Mao's Rectification Campaign, 1942-1944

What was the Rectification campaign?

The 'Rectification of Thought' campaign was to bring the CCP further under Mao Zedong's control.

Who was involved in the Rectification campaign?

Mao Zedong led the 'Rectification of Thought' campaign and made all members of the CCP take part.

When did the Rectification campaign take place?

The Rectification campaign began in 1941 and lasted until 1944.

How did the Rectification campaign begin?

The Rectification campaign began with a key speech and an article by Mao Zedong.

• ❖ Mao made a speech entitled 'Reform Our Study' in May 1941.
• ❖ Mao also wrote an article called 'Rectify the Party's Style of Work' in February 1942.

Where did the Rectification campaign take place?

The Rectification campaign took place at the Yanan Soviet.

Why did Mao carry out the Rectification campaign?

Mao Zedong had 4 key reasons for carrying out the Rectification campaign.

• ❖ By 1941, CCP membership was at an all-time high of 800,000 members. Many had only recently joined so they could fight the Japanese. They were therefore to be educated in basic Marxist theory so they could be trusted to fight against the GMD.
• ❖ Party cadres (volunteers) were to be trained to understand Marxism and about China so they could effectively work in the villages, converting peasants to the communist cause.
• ❖ Secretly, Mao wanted to identify and liquidate spies and traitors.
• ❖ Secretly, Mao also wanted to ensure any party rivals were identified and destroyed in public to make certain only his ideas were followed.

What happened during the Rectification campaign?

During the Rectification campaign, there were 7 key events:

• ❖ The Rectification campaign began with a series of lectures and public lessons to educate new CCP members in basic Marxist ideas.
• ❖ In his speeches and writings, Mao Zedong set out that in order to educate themselves all party members needed to know about Marxism, be able to work with the peasants, and above all else, employ practical experience to achieve this.
• ❖ Articles from leading Marxists such as Lenin, Stalin and Mao himself were distributed to be studied.
• ❖ Party members were encouraged to speak out publicly and criticise past mistakes by themselves and other members of the party.
• ❖ Thousands were identified as having 'revisionist' ideas, which meant they thought differently to Mao.
• ❖ Those identified as revisionists were arrested, tortured and sometimes executed. Their confessions were used to teach others about why thinking differently was wrong.
• ❖ As the campaign progressed, fewer people spoke out.
• ❖ Many loyal party officials and some opponents committed suicide rather than face public humiliation and torture.

What outcome was there from the Rectification campaign?

The Rectification campaign had 5 key outcomes:

• ❖ By 1945, Mao was in complete control of the CCP and had purged it of all those who opposed him.
• ❖ Members of the 28 Bolsheviks, who had been trained in Moscow and influenced by Russian communism, were purged. Only Mao's belief in a peasant-based revolution was allowed.
• ❖ The Rectification campaign was a method of control that Mao would later use as leader of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The techniques of public humiliation and violence would be used in the Hundred Flowers Campaign and the Cultural Revolution in order to influence the minds of millions.
• ❖ Mao displayed a genuine desire to improve the lives of his people, but also proved he did not care about individual lives through his calculated use of violence.
• ❖ He established a personal dictatorship. Chinese communism was now called 'Maoism,' and his cult following called him the 'Great Helmsman'.