China’s Cultural Revolution

The Cultural Revolution is one of China’s largest and most significant events in the last century. Led by communist leader Mao Zedong, the 1966-76 campaign changed much of China’s social and political landscape, challenging much of the conventional. But what was that revolution? Who was the mastermind of that revolution? Why did the next Chinese leadership call this revolution a ‘disaster’? How unique is the current Chinese leadership or the Cultural Revolution? The answers to these questions will be found in this article.

Background

Speaking of 1959. The ‘Great Leap Forward’ program adopted by the Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party, Mao Zedong, was over by then. The program has had a devastating effect on China, with nearly 40 million people dying of starvation. As a result of this horror, Chairman Mao became politically back-to-back, forcing him to resign as Chairman of the People’s Republic of China. His position in the party also became very weak. For the next few years, he was the head of the Communist Party in name only. At that time, the party’s main leadership passed into the hands of leaders like Liu Shaoki and Deng Xiao-ping. Liu Shaoxi becomes the new head of state of the People’s Republic of China.

In response, Mao Zedong resorted to a new strategy to re-consolidate his position by removing opponents from the party announcing a new program. In August 1966, Mao declared that the party’s present leadership was under the influence of capitalism and was leading the country astray. Therefore, for the country to get out of this situation, it is necessary to revive the revolutionary consciousness to purify the society and the party by removing the bourgeoisie and capitalist ideology leaders. As part of this, he declared war on four old things – old habits, ideas, traditions, and culture. Mao named the campaign the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. This is known in history as the Cultural Revolution.

The expedition began

Mao chose young people for the Cultural Revolution. He called upon the youth to participate in this great program and re-establish revolutionary consciousness in the party and society. Millions of young Chinese, most of the students and workers, responded to his call. They were handed a small red booklet, which was basically a compilation of Mao’s words. Overnight the movement spread across the country. Students, even school children, start wearing red bands on their hands to signify their loyalty. These young men formed the Red Guard, which was basically a paramilitary force.

The activity of the Red Guard

Everything old became the target of the Red Guard. Everything pre-revolutionary is destroyed with the old title. Pagodas, churches, mosques, etc. are mixed with the soil. Religious texts and Confucius’ ideological books, magazines, and other historical books were burned. During this time, all kinds of antiquities and historical artifacts were snatched from museums and the homes of the common people, and these were destroyed as symbols of ‘old thinking.’ During this time, many houses were also destroyed. The Red Guard established a reign of terror throughout the country. They break into people’s homes and break down old furniture. If someone’s hair seemed longer, he would be grabbed and his hair cut.

Teachers, intellectuals, government officials, and landowners were the worst victims of the Red Guard’s brutality. They were called ‘counter-revolutionaries’ and ‘bourgeois’ and persecuted. They were publicly insulted on the streets, physically assaulted, and killed many.

The operation severely affected all ethnic groups living in China, including Tibetan Buddhists, Hui and Mongolians, and religious minorities. The current Chinese President Xi Jinping family is also a direct victim of the Cultural Revolution. Xi Jinping was sent to a remote area to work on a farm. His father, Shi Zhangjun, was a prominent leader of the Communist Party. He was deposed and imprisoned and later sent to work in a tractor factory.

The army generals who opened their mouths about the excesses of the Red Guard were also targeted. Mao’s wife, Jiang Qing, encouraged members of the Red Guard to loot weapons from the army and even replace themselves if necessary.

Unrestrained horse

As time goes on, it is seen that the Red Guard is no longer in control. In addition to the so-called counter-revolutionaries and the destruction of the bourgeoisie, various sections of the Red Guard began to engage in conflict. Mao continues to seek relief from this situation. As a last resort, many members of the Red Guard were evacuated from the city to remote areas for farming. Originally, Mao wanted to spread the Red Guards across the country to no longer cause problems.

Restore power

As mentioned earlier, Mao initiated the Cultural Revolution in order to regain his strong position in the Communist Party. Mao’s opponents at the time were mainly leaders like Liu Shaoki and Deng Xiao-ping. Liu Shaoqi was then the head of state of China, and Deng Xiaoping was a member of the party’s politburo. Within a year, the two were removed from the party. Liu Shaoki was sent to prison, and Xiao-ping was sent into exile. The following year, Liu Shaoki died in prison. However, the news of his death was kept secret for a long time. This is how Mao Zedong regained his lost power.

The conflict between the Kushilabads

From the very beginning of the Cultural Revolution, Lin Biao, the head of the armed forces, was one of its key allies and one of Mao’s main allies. After ascending to power, Mao also nominated Lin as his successor constitutionally. But later, a power struggle arose between the two. At that moment, Mao and Lin tried to assassinate each other. One day in 1971, Lin Biao suddenly disappeared and was officially declared ” a conspirator and traitor who died in a plane crash while fleeing to the Soviet Union with his family. ” His plane is thought to have been shot down.

New characters on the scene

After the death of Lin Biao, Zhou Enlai appeared on the scene. He established himself as the second top leader in the Communist Party. But as soon as the health of both Chou and Mao deteriorated, Chou Enlai Deng brought Xiaoping back to the top leadership of the party. In the meantime, the cultural revolution has come to a standstill.

In the mid-1970s, key power passed to Mao’s wife, Jiang Qing, and his three associates, Zhang Shankishao, Wang Hong-wen, and Yao Wenwan. They are known as the Gang of four in history. Behind the scenes, they started controlling the state and the party. They took various measures against Chou and Deng.

The end of the revolution

Mao Zedong died in Beijing on September 9, 1976. After his death, his wife and three other accomplices (Gang of four) were arrested and their trial began. This marked the end of a decade-long cultural revolution.

The result

The exact number of people who died due to the Cultural Revolution is not known. However, historians estimate that the death toll was about 1.5 million. As a result of the Great Leap Forward, the Chinese economy was in shambles. Due to the Cultural Revolution, the state of the economy became more dilapidated. Industrial production is greatly reduced.

For the whole decade of the Cultural Revolution, Chinese educational institutions were closed. As a result, Chinese youth are left out of formal education at this time. Sending various professionals, including teachers, intellectuals, scientists and engineers, who were not killed, to prisons or to re-education labor camps created a huge void in education and research.

Thus, the Cultural Revolution had a far-reaching impact on China’s social, political, economic, and cultural spheres.

How is the Cultural Revolution viewed in present-day China?

Although Deng Xiaoping’s government declared the Cultural Revolution in 1981 a “ten years of chaos” and a “great catastrophe for the party and the people,” the current Chinese leadership does not seem to be saying anything positive/negative about the Cultural Revolution. In 2016, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Cultural Revolution, no state program was adopted in China. Even the state media did not publish an article on this. From this, it can be understood that the present leadership considers the Cultural Revolution as a ‘disaster.’ But since the image of the Communist Party and Mao Zedong is involved, it has made it a policy not to raise the issue.

The Cultural Revolution was a catastrophic chapter in China’s political history and a deep wound for the economy. But how China’s next leader has overcome that catastrophe and established China as a superpower through its strong and courageous leadership is truly astonishing.