English homework
Hob419
3.pdf
Kwun Ho Ho, Harris
Ms, Caroline Johnson
COM-102-045
04 May 2014
Cultural Revolution
China's decade-long Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution shook the politics of
china China and the world in 1950. Even thought around it is almost 60 years old, the
movement is still so controversial that the communist party of china China still prohibits
public discussion about its Cultural Revolution. This paper seeks to investigate the
Chinese Cultural Revolution. The thesis of the paper is that the Communist Party of
China government should admit their wrong doings and have the courage to face their
failure in the Cultural Revolution. A nation that is not willing to admit its past does not
deserve a prosperous future. It is believed that if the Chinese can face up to its past
mistakes, China can develop in a faster pace and become more successful.
Background of the Cultural Revolution
It has been about 60 years ago since the Communist Party of the China started
what came to be called the Cultural Revolution. Mao Zedong was very fond of the Great
Proletarian Cultural Revolution. But, the his ideas he had ended up destroying the lives
of millions of Chinese. Indeed, some observers do not believe that the dark history that
the Chinese underwent through can be addressed and really forgotten completely. In
addition to the fact that millions had their lives, history, believesbeliefs, and cultures
destroyed, the proponents of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution did also destroy
millions of historical artifacts and monuments which were greatly valued by many
communities around the country (Esherick et al. 34).
Another reason why Chairman Zedong’s idea of Cultural Revolution is criticized
is that the children were separated from their families and their parents. As a matter of
fact, familial ties were destroyed completely, particularly between 1966 and 1976; the
period when indoctrination and forced adoption of concepts were at their extreme levels.
The Communist party did also force people to abandon their economic activities,
education for their children as well as for themselves, and their professions. In fact, a
whole generation was lost since Chinese China became inadequately educated when
compared to the rest of the world (Esherick et al. 34).
The Aim of the Cultural Revolution
Chairman Zedong had hoped that his idea of Cultural Revolution would help
revolutionize China speedily. He had hoped that within no time, China would be in a
position to catch up with the rest of the world. To Zedong, the reason why the western
powers appeared to oppose his views was that they did not wish to see China emerging as
a power. However, his approach was wrong, and it resulted into serious consequences
and a lot of suffering for the people he had hoped to assist (Lu 78).
The disruption of the country’s economy and society was too great that the
objectives which the Chairman had remained largely unachieved. His experimentation
was more damaging than beneficial, and it almost bankrupted the government and the
people. Therefore, even though he was opposed to the redesigning of his original ideas,
the Chairman had no choice but to let the man he had chosen as his Vice Chairman and
the one who was the Premier to implement some reforms, i.e. redesigning of his original
ideas (Jiang 46).
Anti – Revisionism (Three Red Flags)
Anti-revisionism is the term that is used to refer to the opposition that influential
Chinese people had towards the revision or the modification of the revolutionary ideas
which the Chairman and his team had. Anti-revisionists views any attempt to review or
dilute the ideas of the Chairman as rather concessions to the adversaries of Communism.
Such feelings made them oppose the move to revise vehemently. The following
subsections address some of the steps which the government of China undertaken
undertook to safeguard their communist ideas (Feng 78).
The Chinese government adopted the General Line from the ideas of the leaders
of the Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union, the General Line started being implementation
implemented in the year 1927, and it was meant to help with the celebration of the idea of
collectivization of agricultural activities. The idea was really being championed by Leon
Trotsky who was a Bolshevik. Chairman Zedong believed that the General Line was the
best for China. He believed that it would help ease the agricultural activities; and,
therefore, the people of China did not have to suffer famines. However, the idea failed,
and people suffered famines (Chong 73).
The Great Leap Forward refers to the campaign of economic and social activities
which the government of China implemented between the years 1958 and 1961. Through
this idea, the Chairman had hoped that China would be transformed from a largely
agrarian economy into a country that was largely industrialized through communism. On
the country, the country did not industrialize rapidly; instead, the people of China
experienced what is commonly referred to as the Great Chinese Famine. The most noted
changes to the Chinese society include the fact that people were forced into participating
in agricultural collectivization and the prohibition of private farming activities. Anyone
who went against these rules was considered a counter revolutionary and was punished
severely (Chong 38).
The Communist Party of China placed a lot of restrictions on the people living in
rural areas. The restrictions were enforced via what was referred to as the public struggle
sessions. In these sessions, there was a lot of social pressure and forced labor. The
Communist party called this the rural industrialization, and it was the official priority for
the party. The people’s commune refers to what used to be the most significant of the
three main administrative levels of the communities living in the rural areas. Its
implementation was done between the years 1958 and 1983. Starting from 1983, the
communes were abandoned, and townships emerged (Dittmer 15).
As the idea of the Cultural Revolution was being implemented, there was
significant authority struggle in the Communist Party. Some of the officials did not
follow the orders of the Chairman to the letter. Indeed, some ended up being corrupt, and
they tended to amass resources for themselves and their cronies. This practice annoyed
the Chairman so much that he came up with a plan of punishing them in public; at least
so that he can intimidate the rest into dropping their corrupt views (Yan & Gao 30).
Following the removal of a leader called Peng Zhen, the party was disoriented.
This disorientation was particularly seen in the Party Committee that sat in Beijing. There
was massive disorder and discontent in the country’s capital. About the same time, on
Comment [t1]: Do you mean “contrary??”
May 25, 1966, a lecturer of philosophy called Nie Yuanzi wrote a poster where he and
other leftists criticized the university administration’s policies. Yuanzi alleged that the
administration was having a secret mission to gain so much influence before undermining
the party from within (Dittmer 67).
Zedong favored dealing with dissenters in a chaotic manner. In this regard, he
ordered that Yuanzi’s message be broadcasted throughout China in a bid to demonstrate
to the dissenters that their plans cannot go unnoticed and unpunished. The broadcast was
followed by the closure of classes in Beijing and other regions of the country in protest to
the school administration’s secret plans. In early June, students lined the streets while
holding huge portraits of Chairman Zedong, shouting slogans, and beating drums as if to
intimidate the Chairman’s perceived enemies. By the end of July 1966, the Red Guards
started violent purges of dissenters. By mid August, most of the needed purges had
already been done (Dittmer 70).
Cultural Revolution of the Development Process
As it has been indicated, Chairman Zedong’s idea of Cultural Revolution was
meant to facilitate a rapid development process. Although his ideas appeared to be
working at the very beginning, they soon began to wreck havoc on the society, economy,
and governance. The following subsections address some of the most important issues
which relate to the development process (Chong 12).
Cultural Revolution was a huge social-political movement whose objective was to
facilitate the enforcement of communism and the removal of cultural and traditional
elements as well as capitalistic views from the society. In order to achieve this goal, the
Chairman imposed Maoist orthodoxy within the Communist Party. The movement
caused a lot of paralysis to the society in terms of the economy, social aspects, and
politics. The launch of the revolution followed claims by Mao Zedong that some
bourgeois elements had infiltrated his government as well as the society at large, and that
their aim was to facilitate the restoration of capitalism. Therefore, his move was meant to
have them removed through violent Class Struggle (Feng 18).
The young youth, especially the students, responded to Zedong’s request by
forming the Red Guards all over the country. The movement did spread fast and was
adopted by the Communist Party, urban workers, as well as the soldiers. As a result, there
were serious factional struggles in every aspect of life in China. Many senior officials
were expelled from the party after being accused and condemned for assuming views
which were largely considered to be capitalist. The most famous expellees were Deng
Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi. Such expulsions made the Mo’s personality cult to spread and
grow to proportions which were so immense to be ignored (Feng 30).
Although most Chinese were of the opinion that the revolution was necessary, a
significant number did not agree with the Chairman. Those who did not agree were
persecuted, especially through what had become violent factional struggles. There were
wide-ranging abuses, including arbitrary imprisonment, public humiliation, sustained
harassment, property seizures, and torture (Esherick et al. 45).
Most of the dissenters were urbanites who were vehemently opposed to forced
emigration from the cities into the rural areas. As all these were taking place, the Red
Guards were ransacking religious and cultural sites. They did also destroy numerous
artifacts and historical relics. Of course there was serious opposition to such activities.
There were people who had grown up respecting and valuing what was being destroyed.
However, the activities had to remain since they were either ordered or sanctioned by the
Chairman himself. The Maoist reforms where, however, done away with following the
death of the Chairman in 1976 (Esherick et al. 78).
In August 18th 1966, the Red Guards gathered in Beijing in order to listen to the
Chairman addressing them. The Red Guards had come from all over the country, and
were so eager to listen to the Chairman who spoken atop the Tiananmen Gate (Feng 78).
The Chairman and his handpicked successor, Lin Biao, made several and frequent
appearances in a bid to greet the Red Guards whose number was approximated to have
been 11 million. The Red Guards cheered the two leaders wildly every time they made an
appearance. While making his speech, the chairman praised the conduct that the Red
Guards had been exhibiting, and indicated that they had helped entrench democracy and
socialism in the society (Lu 10).
The Gang of Four refers to the political faction of the Chinese Communist party
that consisted of four prominent officials. Their prominence was linked to the Cultural
Revolution that occurred between 1966 and 1976. They included Jiang Qing, who was
Mao’s last wife, Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan, and Zhang Chunqiao. Later on, these
officials were charged with treason and subsequently expelled (Dittmer 150).
It remained relatively unclear whether the gang was implementing Mao’s ideas or
the ideas which they were implementing were their own. In the end, these individuals
were blamed for many of the excesses of the Communist Party, and this is what led to
their purging. History indicates that the gang’s impact was largely negative. They
sanctioned terror and other forms of excesses which made the Chinese people to suffer a
lot (Yan & Gao 89).
Zedong favored violent or chaotic expulsion of the dissenters. He believed that
such violence would in the end intimidate the potential dissenters and to force them to toe
the line. During the expulsions, many dissenters lost their lives, or at least their
livelihood. The Red Guards were feared for being extremely ruthless, and due to the fact
that they had direct contact with the Chairman himself. They were the people who turned
Zedong’s following into a cult. In that case, few would have dared to oppose the
Chairman (Jiang 67).
The post revolution period was marked by drastic changes. First of all, Maoism
was dropped as an ideology, and the society became more open. Indeed, China became
more open to foreign direct investment and political room was open a little bit. In that
case, people could discuss political subjects more openly, and they could also engage in
economic activities more freely. The reforms deed, therefore, facilitate the emergence of
the Middle Class, and this Middle Class was able to afford a better life while still living
in the Communist China (Feng 89).
The End of the Cultural Revolution
Chinese Cultural Revolution came to an end about the same time when Mao
Zedong died. The Red Guards had been done away with a little bit earlier after it became
clear to the Chairman that they were not only a threat to the social cohesion but also to
the Communist Party structures. Nonetheless, the group was disbanded after it had
accomplished the mission that Chairman wanted them to accomplish. After the death of
the Chairman, there emerged serious dissenting voices against the Gang of Four and other
revolutionaries. In that case, the revolution had to be abandoned (Clark 67; Chong 45).
Deng Xiaoping became the Chairman of the Central Advisory Commission of the
Communist Party in 13 th
of September, 1982. He ran that office way through to 2 nd
November 1987. Xiaoping is remembered for his reformist policies and the fact that he
enabled the country to become a market based economy. Xiaoping did a lot for China in
spite of the fact that he never became the head of state or government, or even the
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. He led smartly while sharing power
with much older leaders in what came to be known as the Eight Elders (Yan & Gao 68;
Lu 89).
Impact of the Cultural Revolution
The Chinese Cultural Revolution made an impact in many aspects of life in
China. These impacts are still being witnessed to the present day. This section discusses
some of them. At the height of the revolution, politics were greatly influenced by the
Chairman and the revolutionaries. There was little political participation for those who
considered Zedong’s ideas as being oppressive. This impact can be said to have
continued up to the present time since the Communist Party is still in power and powerful
and has no political opposition (Chong 49).
The revolution ruined the economy. Industrial output fell greatly, and the level of
income dropped sharply. Indeed, many observers believed that the economy could not
recover with the revolution being continued. That is why leaders like Xiaoping ushered in
the reforms which they believed were appropriate. The reforms did in fact help China
recover and grow (Dittmer 89-91). As it has been indicated, the revolution destroyed
cultural practices and believes. Cultural sites were completely destroyed, and the people
adopted a relatively different way of life. The cultural loss that China suffered was and
remains to be permanent. However, a number of people living in rural communities have
started retracing their cultural roots (Dittmer 91).
The political ideology during the revolution was one hundred percent support for
the Chairman. The support grew so intensely that it became a personal cult. This scenario
was worsened by the fact that religion was discouraged. So, Mao was a moral leader in
addition to being a political leader and the leader of the people of the republic (Chong
34). During the revolution, historical relics were replaced with political relics meant to
praise the Chairman. Much of the oral history was lost in that process. In China, almost
all utterances were made in favor of praising the Chairman. Anything else was lost in the
process (Feng 29).
Obviously, the Chinese people lost most of the practices which were handed
down from one generation to the other. Indeed, they lost both material and immaterial
possessions and it was all about politics and support for the Chairman. Following the
starting of the reforms in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the society has begun reclaiming
its heritage. The government is also helping to this effect (Feng 31).
Relate the World War Z
Chinese Cultural Revolution is closely related to the analogies narrated in World
War Z. this This is because it was not only destructive to the society’s culture, economy,
and politics, it did also have a lasting impact on the society. Most of the accounts narrated
Comment [t2]: ital
in World War Z have serious consequences, and they resulted into complete destruction
of societies. That is what happened in China and that is why it has taken so long to outdo
the damage that was caused. The Chinese government continues distract the citizens as it
is indicated in World War Z (Brooks 11). Indeed, the Communist Party of China
government should admit their wrong doings and have the courage to face their failure in
Cultural Revolution. By so doing, the entire Chinese society would feel valued and
respected, and not just the leaders in government.
Good so far. I did not see your Clark source cited. Also, you MUST clarify your sources
in the Works Cited. Where did you find them? They seem to be all print sources…did
you get them in the Moraine library? I see you have many paraphrases and summaries,
but I did not see any long quotes or short quotes. You need one of each. You also need 3
“They Say, I Say” statements. See if you can revise for Tuesday.
Comment [t3]: ital
References
Brooks, M. World War Z: An oral history of the zombie war. New York: Broadway Books, 2013
Chong, W.L. China's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution: Master narratives and post-Mao
counter narratives. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002
Clark, P. The Chinese Cultural Revolution: A historyHistory. Cambridge, England: Cambridge
University Press, 2008
Dittmer, L. Liu Shaoqi and the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Armonk NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1998
Esherick, J., Pickowicz, P., and Walder, A.G. The Chinese cultural revolution as history. Palo
Alto, California: Stanford University Press, 2006
Feng, J. Ten years of madness: Oral histories of China's Cultural Revolution. Beijing: China
Books, 1996
Jiang, J. Burden or legacy: From the Chinese Cultural Revolution to contemporary art. Hong
Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2007
Lu, X. (2004). Rhetoric of the Chinese Cultural Revolution: The impact on Chinese thought,
culture, and communication. Columbia, SC: Univ of South Carolina Press, 2004
Yan, J. & Gao, G. Turbulent decade: A history of the Cultural Revolution. Honolulu: University
of Hawaii Press, 1996
Comment [t4]: Works Cited
Comment [t5]: capitalize
Harris, I have a problem with most of these sources. We discussed this in the library.
Are these print sources or web? You have not clarified. As presented, they appear to be print
sources, but I did not see you with any books in the library. Can you please let me know where
you got these sources?
