The Structure of Government, 1949-1954

What was the government structure of the PRC?

When the CCP formed its first government, it needed to make it effective and able to control all of China.

What new name did Mao Zedong give to China?

Mao declared victory in the civil war by renaming the Republic of China, making it the People's Republic of China (PRC).

What was the date of the announcement of the PRC?

Mao Zedong declared the People's Republic of China on October 1st, 1949.

Where did Mao Zedong declare the PRC?

The declaration took place in Tiananmen Square in Beijing, the new capital of the PRC.

How did Mao Zedong structure the new central government of the PRC?

Mao Zedong designed the central government in a way that would keep power focused in his hands. He organised it in the following 8 ways:

• ❖ Mao Zedong became the head of state.
• ❖ Mao's close ally, Zhou Enlai, became Prime Minister and Foreign Minister.
• ❖ Other close allies, such as Lin Bao, commanded the military.
• ❖ Mao was the head of the Politburo, which was made up of 25 leading communists and decided all important matters.
• ❖ A parliament was formed called the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (PCC). It acted like a parliament, but directives from the Politburo were handed down for it to put into effect across the PRC.
• ❖ The Red Army was renamed the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and would be used to maintain order and reconstruct the country.
• ❖ There were only 750,000 communist cadres to work in government positions. Over 2 million former GMD officials kept their jobs so their expertise could be used to administer the country.
• ❖ In 1954 a permanent constitution was created along with a new, national parliament; the National People's Congress (NPC).

How did Mao Zedong organise the PRC?

Mao Zedong's overall plan was to set up a single party state in which everyone would obey the Communist Party. He planned to achieve this by organising the PRC through the following 7 policies:

• ❖ China was divided into 6 regions.
• ❖ Each region would be ruled by four key officials: a chairman, a party secretary, a military commander and a political commissar.
• ❖ Each region set up councils to run each section of it, down to the cities, towns and villages. These councils were dominated by communists.
• ❖ Democratic centralism ensured the councils would be relied on to be loyal to any orders from central government.
• ❖ The military commander and the political commissar were from the military. Through them, the PRC was put under military control in the early years.
• ❖ A reunification campaign was started. The least loyal regions of the PRC, Tibet, Guangdong and Xinjiang, each had an army sent to put them under full military occupation.
• ❖ The People's Liberation Army was used as labour to rebuild roads, dams, factories and railways across the country.