post mao gap yrs Flashcards
(20 cards)
Who was Ye Jianying?
A supporter of Mao since the 1930s, and a PLA Marshal since 1955. Having lost his posts during the CR, having fallen out with Lin Biao, he was partially rehabilitated after Lin’s death. He was restored to the Politburo, and became Defence Minister, in 1975.
Who were the 4 main factions vying for power after Mao’s death in 1976, and what were the strengths of
each?
1) Hua Guofeng - Mao’s chosen successor, Party Chairman, Chairman of the Military Affairs Commission.
2) The Gang of Four - Although Mao had been increasingly irritated with them, he never denounced them, and they claimed to be the true defenders of Mao’s ideological legacy.
3) Deng Xiaoping - although dismissed from all his positions in April 1976, he still had popular support and
backing within the Party, State and the PLA.
4) Party cadres, State officials and PLA officers who had avoided the purges of the CR. A leading figure of the ‘survivors’ group was Ye Jianyiing.
What was Hua Guofeng’s ‘Two Whatevers’ statement in 1977 and how did he show his dedication to Mao?
He remained committed to maintaining Mao’s ideological legacy
‘Two Whatevers’ statement 1977 – ‘Whatever policy Chairman Mao decided upon, we shall resolutely defend; whatever directives Chairman Mao issued, we shall steadfastly obey.’
Acknowledged his debt to Mao by ordering the building of a mausoleum in Tiananmen Square for Mao’s body despite Mao’s wishes – to show ‘The Chairman is always with us’
Mao’s mausoleum is built in the middle of Tiananmen Square. Mao is in the centre between the old temple and the Forbidden City, and MAO is just as important. Shows Mao’s position in the entire history of China. However, Mao would probably have seen this as pandering to old ideas and beliefs
These 2 decisions were a clear statement of his wish to continue the cult of Mao and emphasise continuity between Mao and himself
When did the Gang of Four mobilise the 100,000 strong Shanghai militia?
August 1976.
Why did the Gang of Four believe they were in a strong position to take power from Hua Guofeng?
They believed that with their control of the media, and important positions on the Politburo, they were in a strong position to take power.
What were the reasons for the Gang of Four’s failure to take power from Hua Guofeng (4)?
1) They wrongly believed that as the ‘defenders of Mao’s legacy’, they would win the support of the majority
of Party cadres and take control over the provincial Party organisations.
2) They did not have the support of the PLA, which Hua Guofeng did.
3) They had failed to build alliances with other beneficiaries of the CR.
4) Their mobilisation of the Shanghai militia posed a threat to the stability of China, forcing the PLA to
intervene to prevent civil war.
5) Although obsessed with MZT, they ignored a basic Maoist principle in regards to guerrilla warfare - when
attacking a superior enemy, do so from a secure base. Their secure base was in Shanghai, but they had
remained in Beijing after Mao’s death. This was at the heart of the government system controlled by Hua
Guofeng.
When were the Gang of Four arrested?
6 October 1976.
What was the aftermath of the Gang of Four’s arrest (3)?
1) There was some unrest in Shanghai as their supporters tried to fight back. The PLA restored order within a
week.
2) The Gang of Four remained under arrest until their trial in 1980, where they were found guilty of all
charges.
3) The Politburo confirmed Hua as Mao’s successor, installed as Party Chairman, Chairman of the Military
Affairs Committee (CAM), and State Premier.
What were the Gang of Four found guilty of (3), and how were they (and Chen Boda) punished (4)?
The Gang of Four were found guilty of attempting to overthrow the socialist state, planning armed rebellion
and causing people to be killed and tortured:
1) Jiang Qing and Zhong Chunqiao were sentenced to death, although the executions were delayed for 2
years, and changed to life imprisonment.
2) Yao Wenyuan was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
3) Wang Hongwen was sentenced to life imprisonment.
4) Chen Boda was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
How did Hua Guofeng acknowledge his debt to Mao after the arrest of the Gang of Four (2), and what did
this show about his leadership?
1) Hua ordered the building of a mausoleum in Tiananmen Square to house Mao’s body, in defiance of Mao’s
wishes, to show ‘The Chairman is always with us’.
2) His ‘Two Whatevers’ statement in 1977.
This showed his wish to perpetuate the personality cult of Mao, and emphasise the continuity between Mao
and himself.
How did the economic planning of Hua Guofeng generate debate within the CCP (2)?
1) Before his death, Zhou Enlai had been working on a Ten Year Plan to run from 1976 to 1985. When Hua
took it over, he gave it a Maoist emphasis, leasing to it being labelled ‘Hua’s Great Leap’. His plan failed to
account for the damage to the economy caused by the factional battling 1974-76, leading to unrealistic targets
being set, that were not based on accurate data.
2) This generated debate within the economy within the senior leadership, reflecting the debates of the early
1960s. Hua and his faction - the ‘Whatever’ faction - slavishly followed the ideological certainties of MZT.
On the other hand, other senior figures (like Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yun), took a more pragmatic approach
to the economy, believing policy should be based on careful analysis of the real situation, rather than on a
dogmatic application of MZT.
What did Deng call for in a Party work conference in December 1978?
For the Chinese people to ‘emancipate their minds’.
How did Deng Xiaoping and Hua Guofeng differ ideologically?
1) Hua wanted the ‘verdict of the Cultural Revolution’ to guide all future policies. Victims of the CR would
be excluded from power, and MZT would drive policy.
2) Deng wanted the rehabilitation of the victims of the CR, and wanted economic policy to be based on the
Four Modernisations. He believed that gradual growth and the maintenance of order/stability should be
prioritised over MZT. Deng believed there should be a reprisal of Mao’s rule, but was not foolish enough to
disregard and reject Mao’s beliefs, as that would undermine the very foundations of China.
How did Deng Xiaoping strengthen his political position (Autumn-December 1978) (4)?
1) He built support amongst CR survivors in the Party, and in the PLA, expressing his pragmatic agenda
through a series of articles in newspapers.
2) By autumn of 1978, cadres in every province were expressing their support for Deng.
3) In November 1978, the Central Committee reversed its previous verdict on the Tiananmen Square incident
of April 1976, labelling it ‘completely revolutionary’. This removed a stain from Deng’s record, and signified
a shift in the power balance towards Deng.
4) At the Third Plenum in December 1978, the process of rehabilitating victims of the CR began. Deng was
also appointed Chairman of the People’s Political Consultative Conference.
What was the significance of the Third Plenum for Deng Xiaoping’s political power (2)?
Dec 1978 Third Plenum (3rd time Central Committee had met in full)
Began process of rehabilitating rightists of CR and even some as far back as 1950s e.g. anti-rightist/Hundred Flowers campaigns and even posthumously Peng Dehuai & Liu Shaoqi - some even elected to new Politburo
Deng appointed Chairman of the People’s Political Consultative Conference – Deng and supporters could now steer Party away from Hua’s radical agenda
Meeting declared: ‘From this day forward, we renounce class struggle as the central focus, and instead take up economic development as our central focus.’
How did Deng Xiaoping respond to the Democracy Movement (3)?
1) He initially supported the movement, but then realised that it could get out of hand and threaten order and
stability. Furthermore, it could risk the support of Party cadres, for which he had relied on in the power
struggle.
2) In January 1979, Deng ordered a crackdown on the Democracy Movement. Many activists, e.g. Wei
Jingsheng, were arrested and imprisoned, and the constitution was changed to remove the right to put up wall
posters.
3) In a speech to Party cadres, Deng set out the ‘Four Cardinal Principles’, declaring ‘We practice democratic
centralism, not bourgeois, individualistic democracy’.
What were the Four Cardinal Principles?
Adherence to:
1) Socialism.
2) People’s democratic dictatorship.
3) Party leadership.
4) Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Thought.
How did Deng Xiaoping consolidate his position/remove Hua Guofeng from power (1979 - 1981) (4)?
1) At a Central Committee meeting in September 1979, Peng Zhen, Bo Yibo, and other victims of the CR
were rehabilitated and placed on the Politburo.
2) In August 1980, Hua’s supporters were removed from the State Council and Hua lost his position as State
Premier. He was replaced by Zhao Ziyang, an ally of Deng Xiaoping.
3) In November 1980, Hua was criticised by the Politburo for lacking the ‘political and organisational ability
to be the Chairman of the Party’. He was replaced as Chairman by Hu Yaobang, an ally of Deng Xiaoping.
4) By 1981, Deng and his allies controlled all top positions in the Party, State and PLA. Although he did not
have the titles of Mao or Hua before him, he was recognised as the ‘paramount leader’.
What the political spectrum looked like in 1976
Left - Shanghai Radicals
Jiang Qing
Yao Wenyuan
Chang Chunqiao
Wang Hongwen
Rose to power because of Mao’s personal favour not achievement
Left / Maoism - Hua Guofeng
Benefitted from the Cultural Revolution and had been appointed Mao’s successor
Central-Majority of the party, PLA and State Bureaucracy
Many united in the belief that the revolutionary purpose was now to ‘modernise’ China
Pragmatic right - Deng Xiaoping
Had survived the Cultural Revolution, but then had fallen out of favour again after the Festival of the Dead incident in April 1976 ( Had marked 10yrs of cult. rev and also the death of Zhou Enlai. People covered Tianemmen Square in flowers and remembrances. The next day it had all been cleared away, this was blamed on Deng with people’s grief turning anger. 100,000 Beijing residents turned out in the square to protest
What happened to the Shanghai Radicals?
Feared a backlash from Hua so mobilised the 100,000 strong Shanghai militia in 1976 ready for a military showdown
Had control over the media and held important positions in the Politburo
BUT
Unpopular with majority of party cadres
No support from PLA
Failed to make use of the previously successful tactic of guerrilla warfare – stayed in Beijing where they were vulnerable rather than retreating to their Shanghai stronghold
SO
6th Oct 1976 Hua had them arrested with the support of the PLA
Put in prison until 1980, until DXP deals with them. One of the first political moves DXP made was to remove the political idea of the far left, but also because Gang of 4 made moves against Deng and his family
