Cheng Feng

Cheng Feng (整风运动), or more commonly known as the "Rectification", was a program initiated by Mao Zedong in 1942.

Related Topics:
Mao Zedong - 1942

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The purpose of the program was to give a basic grounding in Marxist theory, and Leninist principles of party organization, to the thousands of new members who had joined the Chinese Communist Party during its expansion since 1937. A second, equally important aspect of the movement was the elimination of what Mao called "foreign dogmatism" - essentially, blind imitation of Soviet experience and obedience to Soviet directives.

Related Topics:
Marxist theory - Leninist - Party - Chinese Communist Party - 1937 - Soviet

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The movement consisted in three phases. From May 1941 to Feb 1942 ,it was the preparation phase. With the lecture Rebuild Our Study given by Mao in the senior CPC leaders' meeting in 1941, Cheng Feng was officially launched. In July and Aug of the same year CPC issued the decisions on Research and Analysis, Improvement of Party Membership. The leading team for Cheng Feng was set up, with Mao as director and Wang Jiaxiang deputy director, to organize senior leaders in Yanan to study Marxism and Leninism .From Feb 1942 to Oct 1943, it was the Cheng Feng in whole party phase.Mao gave lecture Improving the Working Style of Party in the opening ceremony of Central Party School and then gave lecture Against Party Stereotype-Writing in the cadre party of Yanan in Feb 1942, interpretting the aim and policy of Cheng Feng in full detail.The General Studying Committee was set up to lead this movement.From Oct 1943 to Apr 1945 ,it was the summing phase. senior leaders restudied party history and reached agreements on major issues.With the issuance of desicion on Some Histories of CPC in 7th Plenary Meeting of 6th National Congress of CPC in 1945, Cheng Feng was concluded.

Related Topics:
Wang Jiaxiang - Marxism - Leninism

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ALthough the movement aimed to eliminate the influence of dogmatism , subjectism and sectarianism among CPC members but actually was designed to reduce the influence of Mao's opponents within the Communist Party led by Wang Ming.Because Wang just came back from Comintern and acted as an imperial envoy, which might bring many 's respect for his being an orthodox bolshevik.Mao did succeed in weakening Wang and Comintern's inffluence in CPC.

Related Topics:
Wang Ming - Comintern

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Furthermore, although the movement was initially designed to be carried out by way of ideology criticism and anti-criticism, those who were in charge of political guard departments of CPC such as Kang Sheng, Peng Zhen and Li kenong would never waste this precious opportunity to show off their power and hysteric on power struggle. Under these KGB guys direction, this movement had been changed into a wide persecution of dissidents. Thousands of people especially those new members who came from areas governed by Kuomintang were purged, kept in custody, censored from time to time, tortured from both mental and body,even executed. Many of them were labelled as "agent of Kuomintang" or "anti party activists". Not only themselves were humiliated, but also their family members involved and relatives too. The most famous victim was Wang Shiwei, an essayist who wrote essays criticizing the hierarchy and inequality in Yanan,which offended the prerogative classes and resulted in his arrest and later execution on accusation of "anti-party activists",he only got rehabilitaion in the late 1980's.

Related Topics:
Kang Sheng - Peng Zhen - Li kenong - KGB - Kuomintang - Yanan

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Yanan was covered by darkness and fear. The victims were so mass that the fury and dissatisfaction piled to a degree enough to wreak havoc on Mao's governance.Mao realized this danger and threw Kang Sheng out as scapegoat , who made apologies in public and lost his appeal to Mao for some time.Mao acknowledge there were some overreaction in this movement too.

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It maybe unfair to lay all blames on Mao or accuse him mastermind of persecution. But it is without any doubt his connivance or acquiescense gave Kang and his confederates more courage and guts to persecute dissidents. Furthermore, it was after this movement Mao's dictatorship was strengthened, and some dissidents wiped out. Dissidents were afraid of further persecution and had to pledge their allegiance by all means.It was after this movements one of the former 28 Bolsheviks, Wang Jiaxiang made a clear distinction from his comrade Wang Ming by putting forward the concept of "Maoism" for the first time and Liu Shaoqi later proposed it be written into the Party Constitution of CPC.As a result, Mao's articles was regarded as Holy Bible of CPC and Mao did turn CPC into his cult. Mao was regarded as paramount leader whose authority could be challenged by nobody in the 7ht National Congress of CPC, and in this congress the last nail for the coffin of symbolic collective decision-making system of CPC was clinched.And Cultural Revolution was destiny.

Related Topics:
28 Bolsheviks - Wang Jiaxiang - Wang Ming - Liu Shaoqi - Holy Bible - Cultural Revolution

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In a speech to Party members in Yan'an on February 1942, Mao said that such dogmatists must be told: " Your dogma is of no use,' or to use an impolite phrase, 'Your dogma is less useful than excrement.' We see that dog excrement can fertiilize the fields, and man's can feed the dog. And Dogmas? They can't fertilize the fields, nor can they feed a dog. Of what use are they?" If this movement could be carried out in such an easy way , history might be different.But politics never give participants a chance for joy and happy.

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