickly, in which they introduced a gold uan as well as food rationing new takes and controlled wages there would perhaps not have been the economic collapse that occurred in 1949 as a result of their delay in an effective reaction that ultimately resulted in a barter economy. This extreme collapse of the economy would have further contributed to support for Mao as the current government was clearly unable to promise that there would be an improvement in economic situations, as they had failed to effectively rectify the situation and, although it could be argued if the nationalist had managed to restore the economy, peasants may have viewed them more positively it may not have necessarily impacted upon their alignment with Mao enough to cause his defeat in the Civil War, meaning that even economic restoration by the government may not have increased support for the GMD enough to prevent Mao’s coming to power. However if economy had been stable Mao’s dependability and auspicious control would be more questionable as people would have been less desperate and therefore not have lacked fundamental skills to uncover some of the finer somewhat contradictory elements of Mao's ideology.
Additionally, poor social conditions arising as a result of the class system produced resentment that was evident through Mao’s revolt of the peasants in Hunan in 1927.
The stark differences between Mao’s regime and the social structure under which peasants were living made them increasingly opposed to the nationalist government. Mao ensured the red army had a code of conduct toward the ordinary Chinese people and basic medical services and education services were provided. Peasants’ living and working conditions were also improved, in conjunction with the ending of usury, and hence the betterment of their financial standing. Not only did this improve the peasants views toward Mao but could have also meant that those who supported him were able to become more fundamental and economically advantaged citizens in society. Naturally, the appeal of Mao and what he had achieved in some areas created further antipathy towards the upper classes and a willingness to follow Mao in an almost unquestioning fashion. Peasants were encouraged by Mao to seize land from their landowners, particularly in Jiangxi where richer neighbours and landlords beaten or even murdered, this allowed Mao to eliminate the social class that was most likely to oppose his rule, as well as give the peasants confidence as to the superiority of the regime due to the betterment of their lives, all the while incriminating himself as little as possible, and maintaining the appearance of a heavily relatable leader from a similarly poor background as to those he was attempting to lead. However, the social conditions are merely exploited my Mao’s character and, in and of themselves, would be unlikely to lead to Mao coming to power, had Mao had weak ideological features, and not offered communism as an opportunity for a complete restructuring of social hierarchy, it is possible that Mao would not have come to power. However, alternatively the desperation of their situation may have resulted in even a weak
ideological alternative being viewed as superior to the current, failing, feudal like social arrangement under the nationalist, with which they had become disillusioned
Furthermore, in addition to stimulating the production of an unpopular social and economic climate, weaknesses of the political system in and of themselves contributed to Mao’s coming to power. China had had a weak and chaotic politic system since the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, after which subsequent power struggles occurred in which the warlords - who had taken control of provinces after the death of Yuan Shiaki in 1916- where overthrown by the GMD in 1927. This political instability demonstrates the ease with which previous governments were able to be replaced and therefore the way in which these precarious foundations on which the government was laid allowed Mao to seize power in 1949. If the political structure had been strong, Mao would not have been able to gain control of China, both because if all other contributing factors were still present but the government was strong they would have had the ability to eradicate communist opposition in the civil war and, in addition, with a more adept government economic issues would likely to not have been as prominent as there would not have been as much inefficiency and lack of reform. Furthermore, the GMD failed to build mass support, reliant instead on wealthy businessmen and warlords, who did not for the majority of the population, something that Mao recognised and utilised in his enlisting of support from the far more numerically dense lower classes which hence meant he had the support he needed to win the civil war as well as being able to eradicate the upper classes by encouraging their murder, upon whom the GMD had come to rely. The Russian Comintern was also established in 1919 which encouraged the formation of the Chinese communist part, leading to a rise in support of communism, something that may have contributed to the popularity of Mao. The current government’s failures in terms of propaganda and reform allowed a stark contrast between the nationalists and Mao, who was particularly concerned in emphasising reform and his peasantry background, further increasing lower class affinity for him.
The weakness of the government also contributed to its inability to deal with the consequences of Wars effectively, particularly after its efforts in WW1 in which 2,000 Chinese workers died helping allied efforts with the expectation of gaining back concessions occupied by the allies, but when instead these went to Japan, to which the Chinese government failed to react. This demonstrated to the people the inadequacy of their government in meeting their needs and their powerless as they were not offered a seat in the palace throughout the signing. This would have provided people with the impression that if their government was not respected by other powers there was little reasons why they should either respect or perpetuate its existence, when it was incapable of fighting for somethings that so many Chinese people had suffered for and was clearly highly important to the population, having stimulated student protests in Beijing and nationwide protest. It was likely to have raised the question of if the government was unable to react on something as serious as this how it would combat other issues, allowing people to explore more radical situations and be drawn to Mao’s communism which put significant emphasis on needs and representation of the people and which they would have been led to thinking could better represent them and hence would support Mao’s coming to power.
Moreover, the Japanese invasion assisted in strengthening the communist position in china and weakening the GMD, who were considered increasing inferior. The fact that the GMD
been submerged as well as he weakness of the governmental structure and its inability to deal with the situation, which was then exploited by aspects of Mao’s ideology. These aspects in themselves had further contributions to the coming to power of Mao, which worked in addition to poor social and economic conditions in order to ensure that Mao emerged as an autocratic leader of China, meaning that although economic and social conditions were a crucial in the success of Mao’s ideology, it is unlikely that they are the main reason, due to the fact that their emergence and impact is so heavily reliant on other factors.
The presence of economic issues in the early 20th century such as high government taxes which contributed to resentment by the peasants in that they did not have enough to eat and were struggling to survive, particularly with the added financial pressure posed by inflation and corrupt government officials. This meant that an angered lower class arose that sought a form of justice, their continual exploitation meaning they were more likely to align with communist concepts such as those of revolution presented by Mao. This resulted in Mao gleaning the support of many peasants who were unsatisfied by their poor quality of life and was therefore able to utilise their assistance in order to be victorious in the civil war that ultimately brought him to power. However these economic issues only arose as a result of the weak governmental system, this is demonstrated by the fact that improvements were made under Jiang in 1928, who was able to formulate a new currency and promote industrial growth, exemplifying the way in which resentment toward the economy prior to the civil war was as a result of governmental corruption and inefficiency.
Furthermore, the economic conditions that occurred as a result of the civil war from 1946 to 1949 in which the Nationalist government printed more bank notes in order to pay for the cost of war stimulating hyperinflation, which, by May 1946 had caused prices to rise by 1000%, flowed by an additional 2000% by February 1974, lead to strikes and rebellions, demonstrating the way in which the increasing pressure made people disillusioned with the nationalist system and eager for a change in power structure, something Mao was ultimately able to provide and therefore stimulated their support for him and . However, hyperinflation although contributing to Mao’s coming to power was not only a direct result of the civil war, but additionally the government’s failure at tackling the situation efficiently, as they attempted to increase wages in order to combat the situation but this was ineffective as food companies merely raised prices. Furthermore had they undertaken their later actions in August 1948 more quickly, in which they introduced a gold uan as well as food rationing new takes and controlled wages there would perhaps not have been the economic collapse that occurred in 1949 as a result of their delay in an effective reaction that ultimately resulted in a barter economy. This extreme collapse of the economy would have further contributed to support for Mao as the current government was clearly unable to promise that there would be an improvement in economic situations, as they had failed to effectively rectify the situation and, although it could be argued if the nationalist had managed to restore the economy, peasants may have viewed them more positively it may not have necessarily impacted upon their alignment with Mao enough to cause his defeat in the Civil War, meaning that even economic restoration by the government may not have increased support for the GMD enough to prevent Mao’s coming to power. However if economy had been stable Mao’s dependability and auspicious control would be more questionable as people would have been less desperate and therefore not have lacked fundamental skills to uncover some of the finer somewhat contradictory elements of Mao's ideology.
Additionally, poor social conditions arising as a result of the class system produced resentment that was evident through Mao’s revolt of the peasants in Hunan in 1927.
The stark differences between Mao’s regime and the social structure under which peasants were living made them increasingly opposed to the nationalist government. Mao ensured the red army had a code of conduct toward the ordinary Chinese people and basic medical services and education services were provided. Peasants’ living and working conditions were also improved, in conjunction with the ending of usury, and hence the betterment of their financial standing. Not only did this improve the peasants views toward Mao but could have also meant that those who supported him were able to become more fundamental and economically advantaged citizens in society. Naturally, the appeal of Mao and what he had achieved in some areas created further antipathy towards the upper classes and a willingness to follow Mao in an almost unquestioning fashion. Peasants were encouraged by Mao to seize land from their landowners, particularly in Jiangxi where richer neighbours and landlords beaten or even murdered, this allowed Mao to eliminate the social class that was most likely to oppose his rule, as well as give the peasants confidence as to the superiority of the regime due to the betterment of their lives, all the while incriminating himself as little as possible, and maintaining the appearance of a heavily relatable leader from a similarly poor background as to those he was attempting to lead. However, the social conditions are merely exploited my Mao’s character and, in and of themselves, would be unlikely to lead to Mao coming to power, had Mao had weak ideological features, and not offered communism as an opportunity for a complete restructuring of social hierarchy, it is possible that Mao would not have come to power. However, alternatively the desperation of their situation may have resulted in even a weak
ideological alternative being viewed as superior to the current, failing, feudal like social arrangement under the nationalist, with which they had become disillusioned
Furthermore, in addition to stimulating the production of an unpopular social and economic climate, weaknesses of the political system in and of themselves contributed to Mao’s coming to power. China had had a weak and chaotic politic system since the collapse of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, after which subsequent power struggles occurred in which the warlords - who had taken control of provinces after the death of Yuan Shiaki in 1916- where overthrown by the GMD in 1927. This political instability demonstrates the ease with which previous governments were able to be replaced and therefore the way in which these precarious foundations on which the government was laid allowed Mao to seize power in 1949. If the political structure had been strong, Mao would not have been able to gain control of China, both because if all other contributing factors were still present but the government was strong they would have had the ability to eradicate communist opposition in the civil war and, in addition, with a more adept government economic issues would likely to not have been as prominent as there would not have been as much inefficiency and lack of reform. Furthermore, the GMD failed to build mass support, reliant instead on wealthy businessmen and warlords, who did not for the majority of the population, something that Mao recognised and utilised in his enlisting of support from the far more numerically dense lower classes which hence meant he had the support he needed to win the civil war as well as being able to eradicate the upper classes by encouraging their murder, upon whom the GMD had come to rely. The Russian Comintern was also established in 1919 which encouraged the formation of the Chinese communist part, leading to a rise in support of communism, something that may have contributed to the popularity of Mao. The current government’s failures in terms of propaganda and reform allowed a stark contrast between the nationalists and Mao, who was particularly concerned in emphasising reform and his peasantry background, further increasing lower class affinity for him.
The weakness of the government also contributed to its inability to deal with the consequences of Wars effectively, particularly after its efforts in WW1 in which 2,000 Chinese workers died helping allied efforts with the expectation of gaining back concessions occupied by the allies, but when instead these went to Japan, to which the Chinese government failed to react. This demonstrated to the people the inadequacy of their government in meeting their needs and their powerless as they were not offered a seat in the palace throughout the signing. This would have provided people with the impression that if their government was not respected by other powers there was little reasons why they should either respect or perpetuate its existence, when it was incapable of fighting for somethings that so many Chinese people had suffered for and was clearly highly important to the population, having stimulated student protests in Beijing and nationwide protest. It was likely to have raised the question of if the government was unable to react on something as serious as this how it would combat other issues, allowing people to explore more radical situations and be drawn to Mao’s communism which put significant emphasis on needs and representation of the people and which they would have been led to thinking could better represent them and hence would support Mao’s coming to power.
Moreover, the Japanese invasion assisted in strengthening the communist position in china and weakening the GMD, who were considered increasing inferior. The fact that the GMD