Land Reform and Rural Policies under the Chinese Communists

Rural Classes  Landlords live primarily off the labor of others, get their wealth through renting their surplus of land, give high interest loans to villagers  Rich Peasants: are families with enough land to have some surplus grain at the end of the season (thus capital), and may even rent some land to others, give out loans  Middle Peasants: Families that break even. Have enough to eat, but little or no surplus, but likely no loans either—they usually don’t borrow or lend  Poor Peasant: Not enough land feed the family, they need loans to survive  Laborers, etc: no land at all

Land Reform  Progressive Taxation: tax the rich more than the poor  Interest Rate Reduction: make loans accessible and realistic  Rent Reduction Campaigns: most difficult, involves mobilization and active participation of poor peasants  Results: A gradual equalization of landholdings---a “Silent Revolution”

Rent Reduction  Experiments in grass roots activism  Peasant association: poor and middle peasants  Tactics: 1) venting grievances 2) settling accounts 3) group discussions