Research on Land Reform in the Liberated Areas (1941-1948: A Case Study of Juxian County, Shandong Province)

Author: Wang Youming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The peasant issue is the root of all problems in China, and the land issue is the key to the rural problem. Therefore, solving the land issue has become a fundamental task of the New Democratic Revolution in China. Throughout history, many scholars have studied and been concerned with the land issue, forming a series of theories on land issues from Adam Smith, David Ricardo, Marx, Lenin, Kautsky, to the representatives of various factions in China's land debate in the 1920s and 1930s. However, due to differences in time and space, the land issue has shown great complexity. No single theory can fully explain the diverse land phenomena, even the land reform carried out in the liberated areas under the leadership of the Communist Party of China demonstrated significant variations. Shandong Liberated Area was an important base for the Chinese revolution during both the War of Resistance Against Japan and the War of Liberation. Among the counties in Shandong Liberated Area, Juxian County's land reform had long been at the forefront and some of its practices not only influenced the then Binhai Region but also the entire province and even the country. Therefore, taking the land reform in Juxian County as a case study, conducting an in-depth analysis to clarify its origins and development, would hold certain academic value.