“The revolutionary war is a war of the masses; it can be waged only by mobilizing the masses and relying on them.” - Mao Zedong, CCP Chairman China’s Cultural Revolution

Communism Individual Illustration A theoretical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members ExampleNon-Example Communism

Background/Why a Revolution? Great Leap Forward Increase agriculture and industry Reforms create communes (700 million people into 26,578 communes) Production of steel in “backyard” furnaces Steel melted down for construction. Many times tools were melted down Propaganda to set and beat targets of production leads to lying/over-reporting numbers

Background/Why a Revolution? Useless, poor quality steel created and time away from crops led to bad harvest 3 year famine ( ) caused by drought, flooding, poor agricultural techniques ~10-30 million dead from starvation or disease Mao dislikes shift towards capitalization (the “capitalist road”) Mao urges people to overthrow gov’t

Images of the Great Leap Forward

Plans of Mao Zedong Create a true Communist society Destroy the “Four Olds” (Ideas, Culture, Customs, Habits) Rid the government/society of “elites” or “reactionaries” who threaten Communist goals (Government officials, teachers, artists, scholars, scientists, or any in opposition) Spread the Cultural Revolution throughout all of China Sending the Red Guard out into the fields to spread the word/ideas Factory workers and elites sent to work the fields

What happened? China’s urban youth create the Red Guard (~20 million high school and college students) Schools closed to free students for Red Guard Red Guard uses violence and intimidation to spread the word of Mao Individuals beaten, killed, publicly shamed (degrading signs hung around their necks, made to wear dunce caps) Put up posters, banners hung, “Little Red Book”, leaflets and newspapers distributed “Little Red Book”: handbook of quotes to tell readers how to apply Mao Zedong ideas to their lives "Little Red Book" Guidance

What happened? Books, artifacts, museums, temples and shrines were destroyed The Red Guard groups began to fight each other thinking they knew best what China needed to move forward. Some individuals sent to the countryside to be “re-educated” by agricultural workers (“To read too many books is harmful.” -Mao Zedong) Others sent to the countryside by parents to carry out the communist goals of Mao Video of destruction/violence

Red Guard Targets Red Guard/Students against: Administration Teachers Parents of students Students Killing spills out into community

Images of the Cultural Revolution

Effects of the Cultural Revolution ~10-40 million dead because of GLF Starvation/disease Land owners executed/land used for communes “Elitists” targeted/beaten and killed A generation of uneducated youth (“The Lost Generation”)

Recovery Recovery began because: 1. Mao gives up control of gov’t 2. Factory managers return from fields to run industry 3. Forced collectivization of agriculture stops

Review What is communism? What are some of its characteristics? What was the Great Leap Forward? What caused it? What was the Cultural Revolution? What caused it? What individuals were targets of violence/intimidation? Who was targeting these individuals? Why? What were the desired affects of the violence? What were the actual affects?

Assessment Choose an assignment: 1. You are a newspaper reporter who has immersed him/herself in the revolution. Write a narrative about what life used to be like and what it is like post-revolution. What differences to you see? Use imagery to tell your story. 2. On an unlined sheet of paper draw two pictures. One picture should illustrate a “before” look at China prior to the Cultural Revolution. Next to this, an “after” picture of China, showing a changing/changed country.

Rubrics Newspaper Article Heading (First and last name, date, period) – 2pts Date of revolution in article (Month/Day/Year) – 2pts Explanation of feelings – 2pts Explanation of surroundings – 2pts 4 example of how China or its people changed – 8pts 2 forms of imagery present – 4pts Illustration Heading (First and last name, date, period) – 2pts Date of revolution in drawings (Months/Days/Years) – 2pts Colored – 2pts Drawn neatly (quality decided by me!) – 2pts 2 changes present in drawing – 4pts Short description of pictures = 4pts Explanation of changes and how they came about in Communist China – 4pts