The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (1966)

Question 1

Reasons for initiating the Revolution

Answer 1

1. Mao was worried he was losing control over China→ threatened by de-Stalinization in the Soviet and wanted to remove all the remnants of bourgeois culture, from private thoughts to markets (transition from socialism to communism)
2. Mao’s reputation was damaged after the failure of the Great Leap Forward → side-lined from the main political stage and Mao’s actual practical power was somewhat marginalised
3. Paranoid of internal opposition and believed that even those with great loyalty could turn against him:
   
   • Mao vs Deng: Mao maintained that economic independence was key to economic growth, Deng advocated for a more open-door, market-based economic pathway“righteous path”
   • Mao vs Liu: Mao thought The “masses” should be included to pit the genuine proletariat against the bourgeoisie, Liu thought the corruption of the CCP cadres should be handled as internal CCP affair
4. He was getting old (73 y.o.) and he wanted to die knowing he left a permanent mark on China
5. International Rivalry → did not want China to end up like the USSR with more revisionism
6. Ideology → Wanted a continuous revolution and more nationalism: rid of all Soviet influence criticising Yugoslavia, an ideological ally of the USSR to indirectly attack the USSR
7. Bureaucracy → believed the CCP lost their revolutionary fervour and started to purge to eliminate all reactionaries

Question 2

Political Impacts of the Cultural Revolution

Answer 2

1. Liu and Deng were removed from the government:
   
   • Liu was subject to “struggle sessions”
   • Deng was sent to a corrective labour camp (purged)
2. Central Cultural Revolution Group was made including the Gang of Four → directed the revolution
3. 1971, Lin Biao affair (fled from China before crashing in Mongolia) → people lost faith in the movement and began doubting Mao and the propaganda
4. The population became fearful of political expression and participation → widespread reclusiveness

Question 3

Social Impacts of the Cultural Revolution

Answer 3

1. Revolution went too far → widespread destruction, social upheaval, local civil wars raged in China and Red Guards groups clashed
2. “Go up to the Mountains and down to the Villages” 1967-72 → 12 million youth was sent to the countryside to deepen understanding of revolution
3. Laogai → 1000 labour camps were opened: re-education through labour, 25 million deaths
4. The creation of the “Lost Generation” → 1966 to 1970, 130 million young people stopped attending schools and universities
5. Education was undermined → students went around beating up their teachers, Mao thought that education is worthless and that it was better to train loyal party members
6. A social “caste” system was established: The “Five Blacks” – Landlords, Rich farmers, Counterrevolutionaries, Bad influences, and Rightists – were at the bottom of society → Their children suffered from all types of social alienation
7. Regions began practicing ritualistic cannibalism →
   Those belonging to the Five Blacks would be ritually dissected and eaten

Question 3

Social Impacts of the Cultural Revolution

Answer 3

1. Revolution went too far → widespread destruction, social upheaval, local civil wars raged in China and Red Guards groups clashed
2. “Go up to the Mountains and down to the Villages” 1967-72 → 12 million youth was sent to the countryside to deepen understanding of revolution
3. Laogai → 1000 labour camps were opened: re-education through labour, 25 million deaths
4. The creation of the “Lost Generation” → 1966 to 1970, 130 million young people stopped attending schools and universities
5. Education was undermined → students went around beating up their teachers, Mao thought that education is worthless and that it was better to train loyal party members
6. A social “caste” system was established: The “Five Blacks” – Landlords, Rich farmers, Counterrevolutionaries, Bad influences, and Rightists – were at the bottom of society → Their children suffered from all types of social alienation
7. Regions began practicing ritualistic cannibalism →
   Those belonging to the Five Blacks would be ritually dissected and eaten

Question 4

Economic Impacts of the Cultural Revolution

Answer 4

1. Industrial production was at a halt due to wars between workers
2. Slave labour increased → prisoners from labour camps
3. Schools and universities were closed and did not open in 1958 → Students moved to the countryside to explore the country + go see Mao to get a revolutionary experience

Question 5

Gang of Four

Answer 5

1. Members: Jiang Qing, Yao Wenyuan, Wang Hongwen and Zhang Chunqiao
2. Manipulated and censored cultural activities and media to establish control and a foot on the political stage

Question 6

The Arts During the CR

Answer 6

1. Jiang Qing took over the arts in the CR → criteria for allowed artistic pieces were strict, rigid: artistic expression, creativity, and development came to a stand-still
2. Agitation propaganda: was an amalgamation of political ideas streamlined through ‘entertainment’ →only allowed 8 “black-and-white” plays; told cliché stories about self-sacrifice, infinite party loyalty, and a proletariat “paradise”.
3. Western music was banned, and replaced by songs about Mao as a sort of prayer → spread messages about Mao’s greatness. Most musicians no longer played music, and many were subject to re-education. Ironically, Mao was said to have enjoyed western music
4. Art was no longer a form of entertainment
5. Art was now about the destruction of the old culture
6. Artists either conformed to Jiang’s propaganda or quit.