theme 3: the Cultural Revolution and its aftermath 1966-76 Flashcards
what were the 4 reasons for launching the cultural revolution
divisions within CCP of ideologues and pragmatists
division within CCP of supporters and opponents of mao
quest for permanent revolution
attacks on bureaucracy
what did mao think of pragmatists
uncomfortable with their revisionist methods even though they ended famine caused by GLF because he did not want to admit his failures
what happened at the January 1962 conference and how many attended
7,000 cadres attended. Mao wanted to gain support against drifting away from socialist ideals but resulted in him withdrawing from public life
example of liu controlling maos ideas
mao launched a socialist education movement in 1963 to root out corruption in rural cadres. liu bought it under centralised control and even though it resulted in thousands executed mao was unhappy with lack of peasant involvement
why did mao want permanent revolution
wanted mass mobilisation to prevent revisionism
Khrushchev de-Stalinisation scared him
mao wanted the younger generation to have revolutionary experience so they would fully commit to cause
why did mao want to attack bureaucracy?
scared a new class of bureaucrats would emerge and was convinced ‘capitalist roaders’ were hijacking the party
who were the opponents of mao
liu shaoqi, deng Xiaoping, chen yun, bo yibo
who were the supporters of mao
lin biao, jiang qing (“madame mao”), kang shek, chen boda
when did mao accuse liu of taking the capitalist road?
1964 in a party conference
when was the CCRG set up and what was it
may 1966, in charge of cultural revolution. had lin biao and gang of four in it. mao could deflect any blame onto them if necessary
what was the wall poster campaign?
began in Beijing university and spread to campuses nationwide. liu attempted to quell unrest using work teams but this failed.
they were huge posters normally denouncing someone
maos cult of personality
involved little red book, compilation of maos thoughts made by lin biao that became a social necessity to carry in 1966
meant red guard could distinguish between mao and the repression of the communist party.
began intense hero-worship of mao
when and what was “bombard the headquarters”
august 1966. mao called on students to rebel and challenge those in positions of power. went against deep rooted ancestry respect in Chinese culture
Why did so many join the red army?
Their prospects were bad anyway and this way they were given a purpose
When was the first mass rally
18th August 1966 in Tiananmen Square
How many mass rallies were there?
8
How many attended the first mass rally
1 million red guard
How did the government improve attendance to rallies during the cultural revolution
Closed schools and universities
Gave them free rail passes
What were the four olds?
Old culture, customs, habits and ideas
Who launched the attack on the four olds?
Lin biao