Agrarian Reform Law, 1950

What was the Agrarian Reform Law?

The Agrarian Reform Law was the reorganisation of land ownership in order to enforce the policy of collectivisation.

What were the aims of the Agrarian Reform Law?

There were 2 main aims of the Agrarian Reform Law:

• ❖ To remove the property of large landlords and redistribute it among the peasants.
• ❖ To confiscate the property of any foreigners or enemies of China, such as Chiang Kai-shek.

Why was the Agrarian Reform Law introduced?

Reform was introduced for 2 reasons:

• ❖ Reform was needed in order to centralise and improve food production in the countryside, allowing surplus workers to take up industrial work in the towns.
• ❖ Mao Zedong believed larger landlords were exploiting peasants at the expense of his communist system.

What were the outcomes of the Agrarian Reform Law?

There were 4 outcomes from the law:

• ❖ 1 million landlords were executed.
• ❖ Thousands were sent to be re-educated with communist ideology.
• ❖ The law allowed for the removal of the Chinese elite and redistribution of wealth to the peasants, which was extremely popular among the peasants.
• ❖ It allowed for the collectivisation of agriculture to begin.