The Cultural Revolution in China

Mao Tse Tung Chairman of the Communist Party of China, which took control in His goal was to modernize China from Feudal systems to a modern Communist state His brand of Communism was unique in that it mainly focused on agricultural reform as opposed to industry Launches the Great Leap Forward from Between million rural peasants die of starvation

Cultural Revolution The aftermath of The Great Leap divides Party leadership, and Mao fears he’s losing influence. In Mao publishes his “Little Red Book.” A manifesto of his philosophy and vision for China’s future. (Cult of the Personality) January, Mao and his Defence minister Lin Piao publish the “23 articles” claiming that China’s “real enemies” are within the Party itself. Summer Mao calls upon the public to take up arms and continue the class struggle against enemies. The Cultural Revolution has begun

The Red Guard The “army” of the Cultural Revolution was mainly made up of young people. The Red Guard was not one group, but many independent small groups each enforcing their own interpretations of Mao’s ideas Mao encouraged this taking credit for successes, and denying culpability in failures sees extreme chaos as different factions of the Red Guard mobilize and enforce the Cultural Revolution across the country. Often different factions of the Red Guard clash with innocent civilians caught in between

Shanghai This was one of the most commercially successful cities in China. The Red Guard targeted Shanghai because there were a large number of foreign companies with businesses there Foreigners were often forced to flee the country Wealthy Chinese were publicly shamed

Struggle Meetings and Public Shaming People were required to show their loyalty by carrying copies of the Little Red Book on their persons at all times Teachers, professors, successful business people, and landowners all became targets One common punishment was a Struggle Meeting where these people would be brought before a rowdy crowd. These “guilty, enemies of the state” would be forced to confess their “crimes” and apologise for taking more than their share. They were often beaten, and sometimes killed

Reining it in By 1968 things are getting out of control Internationally the Soviet Union has moved into Czechoslovakia, and Mao fears they may have plans to expand into China Since Stalin’s death and Khrushchev’s denouncement of his policies, the USSR and China have not been on good terms Mao needs to regain control in order to protect the borders Lin Piao uses the military to maintain order Mao launches a rustification program sending scholars and “mental labourers” to the countryside to learn manual work

Power Struggle and Decline By this time the Cultural Revolution was all but over and things were returning to normal Lin Piao and Mao were locked in a power struggle which ended in Piao attempted to assassinate Mao but failed and tried to escape to the USSR via airplane That plane mysteriously crashed before it left Chinese airspace In 1976 Mao died without leaving a clear successor By 1980, the Communist party had opened doors to international trade beginning its journey to becoming one of the strongest economies in the world