The Cultural Revolution

What was the Cultural Revolution?

The Cultural Revolution was an attempt to reassert Mao's authority in China, promote Mao Zedong Thought and purge opposition.

When was the Cultural Revolution?

The movement lasted ten years, from 1966 until 1976.

Who led the Cultural Revolution?

The Cultural Revolution was launched by Mao and organised by the Central Cultural Revolution Group. However, there were a number of other key individuals involved in its implementation.

• ❖ Chen Boda of the CCRG (Central Cultural Revolution Group).
• ❖ Lin Biao of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).
• ❖ Jiang Qing (Mao's 4th wife).
• ❖ Kang Sheng (Secret Police).

Why did the Cultural Revolution happen?

There were a number of causes and motivations for the Cultural Revolution:

• ❖ Desire for permanent change. Mao was worried that old habits and ideas would return. By removing these influences, the hope was the changes made by the CCP would become permanent.
• ❖ Involvement of the youth. Mao believed being involved in the struggle was key to loyalty, as seen with the Long March. He wanted to create conditions where the youth could become real revolutionaries.
• ❖ Removal of bureaucrats. Mao was worried government agencies were run by financially motivated individuals. Removing these people would ensure no return to the class system seen under the Qing dynasty.
• ❖ To remove internal CCP opposition. Mao believed people were conspiring to remove him from power, mainly Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping. This was his opportunity to remove the threat.
• ❖ To remove revisionists. These were people who didn't support the Marxist view of communism. Mao believed people were weakening the revolution by promoting non-Marxists features such as private trade.

What were the key features of the Cultural Revolution?

There were 6 key features of the Cultural Revolution:

• ❖ Mass Mobilisation of Youth. Mao encouraged the youth to rally and attack revisionists as well as the 'old' ideas of China. In one rally on 18th August, 1966, over a million people attended to hear Mao speak.
• ❖ Attacks on the Four Olds. Following the rallies, young people were encouraged to attack anything which was old. The movement defined four areas in particular; old habits, old ideas, old culture and old customs.
• ❖ The Red Guard. The youth joined together to form units to attack opponents of the Cultural Revolution. They took part in violent attacks and in Guangxi alone 67,000 people were killed as a result.
• ❖ The cult of Mao. During this period Mao became a symbol of worship and images of him appeared everywhere. His 'Little Red Book' was published for the PLA and it was used by the Red Guard to guide their behaviour.
• ❖ Education. The Red Guard also set about challenging intellectuals at schools and universities. By the end of 1966, all schools were closed so that the youth could take part in the Cultural Revolution.
• ❖ PLA. The PLA played an important role in controlling the revolution. When the Red Guard had spiralled out of control in 1968, the PLA (on Mao's orders) shut down the group's operations and purged it. Thousands were killed.

What areas were impacted by the Cultural Revolution?

7 key areas were impacted by the Cultural Revolution:

• ❖ Mao's political position.
• ❖ China's economic situation.
• ❖ Education.
• ❖ Family life.
• ❖ Health.
• ❖ Religion.
• ❖ Culture.

How was Mao's position impacted by the Cultural Revolution?

The Cultural Revolution strengthened Mao's position in 4 ways:

• ❖ Mao used the Red Guard to attack opposition throughout the government. By 1969, 60% of the national communist party's high-ranking officials had been removed. The figure was even higher for provincial and regional officials.
• ❖ Mao was also able to target high ranking CCP officials. Liu Shaoqi was ousted as a traitor and imprisoned, where he died in 1969.
• ❖ Overall, Mao became significantly more powerful. He had the CCP firmly under control and anyone who challenged him had been removed.
• ❖ However, the Cultural Revolution also made him even more paranoid that leading CCP members were plotting against him. More isolated than ever and with declining health, Mao was rarely seen in public again.

How was the economy impacted by the Cultural Revolution?

The Cultural Revolution led to 5 significant declines in the Chinese economy during the years 1966-70:

• ❖ Replacements for those purged were ill-trained and unable to run successful businesses.
• ❖ Due to the movement of the Red Guard around China, transports for moving goods and materials became scarce. This led to a shortage of materials and an inability of factories to keep up with production.
• ❖ Between 1966-70, production fell by 13%. The production of raw materials such as steel, oil and coal also reduced by c.25%.
• ❖ Agriculture also suffered slightly with grain production down, which led to the introduction of rationing.
• ❖ After 1969, the economy began to recover as the Cultural Revolution began to settle. However, this had halted China's plan for rapid industrialisation.

How was education impacted by the Cultural Revolution?

There were 2 key outcomes of the Cultural Revolution on education:

• ❖ Schools were closed from 1966-70.
• ❖ By 1982, only 35% of the population had schooling until they were 12, with less than 1% of the population having a degree.

How was family impacted by the Cultural Revolution?

The family unit was weakened as one of the 'Four Olds'. With the Mountains campaign sending many youth away from their families, the traditional model soon disintegrated.

How was health impacted by the Cultural Revolution?

There were 2 impacts of the Cultural Revolution on health:

• ❖ Healthcare was badly affected as doctors showed their loyalty to the revolution by downing tools.
• ❖ There was a growth in 'barefoot doctors', who had rapid, yet limited medical training and worked in rural areas as part of the revolution. This did help improve healthcare for peasants but only for general conditions which did not need extensive treatment or resources.

How was religion impacted by the Cultural Revolution?

Religion was damaged by the revolution. It was seen as one of the 'Four Olds' and was prohibited. While the majority of priests were sent to be re-educated, some continued in secret and eventually religion returned.

How was culture impacted by the Cultural Revolution?

Censorship was introduced during the revolution to remove traditional Chinese culture. Artists were threatened with prison so produced nothing which could be deemed part of the 'Four Olds'. This left a huge void in Chinese culture during this period.