Cultural Revolution A Success For Mao? Flashcards
Mao’s increased hold on young people
1 mil attended first of 8 mass rallies 1966
What were the ‘four olds’?
Old culture, ideas, customs and habits
List some harmless actions taken during attacks on the Four Olds
- Targetted Western fashion like high heels and ‘Hong Kong style’ stuff like hairstyles (correction stations to shave head)
- Street names changed
- Adopted new names like ‘Red Hero’ or ‘Militant’
What was the address of the British Embassy in Beijing changed to?
Anti-Imperialist Street
How did Zhou use diplomatic skills to dissuade the Red Guards from changing the colours of the traffic lights?
If red was colour of revolution, should mean go not stop but Zhou said red stopped threats to revolution
Harmful actions taken in attacks on ‘four olds’
- Houses ransacked in search of bourgeois possessions like jewellery and antiques (dragged out& destroyed)
- Books considered to be written by bourgeoise authors pulped or burned in street
- Bourgeoisie struggle sessions or impromptu beatings
What two other things were destroyed?
Religion
Traditional nuclear family
Who were young people urged to treat as their true parents and what did this mean?
Mao and CCP- owed obedience and expected to inform to RG abt parents and relatives who held onto old attitudes
What was a huge limitation of the attacks on the ‘four olds’?
Effects short-lived & many traditional views reappeared like the survival of the ‘old’ attitude of showing respect for the dead clearly shown 1000s attended a huge Festival of the Dead ceremony April 1976 in tribute to Zhou (happened when Mao still alive)
Who did RGs turn on?
Teachers & anyone whose lifestyle suggested wealth, privilege or an adherence to old/ foreign ideas.
Why were there few restrictions on what the RGs could do?
Mao had described chaos as more virtuous than order snd police+army stood aside
What were those accused subjected to?
Lengthy struggle sessions where often physically attacked, tortured and forced ti confess to crimes
There was endless savage brutality but how did random attacks become systematic?
Officials in the Ministry of Public Security passed names of members of the bad classes (e.g. landlords, rich peasants) on to the Red Guards
What shows the savage nature of the revolution?
The Babaoshan crematorium in Beijing disposed of 2,000 bodies in a 2 week period 1966
Gang of Four 1980 accused of causing death if over half a million people.
How many killings in the southern province of Guangxi?
67,000
