Henan Province In The 1938-1945 Century Social Assistance

This article aims at systematically inspecting serious calamities in East Henan Yellow River flood area after Huayuankou incident and consequent relief and aid measures taken by the national government and various circles, analyzing and summing up gain and loss of the national government by providing aid in the Yellow River flood area, seeking for gaining a comprehensive understanding of relief by the national government and an external evaluation.Although "an unavoidable military measure" of special military and political significance under the historical condition then, Huayuankou incident happened in 1938 was undoubtedly a serious artificial disaster. After the dam burst, water of the Yellow River flooded and created a Yellow River flood area consisting of 44 counties of the 3 provinces of Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu and caused serious disaster. A great amount of victims suffered casualties and fled from famine, suffered property losses and had their farmland and natural environment seriously damaged, ecological environment and natural calamities deteriorated. The people in the Yellow River flood area endured great sacrifice.After the disaster, the national government claimed that "beneficial to the country but harmful to the local people", highly commented the great sacrifice suffered by the people of the 3 provinces of Henan, Anhui and Jiangsu, took a series of specific measures to relieve and aid the people in the disaster area. Firstly, relieved and aided the people in disaster; secondly, evacuated population; thirdly, transferred, reclaimed and cultivated wasteland; fourthly, had adoption and child care; fifthly, reduced tax; sixthly, built dam to control water, took work as relief. At the same time, various circles provided various kinds of aids to the people in the disaster area.The national government made certain achievement in social aid in the Yellow River flood area, saved some displaced people's lives, maintained basic living of some displaced people. However, disaster relief provided by the national government had great limitation as a whole with rather poor effect. Economic analysis of disasterrelief in the Yellow River flood area showed the profit margin of investment by the national government was almost zero with very low cost value.The main reason for the poor effect is: incomplete disaster relief system, beef-witted response, unseasonal action, insufficient investment, bad administration of officials, incomplete and improper disaster reducing and aid measures.Seeing about the history of disaster in East Henan Yellow River flood area and social relief and aid implemented by the national government from 1938 to 1945, we can come to the following conclusion: firstly, disaster in East Henan Yellow River flood area is essentially an artificial great disaster; secondly, positive efforts and certain effect made by the national government in social relief and aid should be affirmed; thirdly, social relief and aid to the people in the Yellow River flood area is basically a failure, but impersonal conditions influencing the disaster relief of the national government should not be ignored; fourthly, the painful history should be revelatory for current reaction to gusty public incidents to certain extent.