War Period The Shaanxi Cotton Control Study

During the Second Sino-Japanese War, cotton became the main raw material for both military and civilian' everyday use. So its supply and demand had a very important impact on China' ultimate victory in the war. Shaanxi, which was far away from battle grounds, was rich in cotton production. Then it was natural to carry on a firm controlling policy on it. Cotton is one of the important agricultural products in shaanxi province, also critical source of income for farmers there, so the controlling of cotton not only had a relationship with the success or failure of the Anti-Japanese War, but also related to the cotton production and cotton farmer'living situations. So, in a sense, cotton control is not only an economic problem, but also a political question, social problems.The present research are mostly focusing on the introduction of cotton varieties or cotton collection. Up till now, academia hasn't form a comprehensive system of research on cotton control. Thus, it provides valuable reference and research space for this article. Base on an a large volume of local historical documents in Shanxi Archives Bureau, the author discusses the cotton control policy in Shaanxi province from a quite various angle. This paper attempts to open up a new field of vision on the economic policies of national government and the agriculture, farmer status in shaanxi.The paper is composed by three major components:introduction, text, and endnotes.The introduction section summarizes the research significance, research status, research methods, and some of the important concept of this paper.The main part includes five chapters:the first chapter presents the background of the cotton control policy in Shanxi, and the purpose is to explain the cotton control policy was gradually strengthening with the national government's economic control policy and finally established. The second chapter presents the measures to improve cotton production and their results, then making corresponding evaluation. The third chapter presents the ways of unified purchase, cotton price and quantity, and also evaluate the policy from three aspect as cotton market, cotton farmers' life, the Anti-Japanese War. The fourth chapter presents the background and specific measures of the cotton collection policy, analyzing whether the collection standard was reasonable or not, finally drawing an overall evaluation. The fifth chapter presents the background, institutions and certain situation about the loans of cotton, and assesses its historical position.The epilogue part generally appraises the cotton control policy, figuring out that it had both military and constructive properties. Although existing some limitations, but seen from the angles of supplies for war, it was necessary, basically successful. Based on the systematic study, this article is to inspire us to sovle problems in increasing the peasants'income, agricultural development and institutional reform in today's society.