Unit 3: How and why was the cultural revolution wound down after 1968? Flashcards
Why did Mao call for a clampdownon the red guards?
August 1967
Mao allowed the PLA to clamp down the red guards because their violence was undermining the army’s role and were inflicting unsustainable damage on China’s economic and educational systems.
The PLA was entrusted with reestablishing discipline in schools and universities, which had been closed for two years. The combination of two years without schooling and the drop in industrial output caused urban youth unemployment.
What was the “up the mountains and down to the villages” campaign?
1968-70
The campaign involved the compulsory movement of millions of young people from the cities to the countryside. This would disperse many former Red Guards to areas where they could cause less trouble.
It taught the urban young the life of the Chinese peasants and exposed them to the realities of manual labour.
Living conditions were poorer than most have been used to, and coupled up with the hostile peasantry, many hated the experience, feeling as though Mao had used them as pawns in the power struggle.
This helped to reinforce the Army’s control over the young.
What was the Four modernisations?
1963
The pragmatic programme in to develop agriculture, industry, defence and education on a more systemic basis.
This was to establish closer links with the West in order to acquire more technological expertise.
Zhou played a large role in the success of the Nixon visit and embarked on a concerted effort to restore economic production after the disruption of the Cultural Revolution.
However, Zhou was unable to remove radicals from their position of power in the CCRG because Mao supported them again in 1973 when he decided that Lin had been a rightist pretending to be on the far left.
As a result, Zhou’s progress with his policies slowed down which resulted in him being the new target of attack for radicals as their confidence had now been restored.
What was the role of Deng?
Deng was brought back into the fold in 1973 who had been identified as a serious capitalist roader in 1966.
Deng then led China’s delegation into the United Nations to which they had been admitted in 1971.
Deng was employed to train Mao’s newly chosen successor Wang Hongwen – however, he was too influenced by Jiang to be a realistic option.
Deng was then purged again in April 1976 when Jiang Qing and the Radicals went on the attack after the Tiananmen incident.
By this time, Mao’s health was so bad that he was in no position to stop them.
What was the Tiananmen incident?
A memorial service for Zhou who died in January 1976, which became a huge demonstration Tiananmen square.
The gang of four
IDK
Mao stopped backing the Gang of four because it became clear to Mao that they were more concerned with competing for position in the succession struggle than with promoting continuous revolution.
What was the anti-Confucius campaign?
1973
The campaign was launched by the Gang of four to depict Lin as a reactionary and attack those with a moderate outlook like Zhou and Deng, and called for the boycott of Western Technology and the renewal of the People’s communes.
What were the successes of the Cultural revolution?
Established a cult of personality.
The mass spread and publication of the Little Red Book.
Mao swim in the Yangtze River.
The restoration of order by the PLA.(But the fact that Mao had to use the PLA to restore order also meant that this could be seen as a failure.)
The attack on the four olds. (But could also be seen as a failure because Mao lost control of the Red Guards.)
The Wall poster campaign.
What were the failures of the Cultural revolution?
The fall of Lin Biao
