Mao Cultural Revolution - 1863 Words

A. Plan of Investigation In 1966, Mao mobilized the Chinese youth to initiate the â€Å"Cultural Revolution†, a violent process eliminating old Chinese culture, customs, thoughts and habits, purging â€Å"counter-revolutionary† party members, and heightening Mao’s personality cult. I will summarize evidence collected from textbooks, official documents, biographies and eyewitness reports about the events between 1959 and 1966. I will describe the failure of the Great Leap Forward, Mao’s resignation as president, his power struggle with Liu Shoaqi and Deng Xiaoping and the propagating of his personality cult. Then I will identify how these events may have given Mao reasons for launching the Cultural Revolution, and whether his motives were of†¦show more content†¦The people’s faith in the government was partially restored; Liu’s and Deng’s popularity grew. Furthermore, at the Conference of 7000 in 1964, instead of supporting Mao, Liu gave a speech suggesting that the CCP was to blame for the economic failures and forced Mao into some† half-hearted self-criticism† In October 1964, Khrushchev was sacked. In Nov 1964, the Russian defence minister said to a Chinese delegation â€Å"We got rid of our fool, Khrushchev, now you get rid of yours, Mao.† 2. Establishment of the personality cult Mao’s lack of public appearances after 1958 had damaged his image and his authority. Since 1963, the â€Å"Little Red book† (â€Å"Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung†), compiling Mao’s statements on his views and ideology, had been a standard Chinese text, and his personality cult was systematically fostered by Lin Biao , his faithful Minister of Defence, using various forms of propaganda and giving him popular titles such as â€Å"The red sun rising in the East† . Mao re-entered public life on 16 July 1966 with an appearance of him swimming in the Yangtze River, to promote his strength. He frenzied the admiration of the Chinese youth, which he was hoping to mobilize for revolutionary purposes. 3. The launch and effects of the Cultural Revolution On May 16, 1966, the CCP announced the start of the â€Å"Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution† which called for a destruction of the old, bourgeois Chinese culture,Show MoreRelatedThe Cultural Revolution : Mao Zedong1734 Words   |  7 PagesThe Cultural Revolution, launched by Chairman Mao Zedong in the mid-1960s, dramatically transformed Chinese society. Paul Byrne (2012 p.80) suggests that as the Cultural Revolution continued to transform China, a cult of personality was built around Mao; anyone who questioned his wisdom was an enemy of the people. The Cultural Revolution was a period of time where anything capitalist or western was brutally destroyed. The Cultural Revolution aimed to destroy ‘The Four Olds’ these being, old ideasRead MoreMao Zedong And The Cultural Revolution1109 Words   |  5 PagesCultural Revolution Mao Zedong rose to power in 1949 founding the People’s Republic Of China. His plan the Great Leap Foward to make China on par with other powerful countries had failed miserably. After the failure of The Great Leap Forward, Mao Zedong’s positioning in the government had weakened. To regain total control over the government, Mao Zedong launched what was called the Cultural Revolution. There is no words for how The Cultural Revolution impacted China. This major event is viewed asRead MoreMao s The Cultural Revolution Essay2114 Words   |  9 Pagesrise of Mao as seen through such events, foreshadowed the official beginning of the Cultural Revolution in May 1966. 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