Cultural Revolution

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution ({{zh-stpl|s=无产阶级文化大革命|t=無產階級文化大革命|p=wú chǎn jiē jí wén huà dà gé mìng|l=Proletarian Cultural Great Revolution}}; often abbreviated to 文化大革命 wén huà dà gé mìng, literally "Great Cultural Revolution", or simply 文革 wén gé, literally "Cultural Revolution") in the People's Republic of China was a revolutionary upsurge by Chinese students and workers against the bureaucrats of the Chinese Communist Party. It was launched by Communist Party Chairman Mao Zedong in 1966 to secure Maoism (known domestically as Marxism-Leninism-Mao Tse-tung Thought) in China as the state's dominant ideology and eliminate political opposition. Though Mao himself officially declared the Cultural Revolution to have ended in 1969, the term is today widely used to also include the period between

The Cultural Revolution

1966: "The road to democracy" begins

On August 8, 1966, the Central Committee of CCP passed a bill, "Decisions on the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution". This bill stated that the official position of China's government was now supportive of the purging of intellectuals and imperialists. Most of these purges were to be the work of Mao's Red Guards. "Now our goal is to smash those capitalist roaders in power, to criticize the reactionary bourgeois "authorities" in science, to criticize the ideology of bourgeoisie and all other exploiter classes, to transform education, to transform the literature and art, to transform all areas of the superstructure mismatching economic base of socialism, to promote strengthening and development of the socialist system", said the bill.

Related Topics:
August 8 - 1966 - Red Guards - Capitalist roader - Superstructure - Base - Socialism

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On August 16, millions of Red Guards from all over the country gathered in Beijing for a peek at the Chairman. On top of the Tiananmen Square gate, Mao and Lin Biao made frequent appearances to approximately 11 million Red Guards, receiving cheers each time. Mao praised their actions in the recent campaigns to develop socialism and democracy.

Related Topics:
August 16 - Beijing - Tiananmen Square - Lin Biao

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For three years, until 1969, the Red Guards expanded their areas of authority, and accelerated their work of socialist reconstruction. The Red Guards began by passing out leaflets explaining their actions to develop and strengthen socialism, and posting the names of suspected "counter-revolutionaries" on bulletin boards. They assembled in large groups, and wrote educational plays. The Red Guards held public meetings with suspected "counter-revolutionaries", and gave them the opportunity to make a self- criticism (which would be used against them later, at their trials, as "counter-revolutionaries". Most of those found guilty, would be publicly executed, as examples to the people, or exiled to gulags and worked to death, as slave labor. The goods they produced would be sold to the West, in exchange for hard currency, funding Chinese military expansion).

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By 1966, the Red Guards had become the foremost authority of China. People that were labeled as the "Bourgeoisie" (middle-class capitalists) were criticised at public meetings. Soon, the Red Guards went even further. The whole of China joined in the democratic processes of the Cultural Revolution.

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Liu Shaoqi was sent to a detention camp, where he later died in 1969. Deng Xiaoping, who was himself sent for a period of re-education three times, was sent to work in an engine factory, until he was brought back years later by Zhou Enlai. But most of those accused were not so lucky, and many of them never returned.

Related Topics:
1969 - Deng Xiaoping - Factory - Zhou Enlai

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The work of the Red Guards was praised by Mao Zedong. On August 22, 1966, Mao issued a public notice, which stopped "all police intervention in Red Guard tactics and actions." Those in the police force who dared to defy this notice, were labeled as "counter-revolutionaries".

Related Topics:
August 22 - 1966 - Police - Tactics

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On September 5, 1966, yet another notice was issued, encouraging all Red Guards to come to Beijing, over a stretch of time. All fees, including accommodations and transportation, were to be paid by the government. On October 10, 1966, Mao's ally, General Lin Biao, publicly criticised Liu and Deng as "capitalist roaders" and "threats". Later, Peng Dehuai was brought to Beijing to be publicly displayed and ridiculed; he was then purged.

Related Topics:
September 5 - 1966 - October 10 - Peng Dehuai

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1967: Political power struggles

On January 3, 1967, Lin Biao and Jiang Qing were behind the "January Storm", in which many prominent Shanghai municipal government leaders were heavily criticised and purged. This raised Wang Hongwen into real power in the city, and in the city's CCP power apparatus. In Beijing, Liu and Deng were once again the targets of criticism, but others, who were not as engaged in the CCP criticism sessions, like Chen Boda and Kang Sheng, pointed at the wrong-doings of the Vice-Premier of the State Council Tao Zhu. Thus started a political struggle among central government officials and local party cadres, who seized the Cultural Revolution as an opportunity to accuse rivals of "counter-revolutionary activity" as the paranoia spread.

Related Topics:
January 3 - 1967 - Shanghai - Wang Hongwen - Beijing - Chen Boda - Kang Sheng - Tao Zhu

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On January 8, Mao praised these actions through the People's Daily, urging all local governmental leaders to rise in self-criticism, or criticism and purging of others. This started the massive power struggles of purge after purge among some local governments, which stopped functioning altogether. Involvement in some sort of "revolutionary" activity was the only way to avoid being purged, but it was by no means a certain way out of being purged. Once this terror was un-leashed, no one was safe.

Related Topics:
January 8 - People's Daily

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At the same time, many large and prominent Red Guard organizations rose in protest against other Red Guards organizations, further complicating the situation. This led to a notice to stop all unhealthy activity within the Red Guards. On April 6, Liu Shaoqi was openly, and widely-denouced by a Zhongnanhai faction. This was followed by a protest and mass demonstrations, most notably the one in Wuhan on July 20, which Jiang Qing openly denounced as "counter-revolutionary activity"; she later personally flew to Wuhan to criticise Chen Zaidao, the general in charge of the Wuhan area.

Related Topics:
April 6 - Zhongnanhai - Wuhan - July 20 - Chen Zaidao

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On July 22, Jiang Qing directed the Red Guards to replace the People's Liberation Army when needed, and thereby to render the existing forces powerless. After the initial praise by Jiang Qing, the Red Guards started to steal and loot from barracks and other army buildings. This activity, which could not be stopped by any army general, went on until autumn 1968.

Related Topics:
July 22 - People's Liberation Army - 1968

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1968: Cult of personality

In the spring of 1968, a massive campaign began, that was aimed at promoting Mao Zedong to god-like status, replacing Jesus Christ and the God of the Christians. Mao was depicted as the origin, or source of life's necessities. Socialism had become the state religion, as well as the economic system running China. Also, at this time, Lin Biao began to gain power for himself.

Related Topics:
1968 - Lin Biao

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Mao had lost basic control over the country; he could not stop anything, from local looting to huge national protests. On July 27, the Red Guards' power over the army was officially ended, and the central government sent in units to protect many areas still being targeted by Red Guards. Mao had supported this idea, and promoted it, by allowing one of his "Highest Directions" to be heard by all of the people. A year later, the Red Guard factions were dismantled entirely; Mao feared that the chaos they caused and could still cause, might harm the very foundation of the Chinese Communist Party. In any case, their purpose had been largely fulfilled, and Mao had largely consolidated his political power, following the example of the Soviet leader, Stalin.

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In early October, Mao decided to purge many officials. They were sent to the countryside, to work in labor camps. In the same month, at the 12th Plenum of the 8th Party Congress, Liu Shaoqi was "forever expelled from the party", and Lin Biao was made the Party's Vice-Chairman, second only to Mao.

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In December 1968, Mao began the "Down to the Countryside Movement". During this Movement, which lasted for the next decade, young intellectuals were ordered to go into the country and receive "education" from "middle and poor peasants". Mao saw this disruption of ordinary social processes as a way to remove future emerging forces who could be a threat to the CCP. For many of the 'intellectuals,' most of whom were recently-graduated college students, this deployment to the countryside was in effect a kind of internal exile, and the conditions under which they were forced to labor were often harsh in the extreme; many deaths from malnutrition, overwork, and disease were reported, and many were not.

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