A Research On The Economy Construction Of The National Party-Ruled Area In Western Hubei Privince During The Anti-Japanese War

During the Anti-Japanese War, the National Party-ruled area in Western Hubei is a relatively independent and special area, served both as the base for the battle in Hubei and the strategical protective screen for the National Party-ruled area in Southeast China. The situations and the economy development in this area had not only greatly influenced the war pattern for Hubei and even for the whole country but also the strategical material supply for the National Party-ruled area in Western Hubei. This dissertation, taking the social economy construction in the National Party-ruled area in Western Hubei during the Anti-Japanese War into research, and referring to a large amount of historical documents and some other materials related to it, has presented the situations of economy development and construction of this area during the Anti-Japanese War in a relatively all-round and objective way, trying to bring to light the historical experience and realistic significance of the event.The west of Hubei used to be a infertile and poor area with unconvenient transportation and backward economy before the Anti-Japanese War. After the spring and summer of 1938, with the Japanese soldiers marching in, the strategical situation of Wuhan gradually become dangerous. For the sake of a safe and protracted war, Hubei authority, after a well preparation, moved its office to Yichang and then Enshi. After this, a series of economic guiding principles and policies were carried out, mainly including controlling over -the important strategical materials in the National Party-ruled area in Western Hubei, carrying out economy combat against the enemy; advocating bartering, stablizing price and cracking down on speculation; encouraging expanding industry, etc. On the basis of them, the economy construction was carried out.To strengthen the economic power in Western Hubei, all levels of authoritieshad led its people in this area to carry out a variety of economy construction . In agriculture, they had planned for more output of grains, extending the area for production, granting loans on agriculture, undertaking new water conservancy projects as well as protecting farm cattle, improving strains of crops and spreading more manure for prevention and control of plant diseases and elimination of pests. Meanwhile, the authorities also took rigorous action to promote mineral and other industries aimed at producing daily necessities for soldiers and the masses, such as mining industry, chemical industry, textile industry, clothing industry, machine industry, papermaking and printing industry, and so on, all of which had been developed in varying degrees. The construction of communications and translations was carried out mainly for rebuilding and extension of the roads, pavements and airports, including renovating and building roads, building pavements for courier station transportation, opening new sea routes, constructing airports for more capacity of air and land transportation. In the field of commerce, state-operated commerce and private market trade were set up mainly for a supply based on consumer cooperative certificates, which resulted in some new regional commercial centers. In the field of finance, branches of different kinds of banks were established to play the leading role of finance in Hubei. In each county, banks were also set up for business such as credit cooperative and county cooperative treasury to supply peasants with credit service.Though the economy construction in the National Party-ruled area in Western Hubei during the Anti-Japanese War didn't last a long period and its effects were not great enough, it had profound significance on people's persisting in the Anti-Japanese War in Hubei, even in the whole country, till the last victory of the war, as well as changing the backward appearance in Western Hubei and promoting its economy development. However, there are also some regrettable mistakes and shortcomings in its economy construction which need to summarize. It has not made substantial progress for the backward economic situations, or has it improved people's living standard once and for all. anyway, its role for the...