The winding down of the cultural revolution after 1968 Flashcards
How did the PLA clamp down on the red guard?
1967 August, Mao allows the PLA to clamp down on the red guard but changed his mind and allowed the red guard to wreak havoc longer. The PLA controlled them with ease afterwards though showing how in control Mao was in the whole time.
The reason Mao stopped them was because they were undermining the army’s role and were inflicting unsustainable damage to economic and educational sectors of China.
The PLA were anxious to intervene because they did not want to face scrutiny from radicals and they didn’t want to lose their title of defenders of the revolution. Once Mao had removed the four most radical members of the CCRG who called for extension of the red guard putting down the red guard was straightforward.
Mao ordered rival red guard committees to join up together. These committees were dominated by the PLA giving the army mass control over the new political system.
All 29 provincial committees were put in place by 1968.
Shanxi and Guangxi had to be pacified through military action.
The PLA would be entrusted with rebuilding the education system after two years of schools being closed down.
What was the ‘up to the mountains and down to the villages’ campaign?
Also known as the rustification campaign.
Compulsory movement of 5 million young people to the countryside between 1968-70.
It put former red guards in places they wouldn’t cause trouble.
It taught the urban young the life of a Chinese peasant farmer.
Many of the farms were owned by the military further extending the control of the army.
Most of the people in the campaign hated the experience because of the primitive living conditions and scarce food. This led to red guard members feel disillusioned with Mao as they felt they had been used as pawns in the CR.
How did Zhou Enlai and Deng Xiaoping return to power?
Zhou Enlai had held his post of Prime Minister from 1949-76 when he died, he avoided purges because he was very useful for Mao. He became a target early on in the CR due to his pragmatic approach but the death of Lin Bao brought him his credibility back because he had closed the airports and told Mao about the assassination plot showing loyalty.
Zhou began enforcing the four modernisations which would use a moderate approach to develop agriculture, defense, industry and education.
Zhou aimed to establish links with the West to acquire more technological expertise and Nixon visited China in 1972 which set a diplomatic tone.
This boosted Zhou’s confidence and he aimed fix to economic production and instability caused by the CR and Chen Yun endorsed these policies and Zhou introduced entrance exams which boosted education.
However Zhou didn’t remove the radicals from the CCRG and Mao placed his loyalty with them in 1973 after deciding that Lin Bao was a rightist acting as if he was a leftist. This slowed Zhou’s progress and increased attacks from radicals.
After this Zhou gets Deng back into government and Mao wanted Deng to train his new planned successor Wang. Deng acted as representative for China to the UN to which they were admitted to in 1971 and appointed army chief of staff.
How were the gang of four reigned in?
The PLA had mass control and could withstand any threats from the CCRG meaning it would be near impossible for the gang of four to succeed.
They were also marginalised by Zhou and Deng’s introduction of moderate policies which made officials question if the CR went too far and were fearful of any more radical change.
In 1973 they launched the Confuscious campaign which discredited Lin and made it so they could insult anyone with a moderate outlook eg Zhou and Deng. They called for a boycott of western technology and a renewal of the communes. They rebirthed a previously Maoist slogan which helped them gain support from Mao but Mao soon withdrew due to his realisation that the gang of four just wanted a spot in the race for successor.
In 1976, Zhou died and Mao was very ill leaving the gang of four with an opportunity to reassert themselves. The low-key memorial of Zhou turned into a demonstration in favour of moderate policy and attacking the gang of four which made them lose all of their influence.
The demonstration turned bloody and Deng was blamed for organising the Tiananmen incident and he was dismissed from his post but he waited in exile for things to cool down.
