ABSTRACT
For the majority of China’s 500 million people the 1949 Communistvictory over the Nationalist forces of Jiang Jieshi was cause for cele-bration. Long years of war that had divided the country and brought misery and poverty to millions ended, and although there was uncertainty about the shape that the new government would take, there was reason for hope as China began a period of reconstruction. Peasants and workers who had supported the revolutionaries anticipated the beginning of a new era and the CCP moved quickly to institute changes that would reward the people’s support.
