China Topic 4 Flashcards
Who was China controlled by when Mao resigned
- Deng Xiaoping
- Zhou Enlai
- Liu Shaoqi
Why was Mao getting concerned about the direction of China under Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping
Believed it was too Capitalist
- Middle class experts and townspeople seemed to be getting wealthy at the expense of the peasants
What did Mao do in 1966
- He summoned the young people of China in Tiananmen square and told them that the revolution was in danger from leaders of the CCP
- He called for young people to rise up and rid China of the anti-communist elements within the party and society
CULTURAL REVOLUTION
What were Maos 4 reasons for the cultural revolution
- Remove opposition - He wanted to regain political supremacy as the GLF had weakened him
- Prevent communism being weakened - He hated the development of a new CCP middle class which he saw as corrupt
- Remove alternative ideas / beliefs - Mao did not want people to be able to think for themselves
- Keep the revolution going - Mao believed in continuous struggle so communism did not fail
Who were the red guard
- The young students of China
- they embraced the cult of Mao and the aims of the cultural revolution
- they were formed to struggle against teachers but quickly took a larger role
What was the attack of the four olds
- Old culture
- Old ideas
- Old customs
- Old habits
The red guard were told to attack anything seen as capitalist or that could be regarded as old. This included Churches, books and even invading peoples houses
Who were the red guard supported by
Supported by the PLA, under Lin Biao and Mao’s wife Jiang Qing
What did the Red Guard target
- They were ordered to bombard the CCP headquarters
- teachers were abused
- shaved off girls western hairstyles and ripped western clothes
- Smashed windows of westernised shops
- Stopped couples holding hands
- Burnt down churches
Who did the Red guard attack in the party
- Lin shaoqi was Jiang Qing main target, he was accused of being ‘no.1 enemy of communism’
- he was physically attacked and forced to write his own confession
What was the Cult of Mao
- Mao was worshipped like a god
- It was developed through propaganda and most successful with the young
- ‘little red book’ a collection of Mao’s well known sayings
What happened at the end of the Cultural Revolution
- The cultural revolution was spinning out of control, the red guard began to divide into rival factions
- The PLA was used to restore order
- Mao sent the red guard to the countryside to ‘re-educate’ themselves by learning from the peasants
- Mao once again had control over China
How many people had been killed in the Cultural revolution
over 1 million people
What effect did the Cultural Revolution have on Mao’s position
- He became more powerful
- He had removed opponents
- He was the unchallenged leader
However - He also became more suspicious as his paranoia increased
- Lin Biaos power increased due to the cultural revolution and he feared he was going to overthrow him
- Lin Biao died in a plane crash trying to escape China
What effect did the Cultural Revolution have on the economy
- Grain production fell and rationing was introduced
- Mao gave power to the workers
- factory managers were seen as disloyal to communism and were replaced by unskilled people
- Industrial production fell by 13%
- Shortage of trains to move materials as the red guard used them for free
What effect did the Cultural revolution have on people’s lives
Education - Seriously disrupted as they were closed. 1% of population had a degree
Family - Weakened as children were told to report their parents
Health - Mao was suspicious of Doctors so they cancelled operations and tried to show solidarity by sweeping floors
Religion - all public worship was banned. Priests were sent to Laogais
Culture - Jiang Qing ruined culture, people were too scared to be creative. Strict censorship
