23. Political Developments 1982-97 Flashcards
What did Deng say about political reform in 1986?
‘All our other reforms depend on the success of political reform, because it is human beings who will - or will not - carry them out’.
What were the ‘feudal elements’ among the Party bureaucracy according to Deng (2)?
1) Party cadres had the privilege of a job for life, as long as they survived the purges. Many, even at the higher levels of the Party, were poorly educated, old and resistant to change.
2) Officials in the Party bureaucracy who abused their power, enriching themselves and their families, and behaving like feudal overlords over the Chinese people.
What were Deng’s institutional reforms (6)?
1) The clearing out of ageing Party members at all levels and replacing them with younger people, with a better education and more technical expertise.
2) He wanted a robust system for the supervision and removal of corrupt cadres.
3) He abolished the post of Party Chairman, replacing it with General Secretary, whose office was staffed with young and educated cadres.
4) Deng made the Party leadership more collective. Hu Yaobang and Zhang Ziyang occupied key roles as reformers. A rule was introduced the Party members could not stand above the law or make major decisions on their own.
5) He wanted the Party and the State to be more clearly separated.
6) He reformed the PLA, with older officers pushed into retirement, budget cuts and the restoration of military ranks (abolished during the CR). The PLA had representation on the Politburo.
Who was Deng Liqun (Little Deng)?
Rehabilitated in 1974, following his purge in the CR, he served as head of the Propaganda Department of the CCP in the 1980s. Although he supported the dismantling of communes, he thought Deng was straying too far from orthodox Marxist thinking.
Who was Wang Zhen?
A former PLA commander during the Civil War, and was known for being ‘incorruptible’. He was an advocate for the use of military force against Tiananmen Square protests in 1989.
What was the ‘conservative faction’?
A group, mostly consisting of ageing cadres, who were resistant to Deng’s changes. Instead, they defended elements of MZT.
Why was there a generational divide in the struggle over political reform in the 1980s?
Many of the ageing cadres felt threatened by Deng’s promotion of younger men.
Why was there an ideological divide in the struggle over political reform in the 1980s?
Many of the conservative faction were veterans of the Long March, and although many fell foul of Mao in the CR, they were steeped in Mao’s values. They were concerned that Deng’s economic reforms were
undermining many of his socialist values which they had fought for their whole lives, and that his political reforms were depriving them of influence over events.
Who were some opponents to Deng’s political reforms in the 1980s (5 potential)?
Peng Zhen, Chen Yun, Bo Yibo, Deng Liqun and Wang Zhen.
What compromises did Deng make to appease the ‘conservative faction’ (3)?
1) Many old cadres only agreed to retire after Deng established the Central Advisory Commission (CAC), where they could have a supervisory role over Party decisions.
2) The launch of the campaign against ‘spiritual pollution’, targeting the growing fashion of Western haircuts and clothing among the young, individualism and the attitude of ‘looking to make money in everything’, and the revival of clan feuds and superstitious beliefs in rural areas.
3) Deng occasionally slowed down the pace of both economic and political reform.
What was the Central Advisory Commission (CAC)?
Est. in 1892 and abolished in 1992, it was chaired by Deng Xiaoping (1882-87) and Chen Yun (1887-92).
Membership was only offered members of the Central Committee with forty years or more of service, making it an important forum for the Eight Elders to remain formally involved in politics, and have a supervisory role over Party decisions.
What was Deng’s campaign against ‘spiritual pollution’?
Launched as a concession to the conservative faction in 1892, it targeted the growing fashion of Western haircuts and clothing among the young, individualism and the attitude of ‘looking to make money in everything’, and the revival of clan feuds and superstitious beliefs in rural areas.
What were the 5 main reasons why pressure for political change increased during the 1980s?
1) The expansion of university education led to student protests.
2) A flowering of intellectual debate from the mid 1980s onwards.
3) The Open Door Policy exposed China to foreign influences and pressures.
4) Economic reforms fuelled social unrest.
5) The CCP’s credibility was damaged due to corruption amongst Party cadres.
How did the expansion of university education increase pressure for political change in the 1980s?
The expansion of university education led to an increase in student protests against poor living conditions on campuses, high living costs and the lack of intellectual freedom. There were student protests in Beijing in
1985, and more serious and widespread demonstrations in 1986.
How did intellectual debate increase pressure for political change in the 1980s?
From the mid 1980s, there was a flowering of intellectual debate, challenging the official orthodoxy of the CCP. Fang Lizhi (a leading figure of this movement), was an astrophysicist, who made a nationwide tour of
university campuses in 1986. He called for people to ‘break all barriers’ and demand democratic rights and freedom.
How did the Open Door Policy increase pressure for political change in the 1980s (2)?
1) The Open Door Policy on trade and investment exposed China to foreign influences and pressures. An intellectual debate over ‘socialist humanism’ in 1983, leading to demands for equality before the law and respect for human rights, was partly stimulated with contact with the outside world.
2) Western leaders visiting China raised issues of human rights violations with PRC leaders, and Western governments had contact with leading activists (e.g. Fang Lizhi).
How did economic reforms increase pressure for political change in the 1980s (2)?
1) Pressure was put on consumers and workers by price and rent rises, lay-offs from factories to reduce costs and raise efficiency and harsh working conditions. This led to strikes.
2) Increased migration by peasants to the cities placed pressure on housing, leading to homelessness and begging in cities. An increase in crime, including armed attacks by gangs on trains and road transport, added
to the perception of social instability.
How did corruption amongst Party cadres increase pressure for political change in the 1980s?
1) Corruption among cadres damaged the credibility of the CCP. Party officials took bribes, got involved in corrupt land deals, and used their contacts to help family and friends. Despite periodic anti-corruption drives, with 150,00 members expelled 1883-87, problems persisted.
2) The CCP’s justification for dictatorship had always rested on its claim to represent the people. Corruption eroded this image, with fewer and fewer interested in joining the Party, and a growing cynicism among normal Chinese people towards it.
Who was Fang Lizhi?
1) An academic and astrophysicist, who had been purged in the anti-Rightist campaign (1957) and the CR, before being allowed to continue his work in the 1970s.
2) He was expelled from the CCP in 1987 after arguing the need for more democracy in the 1980s.
3) Although not directly involved in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, he was listed for arrest but was given political asylum in the American embassy. He was allowed to leave China in 1990, continuing his work
in Britain and the USA.
What did Jonathan Fenby (historian) say about China in the 1980s?
‘China was booming and imploding at the same time, under a system that could not cope with its own growth’.
What was the cause of the Chinese student demonstrations of 1986 (2 stages)?
1) In the summer of 1986, CCP high ranking officials debated political reform. Most reformers wanted change to be limited to greater freedom of expression and supervision of officials within the Party. However, some wanted more radical changes, like a multi-party system and free elections.
2) The radical reformers initially thought they had Deng’s support, but he gave support to the conservative faction, condemning the
demands for ‘bourgeois liberalisation’. The CCP was paralysed internally, causing political reform to be postponed.
What were the Chinese student demonstrations of 1986?
With political reform postponed, = students/intellectuals took the initiative in December 1986. They protested at a university in Hefei about the lack of selection of a head of the student union. The authorities gave in to the demands, causing students in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, etc. to demonstrate and put up big character wall posters. In most cases authorities did not use excessive force, but some arrests were made.
What was the aftermath of the Chinese student demonstrations of 1986 (4)?
1) By January 1987, the movement was losing momentum, but for the conservative faction and for Deng, it had gone too far. Deng denounced the ‘turmoil’, blaming intellectuals like Fang Lizhi, making it clear any repetition would be met by force.
2) The conservative faction blamed Hu Yaobang for ‘failing to provide correct leadership’ and resisting the Party’s attempts to fight ‘spiritual pollution’.
3) In January 1987, Hu Yaobang was sacked as General Secretary and replaced by Zhao Ziyang. Fang Lizhi was also expelled from the CCP, but there was no purge of intellectuals.
4) There was a tightening of press censorship and universities were brought under stricter Party control.
What was the crisis of 1988 (3)?
1) In the preceding months before the spring of 1988, the Chinese economy faced high wage and price inflation, with falling living standards. In April, demonstrations against rising living costs took place on university campuses.
2) Student protesters in Tiananmen Square demanded action against corruption, and for progress on human
rights.
3) Within the CCP leadership there was debate over economic reform, with Deng leading calls for relaxation of price controls. Deng changed his mind and prices were frozen for 2 years.
