Mao’s authority – strengthened/ weakened 1959 - 1962

Question 1

Weakened authority in the party

Answer 1

1958 Step down from chairman prc

Self criticism 7000 cadre conference 1962

Question 2

Weakened authority in the party
prag policies

Answer 2

Accept pragmatist policys and reforms to communes, Deviated from mass line political ideology with capitalist elements, But attacked them under revisionists ‘are we going to take the capitalist road or the socialist road’
BUT
All agree to general line to socialism

Question 3

Weakened authority in the party
international recognition

Answer 3

Criticised by soviet experts left the country deteriorating relations with Ussr, lack communist international recognition/united front take away legitimacy to his authority BUT truly free of foreign input complete nationalism

Question 4

Society
image

Answer 4

Weakened Mao’s image as infallible ‘great helmsman among the people, as a ‘party of the people’ huge failure as loss mass support from famine
20 million dead
BUT although Mao’s reputation suffered and his support his authority still remained unquestioned as people had learnt the price of challenging Mao in previous campaigns

Question 5

Society
other factors

Answer 5

Not completely Mao’s felt droubt in north floods in south BUT he kept taking ‘surplus’ grain to food industrial workers and pay the soviet loans

Question 6

Society
poor policies

Answer 6

His policy of ‘walking on two legs’ backyard furnaces abandoned, damaged his correctness of mass mobilisation and ignorance of technichal experts that had been purged in anti-rightist campaign and ignored saying would take a decade
The Eight Point Agricultural Constitution, not follow ussr or experts except Lysenko, ‘scientific’ actual says it pesudoscience, plant crops closer toger, plough soil deeper= damged soil strucutre and crops not enough nutrients or sunlight

Question 7

Strengthened authority within the party

Answer 7

Increased authority in party showing not top positions criticise him in the purge of Peng Dehuai where his ‘letter of opinion’ criticised how the policy was carried out but generally praised the outcome

Question 8

Strengthened authority within the party

Answer 8

Reasserted power with allies, Lin Biao to replace peng Dehuai defence minister, with reforms to PLA include increasing PLA with key posts in the party, wrote quotations of chairman Mao also boost personality cult

Question 9

Strengthened authority within the party

Answer 9

Still control over high ranking officials, Deng had subordinates write report on failings of mass mobilisation in GLF but didn’t say at 7,000 cadre conference as would’ve been political suicide when was

Question 10

Intellectuals
silenced

Answer 10

Silenced freedom of speech directed against the party which he saw as bourgeois self indulgence or evidence of counter revolutionaries

Hu Feng campaign, to eradicate ‘Hu Feng elements’

Hundred flowers campaign

Anti rightist campaign

Question 11

Society
ACWF

Answer 11

Increased control with social reform like All China’s Federation BUT limited funding

Question 12

Society
birth control

Answer 12

Increased control of popualtion by state pharmaceutical companies using birth control, not forceful and less than 2% of state budget

Question 13

Society
litteracy

Answer 13

Improved literacy with 3 mass campaigns include evening classes added 16 million able to read as 85% were illiterate, increased amount who could engage in propaganda

Question 14

Society
communes

Answer 14

Peoples communes and higher stage APCS=200-300 house holds, 25,000 in a year increased control over peasants act as local government, work unit, military activities, control food