How I revised for IB HL History

History is hard. There's a lot to remember and there isn't much time. But, you can make it easy for yourself by preparing well throughout the two years, and, utilizing revision techniques that work for you! Here's what I did for HL History. Throughout the two-year course:  Taking notes from teacher's powerpoints (linked here) Taking …

The impact of Mao’s policies on women and minorities

Women in China Background: pre-Mao Historically, Chinese women had been among the most repressed in the world. Imperial China had been a patriarchal society, Confucian ideals held that a woman must obey her husband: Loyalty of minister and officials to the emperor, respect of children from their parents, obediences of wives to their husbands Very …

Social changes under Mao

Literacy The PRC wanted to raise the education levels for China 1949: 20% literate 1950s: national system of primary educated established 1955: Mandarin language reform (pinyin - standardised) (80% used this) 1976: 70% literate Children’s Pioneer Corps, New Democratic Youth Leagues 1955: New, standard form of Mandarin adopted Before this, there was no one language …

Cultural changes under Mao

The arts Cultural revolution, May 1966 - attack on “Four Olds” ⇒ ideas, customs, habits and traditions Only art that reflected the revolutionary spirit was accepted e.g. Daizhao, posters Depicted strong peasant, soldiers and workers Artists e.g. calligraphers, subject to humiliation, re-education and torture “Black painting” exhibitions of works that did not reflect the political …

Political changes under Mao

Structure of government Highly centralised system of Party Control By 1949 - power rested within the CCP, dominated all political and administrative institution at every level 1960s - 18 million members of the CCP Party politics = Democratic Centralism, CCP “I will listen but my decision has to be obeyed” Local Party < National Party …

Economic changes under Mao

Early changes Agrarian Reform Law, June 1950 Sent CCP to countryside to redistribute land Taught peasants to identify social class “rich” “middle” “poor” People’s Courts, speak bitterness sessions ⇒ denounced ⇒ land confiscated (rich peasants) 47 million hectares of land redistributed, 300m peasants 2-4 million landlords killed and not many poor peasants had the expertise …

Terror and intimidation in Communist China

Denunciation: They were a key method on Mao’s reaction towards the ‘enemies’ of the revolution Many denunciations were very high profile In 1955, Hu Feng, an intellectual critical of the communist attack on writes, was denounced in the People’s Daily Mao personally wrote commentaries against him Hu Feng was tried in secret and imprisoned for …

Foreign Policy of Communist China

Bandung conference, 1955 Mao appears to be the leader of Communist world Discussed peace, Cold war, economic development and colonization Sino-Soviet rift Khrushchev’s destalinization → accused of betraying the revolution Deng argued/yelled at Conference of communist Parties, Visit to Beijing in 1958 + War with Taiwan (almost) → Khrush did not support CCP = reckless! …

Nature, extent and treatment of opposition in Communist China

  The Hundred Flowers Campaign (1957) and Anti-Rightist movement   Called on members to debate issues facing China Initially minor attacks → progressed to attacks on Mao Those who spoke out were considered ‘rightists’ and were imprisoned in Anti-Rightist Movement (1957)  = Mao launched, Deng Xiaoping led Half a million people labelled "rightists" → committed …

Use of propaganda in establishing Communist China

Propaganda Mass Campaigns They put up wall posters and ran discussion groups, accusation groups (when people got together to talk about their own and others’ failures to be good Communists), story-telling groups and memory meetings. Mass organizations workers through trade unions, students, youth, and women. Their purpose was to "penetrate society, to bring vast sections …