| |
| b. The People's Republic of China (PRC) |
| 1950 |
| |
| The unification of the country, together with a program of reconstruction and deflation, brought considerable economic improvement to the PRC. Although some changes were introduced in agriculture as land reform went into effect, no radical innovations were set in motion, other than overall state planning in industry. Landlords were publicly condemned in mass denunciations; many perished. Land was redistributed to those who had had the least; private property in land disappeared. A new marriage law accorded women equal rights in marriage and divorce, and enabled women of any marital status to hold land in their own names. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) carried on continued warfare against anti-Communist guerrillas. Party membership topped 5 million. | 1 |
| |
| Feb. 14 |
| |
| Mao Zedong traveled to Moscow, his first trip beyond China's borders, and signed the 30-year Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance with the Soviet Union. It was followed by a series of economic agreements for joint exploitation of Chinese resources. | 2 |
| |
| May 2 |
| |
| Communist forces completed the occupation of Hainan Island. | 3 |
| |
| Oct |
| |
| Chinese Communist “volunteers” intervened in the Korean War (See Nov. 1) on the North Korean side. Ultimately, over 700,000 Chinese troops would be involved. Over the course of the war, China suffered between 700,000 and 900,000 casualties. | 4 |
| |
| Nov. 10 |
| |
| Following a Chinese invasion, Tibet appealed to the UN to bring about a peaceful settlement of Chinese-Tibetan relations. | 5 |
| |
| |
