China GCSE History: China during the Cultural Revolution 1966 - 1976

Mao’s Reasons for the Cultural revolution

1963 - Mao was regretting loss of power and becoming concerned at the changes that were taking place in China

Growing dominance of the economy by an educated elite

Mao was concerned that he needed to be able to call upon the Chinese people if necessary in the event of Conflict - USA had begun to interfere in Vietnam War

Beginnings of the Cultural Revolution

Mao had grown concerned about what he believed were the creeping “capitalist” and anti-socialist tendencies in the country

Mao launched the Socialist Education Movement (1962 - 1965) to restore ideological purity and revolutionary fervour into the party

Opposition came from Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping who were unsympathetic to Mao’s policies

Mao called for the young people to rise up and rid China of the Anti Communist elements within the Party, schools, universities and society as a whole

He wanted to attack the four olds: old culture, old ideas, old habits and old customs

Mao swims in Yangtze River in 1966 to show that he was fit and well

Mao wanted to regain his dominant position in the party and undermine the positions of Liu and Deng

Role of the Red Guard in the Cultural Revolution

1966-1969 Mao called for the young people of China to form the Red Guards

The Red guards went on a rampage, denouncing their own parents for being anti-communist and schools/colleges were closed down

Mao’s wife Jiang Qing organised huge Red Guard demonstrations through 1967 to 68

Factories, offices and even local communist party offices were ransacked

Red guards broke into homes and anything that could be considered Anti revolutionary were smashed or burnt (books, art)

1967: Cultural Revolution was out of control - Red Guards divided into rival factions and began to fight street battles in efforts to prove their loyalty to Mao

1968: PLA stepped in to disarm the Red Guards and restore peace and order - this took a year

1 million people were killed and thousands were unjustly accused and persecuted

Impact of the Cultural Revolution

Many of China’s treasures were destroyed

Vandalism

Writers, intellectuals and teachers were imprisoners and executed

All traditional and foreign books were banned, only writing and art supporting Maoist ideology were allowed

Libraries and museums were destroyed

Young people were taught to regard Mao and Communist party as their true parents and were taught to inform on their parents

Communism in Tibet

1950 - Mao’s troops invaded Tibet

1951 - Mao agreed that Chinese government would not interfere in the traditional government, religion and society that already existed

1959 - China did not keep to this agreement - Tibetans heard that the Chinese planned to kidnap the Dalai Lama - he fled to India

Mao wanted to remove the influence of Buddhism and the cultural identity of Tibetan people

Impact of the Great Leap Forward on Tibet

Tibetans were forced to grow wheat rather than the barley and oats that was more suited to the local climate

Harvests were poor and the Chinese were still requisitioning large amounts for themselves

1 quarter of the population died from starvation

Impact of the Cultural Revolution on Tibet

1966

Mao’s attack on the four olds aimed at eradicating Tibetan culture completely

Tibet’s holiest shrine, the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa was attacked - attack on Buddhism

Monasteries throughout Tibet were destroyed and most monks were dead or imprisoned

Tibetan language reforms were introduced to make the language more similar to the spoken language of the Chinese people

1970s any kind of religious practise was banned, even personal worship - hairstyles, clothing and architecture that showed any kind of culture were prohibited

Propaganda

Purpose of Propaganda was to persuade anyone who might oppose communism to support Mao’s ideals

Wall posters, loudspeaker broadcasts, newspapers were censored, government propaganda specifically linked to Mao

Posters for those who were illiterate

Cult of Personality

Mao’s achievements were exaggerated and glorified while his shortcomings were suppressed or concealed

Power over the party and the control of China increased

Much of the art and propaganda of the Cultural revolution had Mao as a central figure - leading or directing masses or looming above them (god like)

People began to worship Mao - had shrines + pictures of him everywhere

Dazhai community - case study of Chinese repression, social and economic policy

Historians believe that the Dazhai miracle was fraudulent - the peasants who took part were little more than actors

Soldiers from the PLA did most of the work

Peasants received vast state aid to achieve their targets

Dazhai was Maoist political theory put into practice. Mao was determined to prove himself right whatever the cost to China

How far was Mao a great leader of China - Good

First Five Year Plan was very successful - Mao made use of the experts sent by Stalin and later Krushchev

Improved lives of Women dramatically and promoted equality

How far was Mao a great leader of China - Bad

After than, Mao fell out with the Soviet Union and the experts were sent home

Mao wanted to base Communism in China on the peasants - Peasants were not used to working in factories, they were often uneducated and could not understand how machinery worked

Production of food began to fall

Mao wanted to use peasants because he distrusted Experts

During the Great Leap Forward - food was allowed to rot which resulted in major famine - 30 million people died

Mao was reluctant to accept criticism and refused to take advice - 100 flowers campaign

Cultural Revolution put China into chaos

Industry was almost completely at a standstill and education basically destroyed