Task 1. Mao’s policy impact on China 

Respond to the following question in an essay format. 

'Mao's policies after 1949 achieved their intended goals' To what extent do you agree with this statement?

Ensure that you refer to the following policies and events in your essay.

  1. Early years 1949-57

  2. The first five year plan

  3. The 100 Flowers 1956 - 57

  4. The Great Leap Forward 1958 - 62

  5. The Great Famine 1959 - 61 (note the timing)

Your essay must include the following:

  • An historical overview of the period.

  • Cause and Effect is always a clear way of achieving this.

  • Eye witness accounts: Primary source evidence from individuals who were directly involved and/or affected by the event: Some suggestions; Leaders (not just Mao), Communist Party Members, teachers, journalists, peasants, factory workers, parents, children, writers … the list is endless!

  • Use the different perspectives and feelings from people you have researched to explain the impact and significance of your period

  • Images if suitable and appropriate to your topic.

Essay planning

Paragraphs are beautiful - a four step fail safe plan 

To do: Writing a TEEL paragraph

  1. Topic: Begin EACH  new paragraph with a clear and precise topic sentence that refers directly to the content of the paragraph. The topic sentence tells the reader what the paragraph is about, or its main idea

  2. Explain: Explain what you mean in greater detail.

  3. Evidence: Provide evidence to support your idea or claim. To do this, refer to your research. This may include: case studies, statistics, documentary evidence, academic books or journal articles. Remember that all evidence will require appropriate citation.

  4. Link: Summarise the main idea of the paragraph, and make clear how this paragraph supports your overall argument. The linking sentence links one paragraph to the next and provides another device for helping you ensure your text is cohesive. 

Essay Guide: Referencing Guidelines

When do you need an endnote/ footnote?

  • Quotes

  • Paraphrasing

  • Facts and figures

  • Images 

How to footnote

  1. The first time you footnote a book, article or document you need to list it in full as follows:

  2. Jones, E., A collection of inappropriate remarks made in the History classroom, Penguin, 2024, p.34

  3. If you quote from Inappropriate Remarks as your next quote you don’t write out the whole author/title again you simply use the abbreviation ibid., p#

  4. If you quote from the same source, same page it is simply ibid.

  5. If your next quote is from a different source, you need to write out full reference: author surname, initials, title in italics, publisher, year of publication, page number.

  6. If your next quote is again from Inappropriate Remarks, you simply put the author’s name and initials and the abbreviation op.cit., p#

Footnote samples

  1. Jones, E., A collection of inappropriate remarks made in the History classroom, Penguin, 2024, p.34

  2. ibid.

  3. ibid., p.38

  4. McKenzie, C.M., Please don't make me go back in there. A classroom memoir, Featherhead, 2019, p.11

  5. Jones, E., op.cit., p.59

Example reference list

Bibliography:

Aub.edu.lb.libguides.com. (2020). LibGuides: Lebanese Civil War: 1975-1991: Home. [online] Available at: https://aub.edu.lb.libguides.com/LebaneseCivilWar.

Badran, T., 2008. The Lebanese Civil War. MERIA: Middle East Review of International Affairs, 12(2), pp.MERIA: Middle East Review of International Affairs, June 2008, Vol.12(2).

Crawford, M. & Army Command General Staff Coll Fort Leavenworth KS School Of Advanced Military Studies, 2010. Civil War and Intervention: Lessons Remembered From the Lebanese Civil War and the U.S. Response.

Resources