• Strengthening Communist Control: All the moves made by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) under Mao Zedong aimed to strengthen Communist control. The Yanan regime, despite being popular among many peasants, was fiercely authoritarian. Non-compliant villages faced harsh penalties, such as confiscation of crops and livestock and imposing of ruinous taxes.
• CCP's Occupation of 'Liberated Areas': The CCP's occupation involved establishing various committees under each district soviet, coordinating their work through the Central Soviet Government, Communist Party, and the Red Army. The aim was to involve every individual in something with definite work assigned.
• Mao's Rectification Movement: This was an oppressive form of communism developed at Yanan, requiring discipline and obedience. Mao believed in 'revolutionary correctness,' and launched a 'rectification of conduct' campaign in 1942 to combat reactionary thinking and bureaucratic self-justification within the party. This campaign involved public self-criticism, study of prescribed texts, and punishments for 'revisionist ideas.'

• Brutal Removal of Landlords: The process of removing landlords in areas under Red Army control was often brutal. This resonates with the experience of many peasants under authoritarian regimes, where those in power often resort to extreme measures to suppress opposition and exert control.
• Role of Edgar Snow: Western writer Edgar Snow, in his book "Red Star Over China," described the structure and purpose of the soviet organizations, shedding light on the actual workings of the communist regime.
• Kang Sheng’s Role: Mao's head of security, Kang Sheng, played a crucial role in the rectification campaign by arresting, imprisoning, and torturing CCP members accused of harboring 'revisionist ideas.'
• Wang Shiwei and Ding Ling: Both were notable victims of the rectification campaign. Wang Shiwei was a Communist writer who criticized the CCP officials' lifestyle in Yanan, and was eventually executed on Mao's order. Ding Ling, a feminist, criticized the party's hypocrisy regarding female equality and was accused of insulting the CCP.

Mao Zedong's regime was marked by efforts to strengthen Communist control, leading to authoritarian measures in the 'liberated areas' and a repressive rectification movement aimed at purging 'reactionary thinking' within the CCP. This included public self-criticisms, punishments, and even execution of party members like Wang Shiwei, who questioned the party's practices or leadership.