How and Why Was the Cultural Revolution Wound Down After 1968? (2a.3) Flashcards
When did Mao finally allow the PLA to clamp down on the Red Guards?
1967
Why did Mao authorise the clampdown of the Red Guard?
Undermining the army’s role and inflicting unsustainable damage on China’s economic and educational systems
What took military action to end?
- Full scale civil war in Shanxi and looting of weapons bound for Vietnam in Guangxi
- Both provinces pacified by 1968
Qinghua University
- Schools closed for 2 years
- Red Guards refused to lay down arms
- Ten died in the fighting that ensued
‘Up to the mountains and down to the villages’ campaign
- Rustication campaign
- Compulsory movement of 5 million young people from cities to countryside between 1968-1970
- Eased urban unemployment
- Dispersed former Red Guards
- Introduced to realties of manual labour
- Many hated it and became disillusioned with Mao
Why was Zhou so valuable to Mao?
- Uncovered alleged assassination plot
- Foiled Lin’s escape by closing airports
- Was to Zhou that Lin’s daughter leaves the news
What was Zhou’s call for the Four Modernisations?
- Establish closer links with West to aquire more technological expertise
- Zhou facilitated Nixon’s visit in 1972
- Common enmity with Russia convinced USA to treat China as equal
What were the Four Modernisations?
- Agriculture
- Industry
- Defence
- Education
How did Mao decide to present Lin’s treachery?
- Condemned as traitor on far left (conduct as PLA commander appeared to indicate)?
- Or far right (where his plotting seemed to put him)?
- Mao decided he had been a rightist pretending to be on the far left
Deng Xiaoping’s return to power
- Zhou managed to get Deng back in 1973
- Was a pragmatist and someone who could get things done so Zhou persuaded Mao to bring him back to gov
- Deng led China’s delegation to UN, admitted to in 1971
- 1973 appointed vice premier then 1974 regained old post as Party Secretary
- Purged again in 1976
Wang Hongwen
- Initially Mao wanted Deng to train his new successor Wang Hongwen (member of GO4)
- Work together for a few years, then Wang would be able to go it alone after Mao’s death
- Chose him to succeed at Tenth Party Congress 1973
- Background as worker, peasant and soldier ticked all boxes
GO4’s influence
- Radical extremists continued to exert influence on direction of events through domination of CCRG
- 1973 anti Confucius campaign to discredit Lin, Zhou and Deng
- Called for boycott of Western technology and renewal of people’s communes
- Initially got Mao’s backing, but they were more concerned with jockeying for position in succession struggle
What marginalised GO4?
- Army’s dominance
- Fall out from Lin Biao affair (Zhou and Deng restored more moderate policies)
- Mao withdrew backing and expressed support for Zhou instead
Zhou’s death
- Died from lung cancer 1976
- Memorial service turned into huge demonstration in Tiananmen Square in favour of his moderate policies and attacking GO4
- Politburo blamed Deng and dismissed him (exile)
When and how did Mao die?
- Sep 1976
- Lung infections made worse by years of smoking affected his heart
- May have had Parkinson’s disease
- From Jan 1976 to his death he was unable to give decisive guidance
Why was Wang Hongwen dismissed as successor?
Too much under influence of Jiang Qing
Who did Mao choose as successor?
Hua Guofeng
After Mao’s death
- Hua took over as head of Party and state
- With help of PLA, arrested GO4 (who made tactical error of staying in Beijing instead of linking up with many supporters in Shanghai)
- Civil war avoided, moderate policies reintroduced by Zhou and Deng were revived
- Deng replaced Hua in 1980, GO4 put on trial
