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Cultural Revolution 1966 – 1976, Mao's increase of his Cult of…
Cultural Revolution
1966 – 1976
Similarities and differences between the Maoist Revolution and the Bolshevik Revolution
Intro:
The concept of cultural revolution is part of the Marxist tradition as well as the modern Chinese intellectual tradition, having achieved a certain prominence in Russia shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. Among the Russian advocates of a "cultural revolution" was Lenin, who, like Mao, was concerned with maintaining the socialist spirit of the revolution during the lengthy period that would be required to carry out the modern economic transformation of a backward land.”
Lenin: necessity to deliver the benefits of contemporary "bourgeois culture" to the population of a backward land buried in "feudal" habits, customs, and labor ways
More advanced sectors of the working class, who would bring the success of modern urban industrial culture to the peasants in the backward countryside
Proceed gradually as the revolution was dependant on the new economy
Progressive as the country was highly backward
Send urban proletariat to the countryside to culture people
(like Marx) socialist society would inherit all the cultural and material accomplishments of its predecessors
Mao: Rapid change, where people will get educated from the revolution and the ancient culture will be ereased.
Act fast (faster than Lenin) even though his country was even more backward than what Russia was.
Mao related to the revolution as not a product of modern economic development
Believed that cultured people would emerge from the revolution itself “The masses must make themselves masters of culture and sciences”- Mao slogan of the great leap area
Sent urban dwellers to the countryside to learn proletarian virtues form the peasant
Celebrate the absence of culture (or absence of high culture)
“It is always people -with a low level of culture who triumph over people with a high level of culture." stated Mao
Create a new culture
He thought, “culture, and customs which brought China to where we found her [in 1949] must disappear, and the thought, customs, and culture of proletarian China, which do not yet exist, must appear."
Allowed Mao to fully reassert his power following the Great Leap Foward
see cult of personality
The Shanghai Commune
After spending the month of Jan. fighting, the old regime fell
and got rid of the bureautic and bourgeois nature of the Party Committee
The Shanghai Commune is officially established with
Zhang Chunqiao
as the Chairman
Following Mao's orders, the Commune is replaced with Revolutionary Committee of the Municipality of Shanghai after only 19 days
"Communes are too weak when it comes to suppress counterrevolutionaries. People have come and complained to me that when the Bureau of Public Security arrests people, they go in the front door and out the back." -Mao
Impacts of the Cultural revolution
Economic
Industrial production was at a halt due to wars between workers
Slave labour increased → prisoners from labour camps
Schools and universities were closed
Did not open in 1958 → Students saw it as a chance to break away from harsh life at home
Moved to countryside to explore the country + go see Mao to get revolutionary experience
Social
Revolution went too far → widespread destruction
Social upheaval
local civil wars raged in China
Red Guards groups clashed with one another/families beat one another
“Go up to the Mountains and down to the Villages” 1967-72
youth was sent to the countryside to deepen understanding of revolution (12 million people)
Laogai → 1000 labour camps were opened
re-education through labour
led to 25 million deaths
Political
Liu and Deng were removed from government
Liu was subject to “struggle sessions”, Deng was sent to a corrective labour camp showed that even highest ranking officials could be purged
Central Cultural Revolution Group was made → included Gang of Four
Directed the revolution
Lin Biao Affair 1971:
Lin was assassinated in what the Chinese claimed was an attempt to escape to the Soviet Union following an unsuccessful murder plot against Mao. In the weeks after Lin's death, virtually the entire Chinese top military command was purged.
People lost faith in the movement
People began doubting Mao and the propaganda
Mao's increase of his Cult of Personality
little Red Book - August 1966 Rally
Propaganda
:
August 1966 Rally
August 6th, 1966 = Mao writes “Bombard the headquarters” on large posters that are put in universities in the capital
August 8, 1966 = The party plenum ends with a 16-point document on the revolution setting down so-called guidelines
The Red Guards
“Vanguard of the rebellion against Party and state authorities”.
composed of students, and they led the revolution against the “four olds” (Old Ideas, Old Culture, Old Habits, and Old Customs)
would hunt down the bourgeoisie, the intelligentsia within the university and overall those adhering to Western values
was fuelled by Mao's words
divided into different actions that each interpreted Maoist thought to whatever benefited them. => led to fighting
The first Red Guards groups were made up of students as young as elementary school and some in university.
They destroyed antiques, ancient texts, and Buddhist temples
They humiliated anyone who could be suspected of being counter-revolutionary. This includes teachers, monks, and landowners
Wuhan Incident :
Provincial and municipal governments were replaced by Revolutionary Committees to take charge of governing the country and cleansing it from "counterrevolutionary forces" and "reactionary elements".
The Maoist group were instigating conflict between revolutionary factions, each of these factions were claiming to be more loyal to Mao than each other.
Two hostile groups (“Million Heroes” were skilled workers funded by the PLA and the “Wuhan Workers' General Headquarters” composed of Red Guards) were fighting for control over the city of Wuhan in July 1967.
This is considered by many to be the turning point, as Mao dialed back his support for armed rebellion which calmed down the Revolution
Aims/Purpose of Cultural Revolution:
Overall
: State is currently run by bourgeois ideology and authority => producing capitalist-like socio-economic.
Sixteen Articles
August 8 1966 => Central Party Committee agrees on
Defined the purpose of the movement as the overthrow of "those within the Party who are in authority and taking the capitalist road"
revitalise socialist spirit and ideals of the communist revolution => would shape the youth
remake the state's structure to be guided by "proletarian ideology" which would
get rid of capitalism/bureaucracy/bourgeois authorities/influences within the party
On Feb. 5th 1967
On Feb.24th 1967