Newspaper Reading Groups And Agricultural Production In Rural Shanxi In The 1950s

In the 1950 s,due to the objective need for the state to deliver information to the grassroots and the maturity of objective conditions such as the flourishing newspaper business and the improvement of the people’s cultural quality,newspaper-reading groups were quickly resumed throughout Shanxi under the call of the CPC Central Committee to establish a propaganda network system.As a kind of mass propaganda organization,newspaper reading groups played an important role in promoting the development of agricultural production in Shanxi.Their ability to deliver policies and regulations,productive experience,and agricultural technology knowledge to the peasant masses established a communication channel between the grassroots and the CPC Central Committee,and the peasant masses were able to keep abreast of the contents of agricultural production policies and further master new technologies,varieties and methods.In addition,the newspaper reading group also actively promotes the experience of model laborers in various regions in terms of bountiful production,encourages the masses to use new agricultural tools,stimulates the masses’ enthusiasm for production,and helps farmers to improve their production efficiency and production conditions.This thesis is divided into three main parts,mainly discussing the historical background of the restoration of newspaper reading groups,and discussing the reading contents and reading methods of newspaper reading groups were adjusted around the central task of production,and analyzing in depth their role in promoting agricultural production at that time.The first chapter discusses the main background and conditions for the restoration of newspaper reading groups,and analyzes the necessity of the restoration of newspaper reading groups at the grassroots level from the perspectives of both the state and peasant production.The second chapter analyzes the selection of newspaper reading contents,the transformation of newspaper reading methods and the cultivation of newspaper readers.Newspaper readers attracted the interest of the public in listening to newspapers by choosing suitable places and times for newspaper reading,and thus used newspapers to guide production,while the important role of newspaper readers played an important role in transmitting information.The third chapter analyzes how newspaper readers promoted agricultural production,focusing on creating a social atmosphere for active production,promoting new agricultural tools and productive experiences,and consolidating and developing mutual aid organizations,all three of which were important elements in the development of agricultural production in the 1950 s.This thesis examines the role of newspaper reading groups in Shanxi Province from the perspective of agricultural production through a study of newspaper reading groups in the early years of the country’s establishment.Newspaper reading groups always focused on the production issues of greatest concern to farmers during their development,and were an effective attempt to establish links between the state and the grassroots.The contents and methods of newspaper reading groups fit closely with agricultural production activities and meet the actual needs of the farmers.This thesis is dedicated to exploring the operation of newspaper reading groups at the grassroots level and elaborating on their role in effectively promoting agricultural production,with the hope that the content of the study will have some implications for the modernization efforts of agriculture today.