The Power Struggle after Mao’s Death

The struggle begins Following Lin Biao’s death in 1971, the identity of the heir to Mao was unclear Furthermore, by 1974 it was obvious that changes would be happening soon, as both Mao and Zhou were very ill with cancer and Lou Gehrig’s disease, respectively Multiple groups vied for power in the remaining years of Mao’s life, believing that the future of China would be settled by Mao’s chosen successor

The Gang of Four Radical leftist group led by Jiang Qing Other members: Yao Wenyuan- Chief Propagandist Zhang Chunqiao-Shangai official Wang Hongwen- union leader from Shangai Encouraged continuation of the Cultural Revolution, communes, youth relocations and political control of art Considered fear, coercion and violence necessary Criticized Western influences in an attempt to undermine other influential CCP members, like Zhou Mao was critical of the Gang at times, but did not do much to curtail them How much power did they really have?

The Pragmatists and Old Guard Represented by Deng Xiaoping Rehabilitated from exile in 1973 and named as vice-premier Supported by Zhou Enlai as well as veteran officials and cadres Believed a little capitalist reform and foreign aid could help China become a world power Deng’s UN speech, 1974, “self reliance in no way means self seclusion”

Deng and Zhou, 1963 Deng, 1975

Hua Guofeng Hua was pretty much a dark horse, and had entered the public eye in 1975 at a National Conference where he praised many of Mao’s policies in a speech He also implied that a compromise between the two factions could be found by praising communes while supporting some more practical policies for growth

1976: The End of an Era Zhou Enlai died in early 1976 Though Mao was a bit aloof, the whole country went into deep mourning Many had viewed Zhou as a symbol of decency Deng’s eulogy, which contained a section that could be interpreted as critical of Mao, unleashed new campaigns against him Also, Hua Guofeng was named as acting premier to replace Zhou-which infuriated the Gang of Four

1976: The Qingming Festival In April, thousands descended on Beijing for an annual festival to honor the dead Wreaths, memorials, flowers, posters and signs that were dedicated to Zhou disappeared overnight On April 5th, the shocked crowd got unruly and violent protests began

The Qingming Festival con. Numerous arrests were made after Mao determined the protests were “counter-revolutionary” This sudden, outpouring of emotion outside of government influence and control was a new phenomenon-one that worried the Gang of Four Deng was suspected of orchestrating the protests and the campaigns against him grew worse Deng was removed from all posts by Mao, though allowed to remain in the party itself, and went into hiding Hua continued to consolidate his power

The Tangshan Earthquake One of the worst earthquakes ever recorded rocked China in July China declined foreign aid, and recovered from the disaster on its own Hua lauded the efforts as proof that the socialist system was the correct one, not the capitalist ones that Deng had invoked following the catastrophes of the GLF

Traditions not so dead after all… Interestingly though, according to traditional Chinese history, natural cataclysmic events signaled an upcoming shift in political power And sure enough, Mao died on September 9, barely 6 weeks later, a fact that was surely noticed by the people of China…

The Death of Mao Mao’s death, while indeed a solemn occasion, did not elicit the same emotional outpouring that Zhou’s had (you can’t show too much or too little grief) Both Hua and the members of the Gang of Four were very prominent during the multiple funeral functions

“With you in charge I am at ease” After Mao’s death, Jiang Qing began to try to weaken Hua’s position Also, the Gang began to prepare for a coup in early October However, Hua had the posthumous support of Mao through his writings, and more importantly, the backing of the PLA

The Gang Goes Down On October 6, Hua suddenly had the members of the Gang of Four arrested as they were readying for a party meeting (more info in your reading) They were blamed for a variety of crimes, ranging from factional attacks on Zhou to leading the young to oppose Marxism and slandering army veterans All four were expelled from the party and sent to prison to await trials, which began in 1981 The Cultural Revolution was over

“Smash the Gang of Four”

The Struggle Intensifies In 1977 Deng, who had fled to the south the year before, was rehabilitated and reinstated to his senior positions Hua was not only premier, but also chairman of the Party and the Military Commission However, Hua had alienated many when he stated his policy known as the Two Whatevers “Obey whatever Mao had said and ensure the continuation of whatever he had desired”

The Four Modernizations Some differences between Deng and Hua’s political and economic policies grew more apparent throughout 1977 and 1978 Hua continued to champion communes while Deng hoped to incorporate foreign investment and technology However, both Deng and Hua wanted to improve China’s economy in these four areas: Agriculture Industry National Defense Science and Technology These four categories had been created by Deng and Zhou in the early 1970s

The Fall of Hua Guofeng Despite Hua’s more impressive list of titles, ultimately Deng had more advantages—such as? Political savvy and experience, PLA allies, support among Cul. Rev. survivors, organized, had a forward thinking vision Furthermore, Hua’s justification for power was based on Mao, which became unhelpful as Mao had begun to be mildly criticized in public after the arrest of the Gang of Four; any other political liabilities? In 1978, Deng took control of the military from Hua and by 1980 had placed two protégés in other high ranking positions In 1980 Hua, recognizing defeat, resigned as premier

1978 Third Plenum Turning point in the struggle between Deng and Hua The Party called for the rehabilitation of those who had been unfairly condemned during earlier purges 100,000 “rightists” released…will now support Deng Deng was placed in charge of the People’s Political Consultative Conference Responsible for overseeing economic reforms as laid out in Hua’s Ten Year Plan The Party officially accepted the Four Modernizations as the basis for future development in China

De-Maoization Deng did not think China could handle a huge attack on “The Great Helmsman” Instead he favored the “drip effect” Subtle undermining of Mao’s reputation over time 1981 Central Comm. Resolution declared that Mao had been “70% right and 30% wrong” Thus Mao’s successes transcended his mistakes This allowed Deng the freedom to call for changes while still being loyal to Mao

“Had Chairman Mao died in 1956, there would have been no doubt that he was a great leader of the Chinese people…Had he died in 1966, his meritorious achievements would have been somewhat tarnished, but his overall record was very good. Since he actually died in 1976, there is nothing we can do about it.” -Chen Yun

The Trial of the Gang of Four 1980-81 Jiang was the only member who was totally defiant and spoke up against the charges “I was Mao’s bitch. Whoever he told me to bite, I bit” The guilty verdicts were another way for the party to admit Mao had allowed some horrific policies that had failed without blaming him fully 24

http://www.iisg.nl/landsberger/index.html