The Chinese Revolution in 1949 altered the structure of Chinese society both in the immediate case and in the long term. The long term change included modernization of the economy and a shift. The effort to change Chinese society began before the Revolution, with the efforts of the Communists first to attract people to their cause and second to make that cause understandable as a force which would empower the people and lead them to revolution. After the Revolution, efforts at changing society were undertaken in a more methodical and all-inclusive manner. Many traditional institutions were either dismantled, prohibited, or downgraded in the effort to modernize and to bring about a new political and social attitude on the part of the people. These efforts had varying results and were of varying effectiveness. Some traditional institutions persisted in spite of Communist efforts to stamp them out, while other areas of the society were changed completely.
Chinese politics as instituted in 1949 had certain goals, and the issue is quite complex. Kaplan, Sobin, and Service (1980) note that part of the complexity in sorting out what changes were made and why stems from the fact that key decisions were and are made in secret by a small number of people. China's political system is a closed system, and history itself is shaped by official doctrine and decision-making. Chinese politics is multi-dimensional and from the first involved such dimensions as leadership conflict, policy conflict, the evolution of political institutions, shifting relations between state and society, and ideological debate. It was after years of political and military struggle that the Communists came to power. A single political party was now in power, and this fact was remarkable in itself. The CCP made a number of innovations that laid the basis for future changes: "First was the restoration of unity and order. In the military sphere, this meant riddin...