MAO’S CULT OF PERSONALITYand the

CULTURAL REVOLUTION

WHY TALK ABOUT THE TOPIC?

THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION WAS A SIGNIFICANT EVENT BECAUSE IT

COMPLETELY CHANGED THE CULTURE AND SOCIETY OF ONE

COUNTRY FROM ITS CORE IN ONLY A FEW YEARS AND A DECADE OF

POLITICAL STRUGGLE. (Landin, 2013)

WHY TALK ABOUT THE TOPIC?

THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED

CHINESE CULTURE AND WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST SOCIO-POLITICAL

MOVEMENTS THAT THE WORLD HAS SEEN.

TIMELINE 1644 Ching dynasty was established and China was isolated 1699 Britain gained trading post at Canton 1839 Opium War erupted 1842 Treaty of Nanking was signed 1856 Britain and France gained spheres of influence in China 1894-1895 Japan defeats China 1899-1900 "Boxer Rebellion" in Northern China seeks to stifle reforms

in the Qing administration, drive out foreigners and re-establish traditional rule. Defeated by foreign intervention, with Western powers, Russia and Japan extracted further concessions from weakened Qing government.

1911 Ch’ing Dynasty collapsed; Republic of China was established.

1916 Sun Yat Sen became president of Nationalist Gov’t

1917 China entered WW11919 Marxist ideas enter China1920 Mao organized revolution of peasants in Hunan

against KMT1925 Chiang Kai-shek succeeded Sun

NATIONALISTS ATTACK COMMUNISTS

• Unlike Sun, Chiang distrusted the Soviet Union’s involvement in China. He suspected Russian advisers were preparing to overthrow his regime. Politically, Chiang preferred the friendship of western bankers and capitalists.• The westerners and rich Chinese also feared that a Soviet-style

revolution in China would destroy their privileged position. Land distribution, a promise made by Sun Yat-sen, was ignored by Chiang. Chiang was too dependent on landlord-support to “return the land to the tillers”.• By 1935, many who had supported Chiang became disillusioned with

his policies and had left the Kuomintang. (Perry, 1983)

• 1931-45 - Japan invades and gradually occupies more and more of China.• 1934-35 - Mao Zedong emerges as Communist leader during the party's

"Long March" to its new base in Shaanxi Province.• 1937 - Kuomintang and Communists nominally unite against Japanese.

Civil war resumes after Japan's defeat in Second World War.• 1949 - 1 October - Mao Zedong, having led the Communists to victory

against the Nationalists after more than 20 years of civil war, proclaims the founding of the People's Republic of China. The Nationalists retreat to the island of Taiwan and set up their own government. Mao builds ties with USSR. • http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-

13017882#story_continues_1

HOW WAS MARXISM

INTRODUCED IN CHINA?

TECHNIQUES MAO USED TO GAIN POWER1. Three and Five Anti

Campaign, 19512. Hundred Flowers

Campaign, 19563. Anti-Rightist Campaign,

1957 (Landin, 2013)

GREAT LEAP FORWARD1958-1960

TRIVIA•CIA reports that starving Chinese during the GLF resorted

to prostitution to survive. (Secret CIA National Intelligence Estimate)•To feed his addiction to smoking, Mao’s soldiers would

exchange opium with cigarettes with the troops they were supposed to be fighting. (Diary of Mao’s Bodyguard, Chen Chanfeng, 1970)•When Stalin died in 1953, he was replaced with Nikita

Khrushchev, who didn’t come into good terms with Mao. (History channel)

CULTURAL REVOLUTION

• The effects of Collectivisation and the Great Leap Forward hit Mao’s reputation very hard. In 1958 Mao had resigned as President of the People's Republic of China and was replaced by Liu Shaoqui. • In 1962 Mao handed over responsibility for the economy to President Liu

Shaoqi and CCP General Secretary Deng Xiaoping and withdrew from the political scene. • Rural markets began to reopen and peasants were given small plots of

land. By 1962 about half of the farm land in China was in the hands of individual families once again. The results of these changes were sudden increases in the amounts of food being produced in China.

• http://www.dhahranbritish.com/history/A14_ReformLiuDeng.htm

THE REVISIONISTS

• Liu and Deng also attempted to tackle the risk of famine by introducing population control.• Young people were required to postpone marriage and the use of

contraceptives was encouraged by the state.• These changes reduced the influence of Mao and also reversed many

of his ideas. But whilst Mao had little influence in government or the CCP, to the great majority of the Chinese people he remained the embodiment of the Revolution. Mao was prepared to bide his time and to use other tactics to re-establish his position in China.

• http://www.dhahranbritish.com/history/A14_ReformLiuDeng.htm

• By 1963 Mao was already regretting his loss of power and was becoming concerned at the changes that were taking place in China. In particular the growing dominance of the economy by an educated elite. His response was to begin to build up support in the PLA (People's Liberation Army) and his supporters gradually occupied key posts in the government and gained control of the Central Cultural Revolution Committee.• Although Mao lacked supporters in the upper reaches of the government

and the CCP, he had many supporters in lesser positions. Many people shared his view that the revolution was being undermined by the policies of Liu and Deng, who appeared to be adopting western, revisionist ideas.• http://www.dhahranbritish.com/history/A14_ReformLiuDeng.htm

MAO USES WIFE FOR THE COME-BACK

• Task: Remake Chinese culture for the revolution.

JIANG QING

FIRST ACTS OF CULTURAL REVOLUTION

• Anounce, if not, “expose policization of arts”. Jiang Qing was put in charge as “artistitic advisor” to the army.• All feudal Chinese art like Chinese classical opera and artworks were

banned; Western art were even treated as worse.• “Feudal and old culture are bad because they are symbols of the

oppressive classes before the revolution. Revolutionary culture was good which was narrowed down to handful of operas and ballets.” (Dr. Orville Schell; History Channel)• Opera stories were about revolutionaries fighting the capitalists.

Traditional music and dance were replaced with machine gun and fine and heroic poses. • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATOEI_IM1vk

SHORT-TERM CAUSES AND AIMS1. Eliminate political rivals (Liu Shaoqi and Deng

Xiaoping); rid the communist party from “capitalist roaders”, criticize reactionary bourgeois academics, and transform culture to consolidate the socialist system.

2. Reform the Communist Party for the good of the people. (Landin, 2013)

TRIVIA•When cultural revolution began, little children were first taught to write “Long Live Chairman Mao” before they were even taught to write their names. (Mao Declassified; History Channel)•Mao contracts a venereal disease but women are proud to be infected as proof of their relationship with him. (Mao’s physician, Dr. Li Zhisui, 1964)

WHO ARE THE ENEMIES?

•Landlords, rich farmers, intellectuals, bureaucrats, the west and the old communist party which Mao himself built but which he was no longer in charge of.

EVILS OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

•Smashing of store sites and store names.•Destruction of schools and other Chinese institutions; beating of teachers and school leaders.•Doing “revolutionary tasks” instead of studying.•When Party newspapers don’t print editorials Mao

has written, he tells people “their Chairman Mao is being victimized”.

Mao’s named successor.

LIN BIAO- head of the army. He made the “little red book of Mao’s teachings“ which he used for his troops to foster loyalty.

THE RED GUARDS• They were allowed by Mao to travel China for free to spread

the fire of revolution.• “Mother is close, father is close but neither is closer than

Chairman Mao”.• In August 1966, Mao unleashed the red guards who destroy

Chinese culture, humiliate and torture intellectuals and landowners and fall into bereaved behavior ranging from beating their own parents to the mass slaughter of political opponents.• Children had power over adults.

MAO’S CULT OF PERSONALITY

•Soon, Red Guards fought among themselves, some wanted to stop revolution, while some wanted to continue. The economy continued to deteriorate, and the lowest estimate of death was 500,000.•1969. Mao realized revolution could not last forever, he needed somebody to bring things back to normal or else his credibility with the people will plummet. •1971. Lin Biao becomes unhappy with little power entrusted to him. His wife planned Mao’s assassination, however, their plan was exposed. They tried to escape but they died of plane crash.

Richard NixonDiplomatic visit

(Sep 9, 1976)

TRIVIA•Chinese doctors test new operating procedures on elderly peasants to make sure they won’t kill their aging Chairman Mao.•Mao’s staff hide oxygen and medical equipment behind large plants should his health fail during the Nixon-Mao summit.

MAO DIES OF CONGESTED HEART FAILURE (Sep 9, 1976)

FIRST HAND WITNESS OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

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