Pearson Edexcel · GCSE · History
Course version: 1HI0 · Version from Sept 2016
Key topic 2: Economic policy, 1949–65 - 2 Industry and the Five-Year Plan,…
Full specification wording
Option 32: Key topic 2: Economic policy, 1949–65 - 2 Industry and the Five-Year Plan, 1953–57: Reasons for, and targets of, the first Five-Year Plan. The significance of USSR financial and technical support.
The first Five-Year Plan (1953–57) aimed to transform China into an industrial superpower, transitioning from an agrarian economy to a socialist command economy.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 1HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 1 of 2
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
The first Five-Year Plan (1953–57) aimed to transform China into an industrial superpower, transitioning from an agrarian economy to a socialist command economy. Mao's primary reasons included the need to modernise rapidly to defend against capitalist threats and to establish self-sufficiency. Targets focused heavily on heavy industry, such as coal, steel, and petrochemicals, rather than consumer goods. The USSR provided crucial financial and technical support, including a $300 million loan and sending over 10,000 Soviet experts to train Chinese workers and engineers. This Sino-Soviet cooperation was significant as it provided the blueprint for industrialisation, though it also created a heavy debt burden and ideological friction.
What earns the marks
- Identify Mao's desire to rapidly industrialise and modernise China's economy as a key reason for the plan.
- Describe the specific targets set for heavy industries like coal, steel, and iron production.
- Explain the financial significance of the $300 million loan provided by the USSR.
- Evaluate the technical impact of the 10,000 Soviet experts who helped build industrial plants and train the Chinese workforce.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Stating that the plan focused on consumer goods.
Put it right: The plan overwhelmingly targeted heavy industry at the expense of consumer goods.
Claiming the USSR gave China free money.
Put it right: The USSR provided a loan that had to be repaid with interest, often in the form of bullion or food exports.
Ignoring the ideological reasons for the plan.
Put it right: Include Mao's desire to build a socialist command economy and achieve autarky (self-sufficiency).
Exam tips
- When discussing reasons, link economic goals (industrialisation) with political goals (securing communist rule and defending against the West).
- Use specific statistics, such as the $300 million Soviet loan, to support points about USSR assistance.
- Consider the long-term implications of Soviet support, noting how the debt repayment affected China's economy later.
Try the lesson
The start of the Option 32: Key topic 2: Economic policy, 1949–65 - 2 Industry and the Five-Year Plan, 1953–57: Reasons for, and targets of, the first Five-Year Plan. The significance of USSR financial and technical support. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
What was the primary economic target of China's First Five-Year Plan (1953–57)?
Listen
The first Five-Year Plan (1953–57) aimed to transform China into an industrial superpower, transitioning from an agrarian economy to a socialist command economy. Mao's primary reasons included the need to modernise rapidly to defend against capitalist threats and to establish self-sufficiency. Targets focused heavily on heavy industry, such as coal, steel, and petrochemicals, rather than consumer goods. The USSR provided crucial financial and technical support, including a $300 million loan and sending over 10,000 Soviet experts to train Chinese workers and engineers. This Sino-Soviet cooperation was significant as it provided the blueprint for industrialisation, though it also created a heavy debt burden and ideological friction. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Identify Mao's desire to rapidly industrialise and modernise China's economy as a key reason for the plan. Describe the specific targets set for heavy industries like coal, steel, and iron production. Explain the financial significance of the $300 million loan provided by the USSR. Evaluate the technical impact of the 10,000 Soviet experts who helped build industrial plants and train the Chinese workforce. A common slip: Stating that the plan focused on consumer goods. Instead, the plan overwhelmingly targeted heavy industry at the expense of consumer goods. Exam tip: When discussing reasons, link economic goals (industrialisation) with political goals (securing communist rule and defending against the West).
See it
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Industrialisation
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Command economy
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Modernisation
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Sino-Soviet relations
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See every definition
- Industrialisation
- The aim of the first Five-Year Plan to transform China into an industrial superpower, moving away from an agrarian economy.
- Command economy
- A socialist system that the first Five-Year Plan sought to build in China.
- Modernisation
- A primary reason for the plan, being the need to modernise rapidly to defend against capitalist threats and establish self-sufficiency.
- Sino-Soviet relations
- Cooperation in which the USSR gave financial and technical support, providing the blueprint for industrialisation but also creating a heavy debt burden and ideological friction.
Label the diagram
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1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3
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