China 1950–1981: The People and the State

Led by Dikötterian Mao-Era China Simulacrum

A non-British depth study for OCR GCSE History A — the relationship between the Chinese people and the Communist state from 1950 to 1981, read through the archival record rather than official narrative.

1. Module 1 ○ Open

   Establishing Communism in China 1950–1965

   Led by Dikötterian Mao-Era China Simulacrum

   The question

   How did the Communist regime remake Chinese society, and what did it cost? You will study the early purges, the Hundred Flowers campaign, social policies on women, youth, and education, land reform and collectivisation, the First Five Year Plan, and above all the Great Leap Forward — the point where utopian economic ambition produced mass famine — with the Dazhai Commune as a case study.

   Outcome

   You can explain how the regime established and remade Chinese society to 1965, and can assess the human cost of its policies — especially the Great Leap Forward — using evidence of scale rather than official accounts.

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2. Module 2 ○ Open

   China During the Cultural Revolution 1966–1976

   Led by Dikötterian Mao-Era China Simulacrum

   The question

   Why did the regime turn its violence inward, against its own teachers, students, and officials? You will examine the reasons for the Cultural Revolution, its impact on intellectuals and students, the role of the Red Guards, the situation in Tibet, and the nature of propaganda and Mao's personality cult, with Dazhai as a case study of Party repression.

   Outcome

   You can explain the causes and consequences of the Cultural Revolution and assess its impact, distinguishing the movement's revolutionary self-image from its documented effects.

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3. Module 3 ○ Open

   Communism in China After the Death of Mao 1976–1981

   Led by Dikötterian Mao-Era China Simulacrum

   The question

   When Mao died, did the system change or only its methods? You will study the repression of opposition including the Gang of Four and the "democracy wall," Deng's economic changes and the Four Modernisations, the function of propaganda, and the social changes including reforms in education, the role of women, and the One Child policy.

   Outcome

   You can explain how China changed after Mao between 1976 and 1981, distinguishing dramatic economic reform from the unbroken political monopoly of the state.

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