The Cultural Revolution

Question 1

Why was the Cultural Revolution launched?

Answer 1

Mao wanted to regain control from the pragmatists
He wanted permanent revolution and the youth had no experience of revolution yet
He wanted to crush the growing bureaucracy

Question 2

Who were the ideologues?

Answer 2

Mao
Lin Biao (PLA)
Kant Sheng (secret police) 
Chen Boda
Gang of Four: Jiang Qing, Zhang, Wang and Yao

Question 3

Who were the pragmatists?

Answer 3

Liu Shaoqi 
Deng Xiaoping
Zhou Enlai (moderate) 
Chen Yun (economist)
Peng Zhen (Beijing's mayor)

Question 4

What was the Socialist education movement? (1962)

Answer 4

A campaign launched by Mao to regain the ideological purity within the Party. Although students reacted with enthusiasm, pragmatists soon regained control

Question 5

What was the Wu Han attack? (1965)

Answer 5

Mao publicly disapproved of Wu Han’s play. The Gang of Four escalated this into a class struggle, targeting the pragmatists

Question 6

Why did Mao get Peng Zhen removed? (1966)

Answer 6

To weaken the pragmatists support base

Question 7

What was the CCRG? (Formed in 1966)

Answer 7

A sub-committee of the politburo, committed to the cultural revolution (dominated by Mao supporters)

Question 8

Why did Mao swim the Yangtze River? (1966)

Answer 8

It was the sight of the uprising in 1911, so symbolised revolution
Effectively was a publicity stunt to prove he was still fighting fit

Question 9

What was the order of events leading up to the 1966 rallies?

Answer 9

Socialist education movement (1962)
Wu Han attack (1965)
Removing Peng Zhen (1966)
CCRG set up (1966)
Mao swims the Yangtze (1966)
Liu and Deng forced to perform self criticisms (1966)

Question 10

Why did Mao choose the youth to carry out the Cultural Revolution?

Answer 10

Great in number
The most fit and mobile
Lack of revolutionary experience
He was the most popular with them

Question 11

What propaganda did Mao use to gain support for the Cultural Revolution?

Answer 11

Personality cult
Little red books
The diary of Lei Feng (fake model worker)

Question 12

What happened at the 1966 rallies? (First in August and most significant)

Answer 12

1million Red Guards in Tiananmen square, ideologues in army uniform and pragmatists in civilian clothes
Chaos and violence encouraged - Lin orders the attack of the four olds, western influences and Confucius and co.

Question 13

What were the four olds?

Answer 13

Culture
Customs
Ideas
Habits 
(Kept deliberately vague to ensure maximum destruction)

Question 14

How did the PLA help organise the Cultural Revolution?

Answer 14

Organised the free travel of Red Guards

Question 15

What were the Red Guards activities?

Answer 15

Changing names of street signs
Raiding houses of the bourgeois
Book burnings
Struggle sessions
Destroying culture and religious artefacts and buildings
Beatings and killings (often teachers) - much violence

Question 16

What happened to Red Guards after the initial destruction?

Answer 16

Office and factory workers formed Red Guard groups, causing groups of them to start fighting each other

Question 17

What happened in the January storm? (1967)

Answer 17

Red Guard conflict became so high in Shanghai that the system crumbled, causing the formation of the first revolutionary committee

Question 18

What were Revolutionary Committees’?

Answer 18

The first in Shanghai, they were the new political system formed by Mao
Consisting of CCP members, PLA members and Red Guards - although power lied mostly with the PLA (2/3 of congress now PLA)

Question 19

What was the February Crackdown? (1967)

Answer 19

With the revolution out of control, the PLA felt undermined. With no clear instruction from Mao, the PLA put a temporary end to the fighting with there own violent suppression

Question 20

What happened after the February Crackdown? (1967)

Answer 20

Although it had politburo backing, Mao undermined the PLA further by encouraging more chaos
A few months later, he made another U-turn and the PLA regained control

Question 21

What was the destruction of the Cultural Revolution?

Answer 21

7000 historically important places destroyed
100,000+ homes broken into

*Zhou managed to protect the forbidden city

Question 22

How was Liu and Deng purged?

Answer 22

Accused of the ‘capitalist road’ by Mao, the Wu Han affair and purge of Peng lessened their support
Liu and his wife were dragged from their home and beaten by a mob, underwent struggle sessions and then died in prison
Deng was humiliated in struggle sessions and then exiled to a tractor factory

Question 23

How was Lin Biao purged?

Answer 23

By 1969, he was too popular for Mao’s liking - not helped by Jiang increasing Mao’s paranoia
Mao arrested his ally Chen Boda and began packing the Military Affairs Commission with Maoists
Then, Zhou informed Mao of Lin and his son’s apparent plan to overthrow him. Lin fled, only for his plane to crash in Mongolia

Question 24

What was the effect of Lin Biao’s purge?

Answer 24

Mao went into depression
It cast doubt over the regimes credibility
Was kept quiet until 1972, Jiang eventually launched a campaign calling him a Soviet spy

Question 25

Who were Mao’s chosen successors in order?

Answer 25

Liu
Lin Biao
Wang Hongwen
Hun Guofeng
(Jiang was too unpopular and Zhou was too old)

Question 26

What happened to the CCP during the cultural revolution?

Answer 26

Mao’s call to “Bombard the headquarters” caused:
Only 9/23 of the politburo to hold their place
70% of Party officials were purged
3million cadres were sent for retraining

Question 27

When did the Cultural revolution finish?

Answer 27

In a central committee meeting, it was declared over in 1968
At a Party Congress, in 1969

But in reality, very unclear

Question 28

How did Red Guards attack foreigners?

Answer 28

Among other things, they attacked foreign embassies - most notably the British embassy
Chinese embassy staff took to London’s streets to stage an intimidating demonstration against their control of Hong Kong

Question 29

How did the PLA restore order?

Answer 29

Crushed the Red Guards in August 1967
Last revolutionary committee created in 1968
They began a full scale purge of Red Guards in the worst civil war areas (Shanxi)
The Rustication campaign made 5million Red Guards go to work in rural areas to truly learn about revolution - disillusioning them with Mao

Question 30

What were Zhou’s four moderations? (1970)

Answer 30

While Mao was distracted by the purge of Lin, Zhou introduced some moderate policies - most notably in education and the international relations (Nixon visited in 1972)

Question 31

What did Deng do on his return?

Answer 31

Trained Wang to be Mao’s successor
He was promoted to vice premier and then Party Secretary
Then he was purged again in 1976 after Zhou’s death

Question 32

What happened after Zhou’s death? (1976)

Answer 32

A mass demonstration was held in Tiananmen Square for him - blamed on Deng so he was purged

Question 33

What was the Gang of Four’s influence after the Cultural Revolution?

Answer 33

The anti-Confucius campaign (1973)
Campaigned to boycott western technology (Mao later withdrawing his support for it)
Purging Deng (1976)

Question 34

What happened after Mao’s death? (1976)

Answer 34

Wang was not the successor as he was distrusted (too influenced by Jiang)
Hua Guofeng was chosen, who then arrested the Gang of Four
Deng replaced him in 1980