Rule of one or compare 2 (Mao + Castro)
POLITICAL
MAO
ORGANIC LAW – 1949
Law that determined that the PRC (People’s Republic of
China) was a democratic dictatorship lead by the
communist party.
Stayed in place until the creation of the constitution.
CONSTITUTION – 1954
The Chinese model of the Soviet Union’s Constitution of
Lenin’s “democratic centralism”
ELECTIONS
The Chinese population only the CCP (Chinese Communist
Party) in place
100 FLOWER CAMPAIGN – 1956
Encouraged the population to speak freely on the political
party, the CCP. This allowed them to single out those in
opposition and put them into the Laogai System prison
camps
FOREIGN POLICY
MAO
KOREAN WAR
Stalin convinced Mao to ‘save’ North Korea from the
south which resulted in the death of millions of deaths,
including Mao’s own son.
SINO-SOVIET RELATIONS
Mao received a sizable loan from the USSR during Stalin’s
70th celebrations.
After Khrushchev came to power, his “Secret Speech”
which denounced Stalin’s “cult of personalities”. This
caused friction between China and USSR as Moa saw this
as a propaganda gift to the west.
Border Conflicts along the Ussuri River in 1969 -> showed
the split between the nations.
UNITED NATIONS - 1971
UN granted the PRC to take over the seat at the Security
council over Taiwan, giving Mao a veto and boosting their
international prestige
SINO-AMERICAN RELATIONS - 1972
Nixon visited Mao
CASTRO
SOCIALIST DECLARATION – 1961
Declared Cuba a socialist state after the Bay of Pigs
Invasion
PEOPLE POWER CONSTITUTION – 1976
Castro refused to hold elections until the people power
constitution was put in place. Cubans could only vote for
communist candidates
ELECTIONS
Could only vote for communist candidates under the new
People Power Constitution of 1976
COMMITTEES OF DEFENSE OF THE REVOLUTION
Organisation of ‘neighbourhood watch’ to root out
political opponents.
FORCED RESIGNATION OF PR. URRUTIA
Castro wanted total control over the government which
was in coalition -> forced their resignation
MURDER OF 500 BATISTA SUPPORTERS
Public executions of Batista supporters
=elimination of political opposition
CASTRO
NON-ALLIGNED MOVEMENT – 1979
120 countries that weren’t formally aligned with a major
power block joined together to condemn USSR’s brutal
invasion of Afghanistan. Castro was elected leader but
refused to make a statement condemning the USSR’s
actions, causing him to lose credibility amongst the 120
nations.
USA and ANGOLA – 1975
Henry Kissinger suggests that trade and diplomatic
relations between the USA and Cuba could improve if
Castro stopped supporting revolutionaries in Angola and
Nicaragua. Castro refused.
OPERATION CARLOTA
After Angola won independence, civil war broke out.
Castro deployed 50,000 troops to help the Left wing
defeat the right wing (which was supported by the USA
and South Africa)
COMECON – 1972
After the failed attempt of the 10-million-ton sugar crop,
Castro hands over the Cuban economy to the USSR.
 ECONOMICS
MAO
AGRARIAN REFORM LAW – 1950
Collectivisation of private land and redistributed to the
peasantry. The villagers held “struggle meetings” where
they spoke “bitterness” against the landlords, forcing
them to offer “self-confessions” regarding greed. Around
5 million landlords were lynched.
FIVE-ANTIS MOVEMENT – 1952
Attack on financial corruption. Employees encouraged to
inform on bosses who then had to participate in “Struggle
meetings”, 2 to 3 million businessmen committed suicide.
FIRST FIVE YEAR PLAN – 1953
Replaces peasant ownerships from Agrarian reform law
with collectivisation of agriculture. The idea was that the
more a family contributed to the setting up or labour of
the collectivising farm, the larger share they’d receive.
This pursued mass industrialisation with a focus on coal
and steel.
GREAT LEAP FORWARD – 1958
Merging of the already collectivised farms with more to
create a larger section.
ANTI-PEST CAMPAIGNS
Rats and birds were exterminated because they eat the
grain before it was harvested -> leading to crops being
overrun with insects
SPEDO-SCIENTIFIC METHODS
They adopted Russian agricultural methods such as “deep
ploughing” which led to a leap in production followed by a
sudden collapse due to soil exhaustion.
GREAT FAMINE
Resulting in the great famine, which claimed the lives to
around 50 million Chinese.
ATTEMPT TO SAVE ECONOMY
Farmers were encouraged to sell their surplus stocks and
to increase grain production.
CASTRO
NATIONALISATION OF US BUSINESS AND US REACTION
Castro in line with his socialist beliefs, nationalised US
businesses and in protest, President Eisenhower banded
American oil companies in Cuba to process crude oil from
the USSR.
Further, Castro then nationalised the Cuban oil industry
resulting in the US cutting its quota of Cuban sugar
imports.
China, USSR, and SUGAR
As the US cut its quota of Cuban sugar imports, Cuba
turned to the USSR and China.
CHE GUEVARA and JUCEPLAN– 1962
Che became Minister of industries with the goal of rapid
economic growth. Che diversified the economy by
imposing a central planning economy called JUCEPLAN
and the institute of Agrarian Reform.
He rejected wage incentives.
Productivity therefore collapsed and food rationing had to
be introduced.
Che shortly after resigned from his position.
REVOLUTIONARY OFFENSIVE – 1968
Despite the stagnating economy, Castro launches his new
offensive which paid everyone the same wages regardless
of quantity or quality of their work.
This caused a collapse in productivity and force Castro to
reconsider some policies.
TEN MILLION TON SUGAR CROP – 1970
Called upon everyone to get into the fields to propel sugar
production. They fell short of their target by 1.5 million
and left the economy heavily reliant on international sugar
prices.
After the failed attempt of the 10-million-ton sugar crop,
Castro hands over the Cuban economy to the USSR.
 SOCIAL
MAO
EDUCATION
Students were encouraged to join political organisations
created by the CCP.
The Chinese adopted the Soviet education system and
even translated soviet textbooks to be used in Chinese
schools
WOMEN - MARRIAGE LAW – 1950
The 1950 marriage law abolished arranged marriages and
introduced gender equality. To be married women at 18
and men at 20, had to be consensual and both be equal
partners.
However, when women wanted to divorce, they were
intimidated, threatened, and beaten. Mao made it difficult
for women to get abortion and women’s politics wasn’t
advanced either.
HEALTH
There wasn’t much of a nationwide health care system
until the 1960s when the Barefoot doctors were
introduced due to various new diseases such as “big belly”
cause by the bacteria from river water that was drunk by
the poorer community. Peasants went through an intense
6-month training course where they learned not only
medical knowledge but basic hygiene like washing hands.
GREAT PROLETARIAT CULTURAL REVOLUTION
In 1966 -> Mao famously swam across the Yangtze rover
to show the world he was still as strong as ever and very
much in control.
CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE FOUR OLD
(“old ideas, culture, customs and habits”)
Started the great proletariat revolution
RED GUARDS
Young bands of “red guards” engaged in destruction
under slogans such as “to rebel is justified”. Millions went
on a total rampage destroying temples, libraries, and
museums.
Mao started to lose control of the movement and called
upon Lin Biao to control them. He sent thousands of them
into the mountains to “learn from the peasants”.
This was a whole generation that missed out on education
creating economic and political setbacks.
LITTLE RED BOOK
A book composed of Mao’s quotes.
It became a staple of Chinese education and became a
secular bible.
Thousands of Chinese gathered in Tiananmen square
waving their book in the air in support of Mao
= Propaganda
CASTRO
EDUCATION
1961 -> Baby boom causes the need for a rapid expansion
in education as literacy rates were at the low of 25%.
Castro established free schooling and provided
scholarships for poor bright students = illiteracy was
wiped out
Nevertheless, the curriculum had heavy political
reference.
WOMEN
The Federation of Cuban Women was formed (FMC) by
Vilma Espin, Raul Castro’s wife.
PLAN JABA
Allowed women to order food in the morning and pick it
up ready in the evening after work etc.
FAMILY CODE
The FMC equalised the status of men and women in the
Family Code 1975, encouraging women into the workforce
by providing paid maternity leave and abortions.
Gender discrimination in the workplace could be punished
up to 2-year imprisonment.
HEALTH
1961 -> Baby boom causes the need for a rapid expansion
in healthcare.
He created a free national healthcare system. There even
was a mass vaccination program that eradicated polio.
Thousands of Cuban doctors (Army of the white coats)
had even volunteered to serve in developing countries.
ARTS and CULTURE
1961 -> creation of the First Congress of Cuban Writers
and Artists
He pledged generous subsidies for ballet, cinema, and
music.
Gave financial support to the Cuban baseball team.
The Cuban National Ballet company emerged as one of
the top dancing companies in the world and supported
the Nuevo Trova, which fused Cuban traditional music
with a political message.
The GREY PERIOD - CENSORSHIP
Castro inflicted heavy censorship on authors and artists.
1971 – Heberto Padilla was tortured until he ‘admitted’ he
was an enemy of the people.
 MINORITIES
MAO CASTRO
REUNIFICATION CAMPAIGNS CIVIL RIGHTS
After coming to power Mao seized all outlying provinces, Castro Supported ethnic minorities. In his “Proclamation
putting them forcibly under control. against discrimination” 1959, he outlawed segregation
RELIGION and fostered warm relations with Nelson Mandela and
Communism’s view on religion was that it was a capitalist Malcom X.
invention. Therefore, not only in fear of that but also in GAY RIGHTS
fear of separatism, Mao banned the practice of religion However, he persecuted homosexuals. Gay men were
even traditional Chinese ones such as Buddhism. sent into prison work camps (UMAPS) for re-education
and labour.
UMAPS were closed in 1968, and homosexuality was
legalised in 1979. Castro apologised to the LGBT
community in 2010.
EMIGRANTS
1980 -> the regime was drained by a falling birth-rate and
a sense of hopelessness.
The same year a busload of Cubans barged into the
ground of the Peruvian embassy begging for asylum.
MARIEL BOATLIFT
Castro stated that any ‘scum’ wanting to leave cuba could
do so and emigrate to the USA.
Castro tried to turn things to his advantage by forcing
thousands of who he saw as ‘social trash’ (mentally ill or
prisoners) onto the boats.