The Cultural Revolution - Mao’s Reasons For Launching The Cultural Revolution

Question 1

Divisions within the CCP - distrust in leaders

Answer 1

• Mao had retired from frontline politics due to failures of the GLF - day to day running left to Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi
• Liu and Deng’s pragmatism angered Mao
• Mao was also jealous of the new more successful economic policies introduced by Liu and Deng

Question 2

Divisions within the CCP - personal slights

Answer 2

• party’s propaganda department warned against the use of Mao’s writings to explain achievement’s
• Mao complained he was treated as a ‘dead ancestor’ - show respect but ignored

Question 3

The quest for permanent revolution

Answer 3

• Mao believe the party was no longer a force for revolutionary change
• Mao feared the party had become bureaucratised - cadres had become a new elite
• the only way to prevent this was perpetual revolution to constantly replace those in power

Question 4

The cultural revolution group

Answer 4

• March 1966 Mao formed the CRG
• Chen Boda
• Jiang Qing - most influential member of the group
• CRG ran the PRC’s cultural policy - propaganda campaign targeting Liu and Deng

Question 5

Launching the cultural revolution

Answer 5

• Mao swam in the dangerous Yangtze River - widely publicised event (swam 9 miles)
• Mao was now back in the limelight
• Mao directed the party’s central committee to announce the cultural revolution

Question 6

Ridding the party of capitalist roaders

Answer 6

• Mao drafted the ‘Early ten points’ - proposed masses should be mobilised to criticise party cadres and denounce corrupt officials
• Mao introduced the four clean ups - economy, organisation, politics and ideology should be cleansed of non communist ideas
• Deng Xiaoping revised the plan - rewriting Mao’s directives
• the campaign was not a success and Mao blamed Deng