Topic 3 - The Cultural Revolution and its Aftermath - The Winding Down of the Cultural Revolution 1968-76 Flashcards
Restoration of order by the PLA - What was the situation by 1968?
By 1968, it was clear to Mao that the violence and anarchy he had encouraged had grown out of control
Restoration of order by the PLA - What did Mao declare in 1967 and what was Mao worried about?
- In August 1967, Mao had declared the purging of ‘capitalist roaders’ in the PLA to be ‘un-strategic’
- He was worried that if it continued, China would be vulnerable to attack from foreign countries, particularly the USSR, whose Islamic provinces bordered Xingjiang
- It was also clear that the economy was suffering from constant violence and upheaval
Restoration of order by the PLA - What did Mao do to address these issues and what was the reaction of the PLA?
- To address these issues, Mao sent in the PLA to restore order
- The PLA were happy to do this because they feared the Red Guards might become too powerful and rival their authority
- PLA commanders also feared that the struggle meetings, denunciations, and general violence might spread into the ranks of the PLA, weakening it as a fighting force
Restoration of order by the PLA - What was the wave of terror launched by the PLA called, how many people were arrested, and what happened to others?
- The PLA launched a wave of terror in support of the ‘Cleansing of the Class Ranks’ campaign
- This saw up to 1.84 million people arrested for allegedly being ‘spies’, ‘bad elements’, or ‘newly emerged counter-revolutionaries’
- Thousands of people were imprisoned, beaten to death, or committed suicide
Restoration of order by the PLA - What did the PLA restore order to, what did the Red Guards say, and how did Mao respond to this?
- The PLA restored order to the education system, enabling schools and colleges to reopen after being closed for two years
- When the Red Guards protested that a ‘black hand’ was seeking to suppress them, Mao admitted that ‘I am the black hand’
‘Up to the mountains and down to the villages’ campaign - How many Red Guards sent to do what as part of what campaign?
Mao needed to disband the Red Guards – so 18 million Red Guards were sent to ‘cool off’ in the countryside as part of the ‘up to the mountains and down to the villages’ campaign
‘Up to the mountains and down to the villages’ campaign - Why did Mao say this was done and and was the reality of why it was done?
- Mao said this was done to help them understand the importance of manual labour and to realise how important peasants had been to the revolution
- In reality, the campaign was organised because it helped Mao restore order – they were sent to remote areas where they could not organise violent actions
‘Up to the mountains and down to the villages’ campaign - What was the reaction of the young people and the peasants?
- The young people hated it – they were shocked by how poor the peasants were and how hard they had to work
- The peasants resented have to share their meagre food supplies with the newcomers, who were inexperienced at manual labour
‘Up to the mountains and down to the villages’ campaign - What did this lead to young people feeling about Mao?
Many young people became disillusioned with Mao, especially when it became clear that those with Party connections or influential families could quickly return to the cities, while those without faced the fact that their exile to the countryside was permanent
The return to power of Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai - What was happening by the 1970s and what was the situation with Mao’s successors?
- By the early 1970s, Mao’s health was failing, he had an eye on who would succeed him, and he was concerned as to the long-term future of the revolution he had dedicated his life to
- He did not trust Jiang Qing, and his chosen successor Lin Biao had died in a place crash
The return to power of Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai - What happened to Lin Biao?
- Mao believed Lin was plotting to use the PLA to seize power
- Upon realising that he had lost Mao’s trust, Lin sought to flee to the USSR, but did not fuel his plane properly
- This led to it crashing and Lin dying
- The official explanation was that Lin, once a great hero, was actually an enemy spy
- This was treated with scepticism by the Chinese people, with many no longer trusting what the gov, and even Mao himself, told them
The return to power of Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai - What did Mao need as a result of a lack of a sure successor and what did this lead to?
- As a result of this, Mao needed steady and reliable leaders
- This led to Mao recalling Deng Xiaoping from his exile
The return to power of Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai - What happened to Deng once he was brought back?
- Deng was popular and experienced and used his organisational skills and support within the Party to re-established order adter the CR
- He was named as Army Chief of Staff and by 1974 he had regained his post as CCP Secretary
The return to power of Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai - What was the situation with Zhou Enlai?
- On the other hand, Zhou Enlai was not purged by Mao because he was very useful
- Although a pragmatist, he was skilful at avoiding being associated too much with Liu and Deng
The return to power of Deng Xiaoping and Zhou Enlai - What did Deng call for and what was this designed to do?
- He called for the introduction of ‘The Four Modernisations’ – advancements in industry, agriculture, defence, and science/technology
- Designed to make China a modern world power, the programme called for greater trade links with the West
