ABSTRACT
Partly inspired by the Soviet Union, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has had a clear-cut definition of what it considers women's interests since its inception in the 1920s. During the CCP's formative – and underground – period, its "women's work" was subordinated to the policies of the Women's World Alliance in Shanghai. In the economic realm, the CCP's major policies toward women involved issues of land and marriage reform. The fact that women leaders of the All-China Women's Federation (ACWF) were also cadres in party-and-state organs ensured the party's control over the women's movement. Most senior women officials were married to political and military leaders. CCP policy on women in rural areas was more consistent over time than in urban areas. In 1958 China had an unusually good harvest and the leadership decided to break with the Soviet Model. This was the origin of the Great Leap Forward, which led to the formation of the People's Communes.
