During the mid-1960s, China entered a disastrous period of brainwashing, cover-ups, and murder known simply as the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Shortly before, a time period known as the Great Leap Forward attempted to help China enter into the world stage. Instead, it led to a decline in agricultural production and mass starvation. As a result of its failed attempt at industrialization in the Great Leap Forward, the Chinese Cultural Revolution had both positive and negative effects on China as it led to attacks on intellectuals and China’s ancient traditions while creating reforms for women.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution, a drastic shift from traditional Chinese culture, would not have started without its leader Mao Zedong. With his strong belief in Marxism and Socialism, dedication to the Chinese Communist Party, and willingness to lead, Mao Zedong ultimately sparked the revolution and its lasting effects. Growing up with farmers as parents, Mao sympathized with the peasants in his town and later became influenced by them when studying and following Marxism and Socialism later on in life (Gay 26). He believed that peasants and farmers, China’s largest population, would overthrow wealthy landlords and nobles in a Proletariat Revolution. After studying to become a history teacher, he joined the First Congress of the Chinese Communist Party. However, in 1934, Mao embarked on the “Long March North”, a 6,000 mile journey into northern China. Fighting along with the other members of the Communist Party, he battled against Chinese nationalists that wanted to preserve ancient Chinese traditions (“Mao Zedong”, Historic). He also promoted himself into the position of Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party on the trek. In the end, only 8,000 of the original 90,000 members of the revolutionary army survived. Mao emerged as a survivor, leading the unified army with his organization and intelligence. Many of his soldiers looked up to their leader as god-like because of his survival in dangerous and deadly conflicts (“Mao Zedong”, Cold War). Following World War II, the Red Army led by Mao prepared to fight their nationalist enemies. Although the nationalists had advanced weapons and American support, the Red Army emerged victorious with their large peasant base and Mao’s experience with war. After their victory, Mao declared the People’s Republic of China (“Mao Zedong”, Historic). Now Mao has reached the top and can now start his visions for New China.
Shortly after Mao took control, he seized the opportunity to enter China into the world stage by increasing agriculture and steel production in a period known as the Great Leap Forward. The Great Leap Forward aimed to help China’s economy and agriculture, but ultimately ended up leaving millions starving and China’s economy failing. In 1958, the Chinese government announced goals for China’s economy for the next 5 years, similar to Stalin’s 5-Year Plan. In his plan, Mao described moving peasants into communes, large farming areas run by a groups of families, and creating more steel-producing factories (“China’s Cultural Revolution”). Peasants and farm workers would use cast-iron skillets, scrap metal, and other items containing iron to double China’s steel production in a year. They would melt down these items in large furnaces hoping to create steel that could be used when building new structures. However, due to the lack of experience behind the steel process, the products of the furnaces mostly turned brittle and useless (Gay 67). As people focused on steel making and industrial production, they put less effort into China’s agriculture and started the decline of the Great Leap Forward. Around twenty to forty families were moved into communes and shared the responsibility of a farm. The Chinese government demanded a certain amount of food produced by the commune, so many of these groups would exaggerate totals to avoid punishments. Additionally, unqualified government leaders would give harmful orders to the communes. For instance, the Chinese government told farmers to kill sparrows as they were believed to ruin crops. However, sparrows eliminated bugs that ate crops, so the mass killing of these helpful birds later led to massive crop failure and damage (Gay 66). The combination of inexperienced government officials and farmers, exaggeration of crop turnout, and production of useless steel led to the downfall of the Great Leap Forward and into the Great Chinese Famine. As many as 20 million people perished as a result of starvation and lack of proper nutrition. After the destruction of China’s economy and the starvation of its people, Mao Zedong was the first one to be blamed. However, Mao quickly initiated a Cultural Revolution to eliminate his enemies using murder, intimidation, and destruction of foreign goods.
After the disastrous Great Leap Forward, Mao started the Cultural Revolution to cover up China’s past failures and erase all of China’s ancient history by introducing a completely new culture. To completely eliminate his political enemies, Mao quickly gained the trust of China’s peasants, farmers, and youth through the use of manipulation and threats. Many schools were shut down, with its students receiving a copy of Mao’s Little Red Book. In the book, Mao discussed his ideas for the Communist Party in China. Many of these children worked for the Red Guard, an army-like group that found opposers to Mao’s theories (“Mao Zedong”, Cold War). One influential teaching of Mao was called the Four Olds, identifying the harmful aspects of ancient Chinese traditions. The Four Olds included old culture, old customs, old ideas, and old habits. This list helped Mao’s cause by eliminating all opponents to his ideas. Students of Mao would reject anything that went against the Four Olds to further the Chinese Communist cause. Not only was traditional culture banned, Mao targeted specific groups of people with accusations of plotting against the government. These groups included intellectuals, teachers, and former party officials. After being publicly humiliated by the Red Guard, many targets would be forced into a “reeducation” camp in the countryside. There they would be tortured, sent to political reeducation classes, and subjected to hard labor (“China’s Cultural Revolution”). Many of these prisoners never returned to their towns alive or with the same political beliefs. Despite the inmates’ brainwashing at the camps and silencing in their towns, not all of the Chinese Cultural Revolution hurt the Chinese people.
Although some groups were forcefully silenced, many Chinese women gained equality as a result of the Cultural Revolution. One improvement of women’s rights in China started in land ownership shared by both men and women. In his Agrarian Reform Law, Mao stated that women would be able to own any land they help to farm. Additionally, they would be able to control the buying and selling of land (Gay 86). Land was taken from rich landlords and distributed among the peasants (Chan, Hoklam, and McKnight). Another advance in women’s rights came with the passage of the Marriage Reform Law. In this new law, Mao prevented the use of arranged marriage, polygamy, foot binding, and concubines by families. These beliefs had been ancient Chinese traditions, so to ban them meant a drastic change in Chinese culture. The most important result of this act was the equality of power between both members of a marriage. Mao changed the belief that men should be the leader of the household (Gay 86). To achieve the full support of women, Mao used propaganda showing powerful and successful women. Many posters would show them in farms harvesting large numbers of crops or with guns serving in the military. Mao’s exaggerated use of propaganda empowered women and made them believe that he would provide a better life for them.
The Chinese Cultural Revolution left China with a failing economy, food source, and government, leading to a capitalist reforms. In 1969, Mao named his successor, Lin Biao, to become Chairman after his death. However, Biao had connections to the Chinese people and military during his position as defense minister, making Mao fear for his power. Ultimately, Biao “mysteriously” died in a plane crash in 1971 (“China’s Cultural Revolution”). After Biao’s death, Mao’s health started to decline, leaving his third wife Jian Qing in charge of the country. She also led a group known as the Gang of Four comprised of Wang Hongwen, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan, and herself. Throughout the revolution, the Gang of Four had helped to spread propaganda and implement Mao’s teachings. However, after Mao’s death, the Gang of Four were put on trial for their crimes during the Revolution and received punishments ranging from 20 years to life in prison (Britannica). Another political party member hoping to succeed Mao was Deng Xiaoping. Although he was a victim of government purges, he was eventually forgiven for his wrongdoings and even climbed back to power. Despite the fact that he was a member of the Communist Party, he supported Western nations and limited capitalist reforms to the economy (“Cultural Revolution”). After becoming vice-chairman in 1977, Deng implemented his ideas of investments in agriculture and industry to create a modern China. During the next year, he created the Four Modernizations that would be reform the economy to improve China’s global standings; the list would help agriculture, industry, the military, and the sciences (Gay 118). Deng helped to infuse limited capitalism into China’s socialist policy. He was open to trading and talking with Western nations unlike Mao, and even met with President Jimmy Carter on one trip to the United States. Mao’s vision of a nationalist China made its citizens starve and live in poverty, but Deng’s vision of socialism combined with foreign trade helped to improve China’s standard of living.
On the whole, China’s Cultural Revolution had a negative impact on its citizens, economy, and world standings. Because of the persecution of intellectuals, teachers, and former party officials, the children of China did not receive a proper education. This effect grew larger as this generation did not have the knowledge to grow and develop new technologies. Additionally, Chinese children learned not to trust anyone; since they grew up in a culture where anyone could be accused and punished for their actions, they learned to think for themselves and not for the good of others. Even though Deng Xiaoping went through a reeducation camp, he ultimately turned against Mao’s teachings once he took power. This turning point in history ended with more negative than positive effects, as it led to the death of millions, the loss of intellectuals, and the destruction of a proper education for a generation.