The Lushan Conference July 1959 Flashcards
Why was the Party gathering officially called
To assess the progress of the Great Leap Forward as it reached the end of its first year
What showed Mao was expecting trouble
he was clearly expecting trouble, and had
brought along his wife, Jiang Qing, whose influence over the Shanghai wing of the Party might prove
useful.
The conference had important consequences at both economic and political levels. As far as the
economy was concerned,
it meant the Great Leap Forward would continue apace. Before Lushan,
there had been signs that Mao was considering moderating aspects of the Second Five-Year Plan
- for example, by reining in the development of the backyard furnaces - but afterwards, China
embarked on what is called the second leap and the agricultural policies, in particular, pushed on at
full speed.
Politically, too, the conference was significant.
Whereas beforehand it was assumed that any leading
Party comrade could express their views freely at a Party conference, it had now become clear that
the only person who could criticise Mao was Mao himself Party leaders were much more guarded
about their views in future, and Mao was able to become even more dictatorial in his approach.
Who was Peng Dehuai replaced as defence minister by
Lin Biao
What did Peng do
Wrote a letter to Mao strongly criticising the Leap, Mao and ‘petit-bourgeois fanaticism’
Who was Peng
Had been with Mao as a commander in the Red Army since the early days in the 1920s. His skill and integrity as the commander of the Chinese forces in Korea led to tremendous successes in the first Chinese offensives, and his troops were responsible for some of the worst US defeats in combat. Went on the Long March. Mao considered him to be a close ally. Saw first-hand the extent of suffering in his home province
