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AS History (The impact of Chairman Mao: China, 1946-1976) > Chapter 8: The aims, origins and cource of the Cultural revolution > Flashcards

Chapter 8: The aims, origins and cource of the Cultural revolution Flashcards

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1
Q

When did Mao launch the |Great Proletarian Cultural revolution?

A

1966

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2
Q

What were the main aims of the Cultural revolution?

A
  • A struggle to remould Chinese culture
  • A power struggle within the CPC
  • A rectification campaign
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3
Q

What did the cultural revolution attack?

A

All modes of thought and behaviour that did not conform to Mao’s vision of a socialist society.

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4
Q

What were the aims of the cultural revolution in terms of thought and ideology?

A

The aim was to make Mao’s thoughts the guiding principles of the Chinese people.

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5
Q

What did the first battle of the cultural revolution take place over?

A

A play called “Hai Rui dismissed from office” written by Wu Han. It was about an official from the Ming Dynasty who was dismissed after criticising the emperor for wasting resources on extravagance, while ordinary people starved.

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6
Q

What was Mao’s reaction to the “Hai Rui dismissed from office” play?

A

Mao gave his blessing for an article attacking the play for being anti-socialist. The article was written by a Shanghai radical called Yao Wenyuan

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7
Q

What was the problem with attacking the “Hai Rui dismissed from office” play?

A

By attacking the author of the play, they were attacking the communist party themselves. Because the boss of the author of the play was the mayor of Beijing. He was also the politburo member for culture. He was also very good friends with Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping. So by attacking the play they were indirectly attacking the party leadership.

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8
Q

What did the party do to defuse the situation about the anti-socialist play?

A

They decided to treat it as an academic rather than a political debate. They set up the Cultural Revolution Group to investigate the issues raised by the affair.

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9
Q

What did the Shanghai radicals do in 1966?

A

They issued a statement saying that China was under the dictatorship of a sinister anti-party and anti-socialist line which opposed chairman Mao’s thoughts.

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10
Q

As the communist revolution gathered momentum, what cultural policies of Jiang Qing and Mao became clear?

A

That hey were attempting to impose strict limits on culture to ensure it served the revolution and that anti-socialist poisonous weeds were eradicated from the arts .

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11
Q

What was Jiang Qing’s view on the purpose of art?

A

Art was not something to be valued for its own sake. All art reflects the society from which it springs and serves a political purpose. In a socialist society, feudal and bourgeois culture had no place.

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12
Q

What were “Mao’s four olds”?

A
  • Old culture
  • Old ideas
  • Old customs
  • Old habits
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13
Q

What did Jiang Qing do according to Mao’s four old’s?

A

He eradicated traditional Chinese culture:

  • Traditional opera was replaced by revolutionary operas
  • Literature, art, films and theatre were subjected to a strict censorship. Only those which promoted a revolutionary theme were allowed.
  • Western music was banned as being bourgeois and decadent
  • Wearing western-style clothing made you liable to being attacked.
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14
Q

How was the recruitment of youthful Red Guards a key part in Mao’s cultural revolution strategy?

A

In Mao’s eyes, young people would be untrained by the thoughts, habits and customs of old china. They could be mobilised in a campaign to eradicate the four olds from Chinese culture.

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15
Q

What was one of Mao’s greatest concerns about the party in 1966?

A

At 73 years of age he was increasingly concerned over who would succeed him when he died.

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16
Q

What was Mao’s view on Liu Shaoqi and Deny Xiaoping succeeding him after his death?

A

Mao decided that Liu Shaoqi and his allies could not be trusted to defend and extend the cultural revolution. He decided that they should be purged.

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17
Q

Why was attacking Liu and Deng directly unwise?

A

Both had shown themselves to be loyal to the Mao and the party in the past. They had support of most of the party politburo and they enjoyed considerable prestige among the party rank and file.

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18
Q

How did Mao decide to attack Liu and Deng?

A

Mao acted in a devious way to undermine them and attack them at their weakest points

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19
Q

What was Mao’s first step in attacking the party leadership?

A

The play by Wu Han, which signalled the beginning of the cultural revolution, was in fact an attack on the Party Leadership. The article which attacked Wu Han and the play with Mao’s blessing, was also attacking Peng Zhen, the politburo member of culture. The attack on Peng was also an attack on Liu and Ding. By doing nothing to stop the play they were seen as incompetent.

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20
Q

What was Mao’s second step in attacking the party leadership?

A

In March 1966, while Liu was away on a foreign tour, Mao made his first move. He removed Peng Zhen from office.

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21
Q

What was Mao’s third step in attacking the party leadership?

A

In May 1966 Mao took control of the Cultural revolution group, which was reformed with his allies occupying the key positions.

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22
Q

What was Mao’s fourth step in attacking the party leadership?

A

In May 1966 a large poster criticising the Beijing university was put up by a philosophy professor. This was all orchestrated by Mao’s ally Kang Sheng. Mao endorsed this poster and ordered its message to be broadcast on the radio. By the summer of 1966 university campuses were experiencing growing turmoil as students wearing Red Guard armbands attacked their teachers. Liu and Deng tried to control this which further confirmed to Mao that Liu and Deng were trying to frustrate his wishes.

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23
Q

What symbolic act did Mao do in July 1966?

A

Mao swam in the strong currents of the Yangzi river. This was a symbolic act designed to she that he still had the physical strength to fight revolutionary battles.

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24
Q

What was Liu Shaoqi forced to do in the Central Committee meeting in august 1966

A

He was made to make self-criticisms for his errors. However his words were not sufficient.

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25
What did Mao do to Liu Shaoqi after his self-criticism in the Central Committee meeting in august 1966?
His words were not sufficient, so Mao demoted him from second place to eight place in the CPC hierarchy.
26
Who was promoted to second place in the CPC hierarchy after Liu Shaoqi's demotion?
Lin Biao was promoted to second place and established as Mao's chosen successor.
27
What happened to Deng Xiaoping in august of 1966?
Not much happened to him in August, he was spared from humiliation as Mao and his allies focused on Liu Shaoqi
28
What happened to Deng and Liu in a party conference in October 1966?
They were subjected to more criticism and they were forced to make self-criticisms. Although they both managed to retain their posts in the CPC their political career was over?
29
When and where did Liu Shaoqi die?
He died in prison in 1969
30
What happened to Deng Xiaoping after his humiliation?
Deng survived largely because he enjoyed support of Zhou Enlai and was rehabilitated in 1973
31
Which other party leaders were purged in 1966 and why?
Tao Zhu, Marshall He Long and Zhu De along with Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping were all purged, as they were seen, in Mao's eyes as being tainted with the "old thinking". They were purged as a warning to other party officials to show more enthusiasm towards the cultural revolution.
32
What were 6 main tools for Chinese propaganda?
- Rallies - Posters - Films - Literature - Mao's personality cult - Art
33
What was Mao's main concerns in terms of how the communist party was developing in the mid 1960's?
He became convinced that the party al all levels had become over-bureaucratic, corrupt and ineffective as a revolutionary force.
34
How did Mao criticise university officials?
He criticised university officials for behaving like "scholar-tyrants"
35
How did Mao criticise Party Cadres?
He believed that they had become accustomed to a privileged lifestyle which set them apart from the mass population
36
What did the reintroduction of incentives after the failure of the Great Leap Forward lead to?
It led to the re-emergence of inequalities among peasants and workers
37
After 1962 what did Mao entrust Lin Bio with doing?
He entrusted him with the task of ensuring that the PLA would support Mao in the struggles that lay ahead.
38
After 1962 what did Mao entrust Jiang Qing with doing?
He was entrusted with the task of mobilising radical intellectuals from Shanghai in an assault on the CPC's cultural policies
39
In 1966 what third element did Mao add to his coalition of revolutionary forces?
He used the mobilisation of the youth. There were many young people who were born after the communist revolution and they had never experienced revolution. Mao believed that once these young people had gained revolutionary experience in killing in his name then they would be committed to the revolutionary cause. Mao was starting to continue revolution again, against "capitalist-readers"
40
How did the Mao believe that the communist party should be reformed?
He believed that the party needed to be reformed and rectified through criticism from the people it served.
41
What was the difference between the cultural revolution rectification campaign and previous ones?
This time the rectification campaign went far beyond the "normal practice". Where in the past mass participation in the campaigns had been under the control of the party, during the cultural revolution Mao's aim was to bypass the party bureaucracy and unleash "a great disorder across the land leading to great order".
42
When had Mao's disenchantment with the Party leadership increased?
When they had sought to retain control of the Socialist Education Movement and the early stirrings of student unrest in 1966.
43
Who was Mao determined not to boycott his cultural revolution?
He was determined that the bourgeois dictatorship would not hijack the cultural revolution.
44
In the early stages of the cultural revolution who did the Red Guard attack?
The red guard violence was directed at the students' own teachers and Party Cadres within educational institutions.
45
From August 1966 who did the Red Guard start to attack?
They started to attack party cadres at national, provincial and local level.
46
What response did Mao's calls to "bombard the headquarters" get among China's youth?
It got a ready and enthusiastic response among China's youth. Students who resented lack of career opportunity for those who did not have Party connections and youths who had been relocated after the failure of the Great Leap Forward were a receptive audience to Mao's message.
47
Who were China's youth most loyal to?
Mao and not the CPC.
48
What did the CPC do on the 8th August 1966?
- They adopted the Cultural revolution as official party policy and issued a document called "the sixteen points on the cultural revolution". - This can be seen as the starting point of the cultural revolution. - They also elected a new politburo. - Lin Biao was elevated to vice chairman of the Party. (and therefore Mao's chosen successor)
49
What did Mao do following the adoption of the "sixteen points on the cultural revolution" by the CPC in august 1966?
Mao organised a series of rallies in Beijing, involving millions of Red Guards.
50
How did Lin Biao help with Mao's rallies in august 1966?
In a country where movement around the country was strictly controlled, moving around millions of Red Guards from the provinces to Beijing could only be done with logistical help from the PLA. Lin Biao was the head of the PLA and therefore was a key figure in facilitating the cultural revolution
51
How far spread was the violence by the end of August 1966?
It had spread across China. Schools and Universities were closed and Red Guards were free to humiliate, beat and kill
52
Who did the Red Guard target during the cultural revolution?
They targetted intellectuals, university and school teachers and members of non-conformist parties.
53
What, ideologically, did the red guard target?
- They also targetted the 4 olds: - Old culture - Old ideas - Old customs - Old habits - They also wanted to eradicate any western influence inside china
54
What did the Red Guard do to "non-Mao" culture?
- They shaved the heads of people who wore "Hong-Kong style" haircuts - They damaged historic sites like temples, statues, old city gates. - Religious buildings were singled out for attack - Antiques, jewellery, foreign currency, instruments, books, paintings were confiscated and destroyed
55
Who did the Red Guard start attacking after September 1966?
By the autumn of 1966 their attacks became more systematic. They started to attack Party Officials who had given their support to the cultural revolution at the beginning but who had now appeared to resist it.
56
What was the ironic thing about the composition of the Red Guard?
The most radical Red Guards were students from bourgeois, non-party backgrounds.
57
How did Mao, Lin Biao and CRG step up their campaign against Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping in October 1966?
- At the Central Committee Work Conference, Mao, Lin Biao and the CRG stepped up their campaign against Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping accusing them of being behind the CPC's resistance to the cultural revolution. - Wall posters were issued denouncing Liu and Deng by name. - The two were forced to make self-criticisms at the conference
58
What happened in November 1966?
- Militant factory and office workers began to form their own red guard units. - In Shanghai a Workers' Revolutionary General Headquarters was set up with the blessing of the CRG, to coordinate radical groups in the city.
59
What were supporters of the Workers' Revolutionary General Headquarters known as?
Revolutionary rebels
60
What did the Shanghai CPC leadership try to do to the newly created Workers' Revolutionary General Headquarters (WRGH)?
The Shanghai CPC tried to obstruct this new development, which was outside its control.
61
What did Mao do to the Shanghai CPC leadership after they tried to obstruct the WRGH?
Mao declared that workers had the right to establish their own mass organisations and the Shanghai party leaders were forced to make a public self-criticism.
62
Who did the Shanghai CPC leadership support in November 1966?
They supported the establishment of the Shanghai Red Detachment.
63
Who were the Shanghai Red Detachment?
A conservative mass organisation whose members, known as 'proletarian revolutionaries', opposed the efforts of the revolutionary rebels to overthrow the existing power structures.
64
What did the factional rivalry between the WRGH and the Shanghai Red Detachment lead quickly to?
- It quickly degenerated into violence. - At the end of December 1966 there were street battles between rival Red Guard factions in Shanghai. It was known as the 'January Storm'. Strikes paralysed the port of Shanghai and the railway network in and around the city.
65
What happened on the 3rd January 1967 during the violence in Shanghai?
The revolutionary rebels seized control of the main newspapers in Shanghai.
66
What did the capture of the main newspapers in Shanghai do to the Shanghai party leadership?
It brought about the collapse of the authority of the Party Leadership in Shanghai.
67
How did Mao respond to the collapse of the Shanghai Party leadership in January 1967?
He intervened and sent two loyal allies, Zhang Chunqiao and Yaw Wenyuan to Shanghai with orders to bring down the Shanghai Party Committee and establish a new political authority in its place.
68
What happened on the 5th January 1967?
The WRGH announced the overthrow of the Shanghai Party Committee and declared that the city would henceforth be run by the revolutionary rebels. With support from the PLA, the WRGH took control of all factories, docks, newspapers and businesses in Shanghai.
69
How similar were events in Shanghai in January 1967 compared to other provinces in the country?
During the rest of January 1967, the rebel groups seized power in seven other provinces including Beijing.
70
What did Zhang Chunqiao do after having gained control of Shanghai?
With PLA support, Zhang established a Shanghai People's commune
71
What was the Shanghai People's commune?
It was a body whose officials would be chosen in free elections and would be subject to a democratic accountability. So there would be no communist party monopoly over elections to the commune
72
What was Mao's response to the Shanghai People's commune?
He declared that there must be a party somehow. There must be a communist nucleus to it somehow. He refused to back the Shanghai People's commune and instructed rebel groups in other cities not to follow Shanghai as an example.
73
What was a key turning point which happened on the 23rd January 1967?
The Shanghai People's Commune was abandoned and replaced by the Shanghai Revolutionary Committee
74
What was the Shanghai Revolutionary Committee?
It was an organisation made up of 3 levels, consisting of revolutionary rebels, communist party officials, and the PLA.
75
What was Mao's response to the Shanghai Revolutionary Committee?
He made it a prototype for the establishment of revolutionary committees in other cities and provinces
76
What were the problems fort the PLA in February 1967?
-They were taking an increasingly active role in the Cultural Revolution, they became subject to the same stresses and strains that were dividing Chinese Society.
77
What did the military commanders believe about the role of the PLA in the cultural revolution?
They believed that the PLA should be insulated from the revolutionary upheavals that were destabilising Chinese society. As the PLA had the ultimate responsibility in defending the nation against external attack and maintaining internal security, commanders believed that the discipline and unity of the army should be remained at all costs. They believed that they should not be subjected to criticism and humiliation
78
What did the CRG think about the role of the PLA in the cultural revolution?
They believed that no sector of Chinese society, even the PLA, should be immune from the rectification campaign that was at the heart of the Cultural revolution
79
What were Mao's views on the role of the PLA in the cultural revolution? And what did he do?
He was very careful in not reveal; in his views on this issue of how they should be treated. He approved a directive that prohibited attacks on the PLA but did not condemn radical military cadets when they staged struggle meetings against their commanders.
80
What was the February Adverse Current?
It was a political backlash against the excess of the Cultural Revolution by members of the Politburo
81
When was the February Adverse Current?
February 1967
82
What happened in the February Adverse Current?
- Mao criticised Jiang Qing and Chen Boca for taking decisions on the Cultural Revolution without consulting him - Members of the Politburo who had harboured doubts about the whole concept of the cultural revolution began to voice their criticisms openly
83
What did the Politburo criticise to do with the cultural rev, during the February Adverse Current?
-They pointed out that the red guards had been overstepping the boundaries for the cultural revolution laid down by the sixteen points
84
What did the February Adverse Current lead to?
- It led to a politburo directive, supported by Mao, which imposed limits on the use of force by the Red Guard. - Ordered Red guards to stop travelling around the country and return to their native towns and cities. - Directed Red Guards to withdraw from Party and government departments responsible for defence, economic planning, foreign affairs, public security, finance, banking and propaganda
85
How did Mao take the criticisms by the Politburo towards the Cultural revolution, during the February Adverse Current?
-Mao saw the criticism of the cultural revolution from members of the Politburo as a challenge to his authority and a confirmation of his original decision to launch the attack on the party establishment.
86
What did Mao do to the Politburo after the February Adverse Current in 1967?
-The politburo virtually ceases to function and its powers were henceforth exercised by the Cultural Revolution Group.
87
What did Mao do to veteran Party Cadres, PLA and PLA officers who had attempted to crack down on radical red guards, after the February Adverse Current?
- Criticism of veteran party cadres became more sustained and bolder - PLA officers who had attempted a crack down on radical red guards were denounced as ultra-rightists and were court martialled. - The PLA were ordered to refrain from using armed force against Red Guards.
88
What did Mao do to Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping after the February Adverse Current?
-Liu and Deng, despite being isolated and having no political influence, were also caught in the backlash of the February adverse current and were both placed under house arrest.
89
What did Mao do on the 11th August 1967?
He changed his tune again and said that the policy of "dragging out the capitalist-readers in the army" was unstrategic.
90
Why did Mao make that statement in August 1967?
Because China seemed to be on the verge of degenerating into chaos
91
Who did Mao blame the previous violence and chaos earlier in 1967 on?
He blamed it on a tiny radical group called the May 16 Group
92
What did Mao do in late August 1967?
-He purged the 4 most radical members of the cultural revolution group
93
What did Mao do in September 1967?
- He approved an order that forbade Red Guards from seizing weapons - The PLA was also authorised to open fire on radical groups in self-defence
94
What ideological shift was made to do with the Cultural Revolution after the events of August and September 1967?
-The main focus shifted from the destruction of the old order towards the creation of a new system
95
What were the key events to do with the purging of the red guards between August 1967 and July 1968?
- By the end of 1967, 10 million people fell under suspicion and 3 million were held for questioning - In the spring of 1968, there was a campaign for cleansing the class ranks which led to the arrest of a further 1.8 million people. Many were beaten to death or put in labour camps - In the summer of 1968, Mao took steps to restore order in Shaanxi and Guangxi provinces. The PLAS was ordered to separate the warring factions and Military control commissions were established to put down resistance to military - There was serious violence and disorder at a number of universities - There was a large-scale, compulsory rustication programme in which young people were sent to live and work in the countryside
96
How was the power of the PLA growing in 1968?
- The PLA played a key role in restoring order - Many of the rusticated youths were sent to work on army-run farms. - PLA officers oversaw the "cleansing of class ranks" - Military work teams were installed in factories, newspaper offices, and every government department - At provincial level, half the members of the new revolutionary committees were PLA officers
97
When did the cultural revolution end?
-In September 1968, when the last of the 29 provincial revolutionary committees were finally established and Mao drew the cultural revolution to a close
98
By October 1968, how many of those in the Central committee, had been members in 1966 and how many had been purged?
- Only 40 members with full voting rights were present | - About two thirds had been purged

AS History (The impact of Chairman Mao: China, 1946-1976) (4 decks)

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