The Power Struggle after Mao

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The Power Struggle after Maos Death

• IB History of the Americas
• Paper 1 DBQ
• Communism in Crisis

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The struggle begins

• Following Lin Biaos death in 1971, the identity
  of the heir to Mao was unclear
• Furthermore, by 1974 it was obvious that changes
  would be happening soon, as both Mao and Zhou
  were very ill with cancer and Lou Gehrigs
  disease, respectively
• Multiple groups vied for power in the remaining
  years of Maos life, believing that the future of
  China would be settled by Maos chosen successor

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The Gang of Four

• Radical leftist group led by Jiang Qing
• Other members
• Yao Wenyuan- Chief Propagandist
• Zhang Chunqiao-Shangai official
• Wang Hongwen- union leader from Shangai
• Encouraged continuation of the Cultural
  Revolution, communes, youth relocations and
  political control of art
• Considered fear, coercion and violence necessary
• Criticized Western influences in an attempt to
  undermine other influential CCP members, like
  Zhou
• Mao was critical of the Gang at times, but did
  not do much to curtail them
• How much power did they really have?

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Zhang Chunqiao
Wang Hongwen
Yao Wenyuan
Jiang Qing
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The Pragmatists and Old Guard

• Represented by Deng Xiaoping
• Rehabilitated from exile in 1973 and named as
  vice-premier
• Supported by Zhou Enlai as well as veteran
  officials and cadres
• Believed a little capitalist reform and foreign
  aid could help China become a world power
• Dengs UN speech, 1974, self reliance in no way
  means self seclusion

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Deng and Zhou, 1963 Deng, 1975
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Hua Guofeng

• Hua was pretty much a dark horse, and had entered
  the public eye in 1975 at a National Conference
  where he praised many of Maos policies in a
  speech
• He also implied that a compromise between the two
  factions could be found by praising communes
  while supporting some more practical policies for
  growth

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1976 The End of an Era

• Zhou Enlai died in early 1976
• Though Mao was a bit aloof, the whole country
  went into deep mourning
• Many had viewed Zhou as a symbol of decency
• Dengs eulogy, which contained a section that
  could be interpreted as critical of Mao,
  unleashed new campaigns against him
• Also, Hua Guofeng was named as acting premier to
  replace Zhou-which infuriated the Gang of Four

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1976 The Qingming Festival

• In April, thousands descended on Beijing for an
  annual festival to honor the dead
• Wreaths, memorials, flowers, posters and signs
  that were dedicated to Zhou disappeared overnight
• On April 5th, the shocked crowd got unruly and
  violent protests began

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The Qingming Festival con.

• Numerous arrests were made after Mao determined
  the protests were counter-revolutionary
• This sudden, outpouring of emotion outside of
  government influence and control was a new
  phenomenon-one that worried the Gang of Four
• Deng was suspected of orchestrating the protests
  and the campaigns against him grew worse
• Deng was removed from all posts by Mao, though
  allowed to remain in the party itself, and went
  into hiding
• Hua continued to consolidate his power

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The Tangshan Earthquake

• One of the worst earthquakes ever recorded rocked
  China in July
• China declined foreign aid, and recovered from
  the disaster on its own
• Hua lauded the efforts as proof that the
  socialist system was the correct one, not the
  capitalist ones that Deng had invoked following
  the catastrophes of the GLF

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Traditions not so dead after all

• Interestingly though, according to traditional
  Chinese history, natural cataclysmic events
  signaled an upcoming shift in political power
• And sure enough, Mao died on September 9, barely
  6 weeks later, a fact that was surely noticed by
  the people of China

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The Death of Mao

• Maos death, while indeed a solemn occasion, did
  not elicit the same emotional outpouring that
  Zhous had (you cant show too much or too little
  grief)
• Both Hua and the members of the Gang of Four were
  very prominent during the multiple funeral
  functions

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With you in charge I am at ease

• After Maos death, Jiang Qing began to try to
  weaken Huas position
• Also, the Gang began to prepare for a coup in
  early October
• However, Hua had the posthumous support of Mao
  through his writings, and more importantly, the
  backing of the PLA

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The Gang Goes Down

• On October 6, Hua suddenly had the members of the
  Gang of Four arrested as they were readying for a
  party meeting (more info in your reading)
• They were blamed for a variety of crimes, ranging
  from factional attacks on Zhou to leading the
  young to oppose Marxism and slandering army
  veterans
• All four were expelled from the party and sent to
  prison to await trials, which began in 1981
• The Cultural Revolution was over

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Cartoon Analysis
Resolutely overthrow the anti-Party clique of
Wang, Zhang, Jiang and Yao!
Designer Lu Xun Art Academy (??????)1976,
October.
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Gang of Four at Trial
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The Struggle Intensifies

• In 1977 Deng, who had fled to the south the year
  before, was rehabilitated and reinstated to his
  senior positions
• Hua was not only premier, but also chairman of
  the Party and the Military Commission
• However, Hua had alienated many when he stated
  his policy known as the Two Whatevers
• Obey whatever Mao had said and ensure the
  continuation of whatever he had desired

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The Four Modernizations

• Some differences between Deng and Huas political
  and economic policies grew more apparent
  throughout 1977 and 1978
• Hua continued to champion communes while Deng
  hoped to incorporate foreign investment and
  technology
• However, both Deng and Hua wanted to improve
  Chinas economy in these four areas
• Agriculture
• Industry
• National Defense
• Science and Technology
• These four categories had been created by Deng
  and Zhou in the early 1970s

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The Fall of Hua Guofeng

• Despite Huas more impressive list of titles,
  ultimately Deng had more advantagessuch as?
• Political savvy and experience, PLA allies,
  support among Cul. Rev. survivors, organized, had
  a forward thinking vision
• Furthermore, Huas justification for power was
  based on Mao, which became unhelpful as Mao had
  begun to be mildly criticized in public after the
  arrest of the Gang of Four any other political
  liabilities?
• In 1978, Deng took control of the military from
  Hua and by 1980 had placed two protégés in other
  high ranking positions
• In 1980 Hua, recognizing defeat, resigned as
  premier

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1978 Third Plenum

• Turning point in the struggle between Deng and
  Hua
• The Party called for the rehabilitation of those
  who had been unfairly condemned during earlier
  purges
• 100,000 rightists releasedwill now support
  Deng
• Deng was placed in charge of the Peoples
  Political Consultative Conference
• Responsible for overseeing economic reforms as
  laid out in Huas Ten Year Plan
• The Party officially accepted the Four
  Modernizations as the basis for future
  development in China

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De-Maoization

• Deng did not think China could handle a huge
  attack on The Great Helmsman
• Instead he favored the drip effect
• Subtle undermining of Maos reputation over time
• 1981 Central Comm. Resolution declared that Mao
  had been 70 right and 30 wrong
• Thus Maos successes transcended his mistakes
• This allowed Deng the freedom to call for changes
  while still being loyal to Mao

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Chen Yun

• Had Chairman Mao died in 1956, there would have
  been no doubt that he was a great leader of the
  Chinese peopleHad he died in 1966, his
  meritorious achievements would have been somewhat
  tarnished, but his overall record was very good.
  Since he actually died in 1976, there is nothing
  we can do about it.
• -Chen Yun

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The Trial of the Gang of Four

• 1980-81
• Jiang was the only member who was totally defiant
  and spoke up against the charges
• I was Maos bitch. Whoever he told me to bite, I
  bit
• The guilty verdicts were another way for the
  party to admit Mao had allowed some horrific
  policies that had failed without blaming him fully

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You Tube Video

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vsQb2gPyysnI