이 글은 농어촌고리채정리사업과 재건국민운동을 중심으로 군정(軍政)의 사회개혁정책을 고찰했다. 군정은 5.16 군사쿠데타 직후 농민들의 지지를 얻고자 중농정책을 내걸었고, 그 중 하나로 농어촌고리채정리사업을 실시했다. 이 사업은 농어민의 부채 해결을 통해 농어촌 경제의 안정과 성장을 목표로 했다, 그러나 군정은 농어촌 사회에서 고리채가 지닌 효율성과 필요성을 이해하지 못한 채 일방적으로 채권자에게 희생을 강요했고, 고리채 신고 이후 이를 대체할 농업자금을 제공하지 못함으로써 사업은 계획대로 진행되지 못했다. 또한 군정은 `군사혁명`의 정당성을 홍보하고 자신들이 정한 사회 생활규범을 보급시키기 위해 군사쿠데타 직후부터 재건국민운동을 실시했다. 초기에는 군정 주도하에 행정단위의 중앙부터 말단까지 단기간 내에 일사분란하게 전국 조직을 건설하고 이를 통해 반공이 념의 확산에 노력을 기울였다. 그런데 시간이 지나면서 재건국민운동은 교육사업, 향토개발사업, 생활지도사업 등 일상생활과 관련된 사업으로 확대되었고 운영 주체 역시 민간으로 이양되었다, 그러나 군정의 지원이 축소된 이후 재건국민운동은 급속히 약화되었다. 결국 군정 기간 실시된 농어촌 고리채정리사업과 재건국민운동은 일방적인 위로부터의 정책이 지니는 한계를 드러냈다. 그러나 전국 조직을 건설, 운영하면서 국민을 동원, 통제한 경험은 민정이양 이후 박정희 체제의 국정운영에 유용한 경험을 제공했다.

Ths study examines the social reforms policies of the military administration by focusing on the anti-usury project for rural areas and the nation rebuilding movement. To gain the support of the farmers the 5.16 military administration just after the military coup offered a physiocrat policy, one of it was the enforcement anti-usury project for farming/fishing in the rural areas. The purpose of this undertaking was to solve the problems of liabilities of farmers/fishermen by reducing the dependence of farmers on the unregulated financial institutions and thereby to attract farmers into formal financial institutions to bring stability and growth in rural economy. However, the implemented policy could not proceed in the way it was planned due to the prevailing social situations in rural society which was bounded by blood ties, regional kinship, and `empathy and moral sense` and the failure of supplying the much needed funds in rural areas. Meanwhile, to promote the legitimacy of the `military takeover` and in order to popularize the social norms established by the military junta for them the military administration carried out the national rebuilding movement immediately after the military coup. In the initial period, under the initiative of military leaders a very centralized military administration was established in a very short time and every effort was made to spread anti-communist ideology. However, as time went by, the national rebuilding movement expanded its arms in education sector, regional development projects, guiding principle of day to day life, etc. and its operation spread to non-governmental organizations as well. In this way the national rebuilding movement even after downsizing of the support from the military government functioned for the private organizations, but the role of the movement rapidly weakened. Eventually, the policies on anti-usury project for rural areas and nation rebuilding movement followed unilaterally from the top during military regime exposed its limitations. However, the experience of establishment of the national organization and using it to mobilize and regulate the citizens had a huge impact on the Park Chung flee regime to run state affairs after the transfer of power to civil government.