Cultural Revolution
Volume 4 | Issue 5 - Non-Western Perspective
Article by Bradley Bosson. Edited and researched by Rob Russell.
Since this issue of New Histories is a focus on non-western history, I’d like to focus on a largely forgotten piece of the Cold War narrative; Mao Zedong’s rule over China. More specifically, this piece will be on the ‘Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution’, largely regarded as a black mark on China.
The Cultural Revolution was initiated in 1966 by Mao alongside his named successor Marshall Lin Biao. Taking place during a climate of instability in the Communist world due to the Sino-Soviet split, the Cultural Revolution is often seen as an attempt by Mao to solidify his power and purge the ruling Communist Party of any opponents he may have believed he had. He stated that bourgeoisie elements were infiltrating Chinese society and possibly working towards a return to capitalism. As well as this, he wanted to remove anyone who had criticised his ‘Great Leap Forward’, which had a devastating impact on Chinese society and the economy. Even before the official declaration Mao had been working towards purging opposition from the party, getting rid of officials such as Peng Zhen and General Luo Ruiqing which not only secured his control of the party but the army too. Evidently, the Communist Party of China was not the cohesive group as you would imagine, with the existence of many different factions loyal to other officials.
The Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party published “Decision Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution”, also known as the Sixteen Points. A national programme of ‘re-education’ ensued, with the popular use of ‘big-character posters’ (large wall mounted posters using Chinese characters) reaffirming the authority of Mao and the danger of bourgeoisie elements. An important example was one at Peking University, which made the claim that the university was supporting Marxist-Revisionism against the wishes of Mao. This resulted in crowds of Chinese students marching and pledging their support for Mao and his leadership. The Cultural Revolution was not limited to the intellectuals; the government pushed it on all members of society such as the farmers, workers and soldiers to ‘transform the landscape’.
One of the major focuses of the Cultural Revolution was the destruction of the ‘Four Olds’. These were old customs, culture, habits and ideas. The government had claimed that these were fostered by the exploiting classes, using slogans such as ‘beating down imperialism’ and ‘beating down the Jesus followers’. Streets and shops were commonly renamed, with a new fashion of giving children revolutionary names such as Zhihong (determined red) and Jige (following the revolution). Old Chinese literature and architecture was removed but the government prevented the destruction of archaeological discoveries made during this period, such as the Terracotta Army.
Government programmes to incite this kind of revolutionary behaviour led to the growth of various paramilitary groups, the most notable being the ‘Red Guards’. This group was largely made up Chinese youth loyal to the Mao regime, who wrecked havoc in towns and cities destroying the ‘Four Olds’ by hand. Mao had legitimised this group by ordering that their manifesto be published and broadcast in national media. However, like many paramilitary movements, they soon got too big and too out of hand for the central government. Despite attempts to moderate their behaviour, such as forcible relocation to the countryside, the Chinese Army were ordered to put down radical students and the Red Guard was described as ‘counterrevolutionary’. In addition to this, the forcible relocation had a negative effect on many families in China and created large social problems.
By 1969, Mao had consolidated much of his control over the country and with the expulsion of Liu Shaoqi, his main rival was no longer politically active. Mao had also designated General Lin Biao as his successor and the reestablishment of order was soon underway. However, Mao was anxious of the power which Lin Biao and the army was acquiring and believed that Lin was possibly planning a coup. Lin’s plane crashed in 1971 and all members of the army and the Communist Party close to him and his family were purged. Lin was portrayed in a bad light and often compared to Confucius, the spiritual figure who was criticised during the Cultural Revolution. This had put the entire Cultural Revolution into question as a figure who was enshrined in the party was seen as ‘dangerous’. Whilst this conflict was raging on in the party, the Chinese economy was in disarray and there was nationwide chaos. Issues in the party raged on up until Mao’s death in 1976, where the Cultural Revolution came to an end.
The Cultural Revolution had directly or indirectly impacted on the whole of China. Economically, the country came to a standstill and progress was stopped in the name of revolution. Society was politicised with political slogans being visible in most public places. ‘Struggle sessions’ took place where civilians from bourgeoisie classes were violently tortured and persecuted. Estimates of the civilian death range from 1 Million to 20 Million. Large parts of Chinese heritage were destroyed or damaged by the Red Guards. Politically, the Cultural Revolution had tainted Mao’s image and has largely since been criticised by the Communist Party. With the emergence of Deng Xiaoping as the premier of China, a new ideology of ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics’ entered the forefront of Chinese politics. Therefore, the ‘Cultural Revolution’ can be seen as an important transitionary period which constituted the greatest excesses of authoritarian China, leading to the liberalisation and modernisation of Chinese society.