The tumultuous decade of the Seventies in China develops from a suppressive phase determined by the Cultural Revolution and the principles of communist dictatorship to its first unexpected opening to the West with Nixon’s visit to China in 1972. We will follow China’s history from the death of Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai in 1976, through the turmoil following the arrest of the Gang of Four in October 1976, the reform course of Deng Xiaoping beginning in 1978, the democracy movement, to the deep structural economic reforms with the “open door” policy in 1980.
The Seventies began in China in the dark era of the Cultural Revolution. Mao, despite his position of being the godlike Supreme Leader of China, became aware in the mid Sixties that the pragmatists in the Communist Party were actually running the country. Under the pragmatists, China finally showed improvement in living standards, a more relaxed lifestyle, and greater literary and artistic freedom. But Mao saw exactly this as a threat to his own person and resented the successful party officials up to the leaders in his immediate vicinity. He regarded himself as a Stalin figure. In 1956 Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev had denounced Stalin. Mao decided to make a preemptive strike and destroy the man he regarded as “China’s Khrushchev”, Liu Shaoqi, as well as Liu’s colleague Deng Xiaoping, as well as their followers in the party. Because they were numerous, he came up with a diabolical plan of turning the Chinese against each other in an unprecedented mass campaign of denunciation. Mao appealed to lower officials o criticize and denounce their superiors for betraying the revolution, students to criticize their teachers and professors, workers their supervisors, neighbors their neighbors and young people their elders. One billion people were turned upside down, looking for “counterrevolutionary” tendencies in each other. This he deceptively termed the “Cultural Revolution”. For the “culture” part, Mao involved his wife Jiang Qing. Mao accepted his wife’s former career as an actress in Shanghai as a as sufficient base for overseeing China’s intellectual and artistic life.
Table of Contents
I. Paranoia and Isolation: The Cultural Revolution 1966 - 1976
II. The Death of the Two Communist Leaders Mao and Zhou Enlai in 1976
The Last Perfect Revolutionary Zhou Enlai
The Tiananmen Incident in April 1976
The “Helmsman” Leaves the Ship: Death of a Dictator
III. The Gang of Four and the Role of Mao’s Widow
The Power Struggle of the Four
The Evil Woman: Jiang Qing
IV. The New Leader Deng Xiaoping and China’s Way to Reform
Bridging Old and New: Hua Guofeng, 1976 to 1978
The Architect of China’s Reform Course Deng Xiaoping
V. The Nixon Visit and China’s Opening to the World
VI. “Socialism Does Not Mean Shared Poverty”. The Emerging Economical Superpower
Objectives and Core Topics
The work examines the transformation of China during the 1970s, specifically the transition from the repressive era of the Cultural Revolution to the implementation of structural economic reforms and the country's re-emergence into the global political landscape.
- Analysis of the political turmoil during the late Cultural Revolution and the power struggles following Mao Zedong's death.
- Examination of the leadership roles and historical legacies of Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and Deng Xiaoping.
- Investigation of China's shifting foreign policy, highlighted by the rapprochement with the United States in 1972.
- Evaluation of the economic transition from strict communist central planning to the pragmatic "open door" policy.
Excerpt from the Book
The “Helmsman” Leaves the Ship: Death of a Dictator
Jung Chang, the author of “Wild Swans” attended class at the university of Chengdu on the afternoon of September 9th, 1976. A loudspeaker announced that they all had to assemble in the courtyard to listen to an important broadcast at three o’clock. There the party secretary took up a position in front of the assembly. She looked at the students sadly and choked out the words: “Our great Leader Chairman Mao, His Venerable Reverence has….” Suddenly, Jung Chang realized that Mao was dead. The news filled her with such a euphoria that she was numb. When she recognized that an orgy of weeping was going on around her, she came up with a suitable performance, buried her head on the shoulder of the woman in front of her and heaved appropriately.
The feelings of the Chinese were mixed on this September day. Relief was mixed with anxiety of what comes next. Certainly there was also grief, but after ten years of the Cultural Revolution, most Chinese were exhausted and disillusioned. Weeping and mourning was for many just another programmed act in their controlled lives.
Summary of Chapters
I. Paranoia and Isolation: The Cultural Revolution 1966 - 1976: This chapter details the origins and impact of the Cultural Revolution, focusing on Mao Zedong's mass campaigns of denunciation and the resulting social destruction.
II. The Death of the Two Communist Leaders Mao and Zhou Enlai in 1976: This section covers the passing of key figures, the public unrest exemplified by the Tiananmen Incident, and the shifts in leadership and national mood.
III. The Gang of Four and the Role of Mao’s Widow: This chapter analyzes the power struggle between the radical "Gang of Four" and other political factions, culminating in their arrest after Mao's death.
IV. The New Leader Deng Xiaoping and China’s Way to Reform: This part focuses on the transition under Hua Guofeng and the subsequent rise of Deng Xiaoping as the primary architect of China's modernization.
V. The Nixon Visit and China’s Opening to the World: This chapter explores the historic diplomatic outreach to the United States and the strategic motivations behind ending China's isolation.
VI. “Socialism Does Not Mean Shared Poverty”. The Emerging Economical Superpower: The final chapter discusses the shift toward market-oriented economic reforms and the environmental and social challenges facing the newly modernized China.
Keywords
Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Zhou Enlai, Gang of Four, Tiananmen Incident, Open Door Policy, Four Modernizations, Communism, Market Economy, Sino-American relations, Cold War, Political Reform, Jiang Qing, Modernization.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
This work provides an overview of Chinese history in the 1970s, tracking the transition from Maoist isolation to the structural economic reforms of the Deng era.
What are the central themes discussed?
The text centers on political transition, the consequences of the Cultural Revolution, power dynamics within the Communist Party, and the shift toward economic opening.
What is the central research question?
The work explores how China transitioned from a period of severe ideological repression and isolationism to becoming an emerging global economic power through pragmatic reform.
Which historical methodology is applied?
The text employs a descriptive historical analysis, utilizing primary source accounts, individual biographies, and political summaries to explain the decade's developments.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The content includes a detailed look at the Cultural Revolution, the 1976 power struggles, the diplomatic opening to the West, and the initiation of the "Four Modernizations."
Which keywords best characterize the study?
Cultural Revolution, Deng Xiaoping, market-oriented reforms, Sino-American relations, and the Gang of Four.
How does the author characterize the role of Zhou Enlai?
Zhou Enlai is portrayed as a cosmopolitan, pragmatic leader who acted as a stabilizing force during the chaos of the Cultural Revolution and paved the way for Deng's reforms.
What is the significance of the "Gang of Four" mentioned in the text?
They are described as radical hardliners whose arrest in 1976 marked the definitive end of the Cultural Revolution and the beginning of a move toward more moderate governance.
How is the relationship between the CCP and the economy described in the late 70s?
The text describes a pragmatic shift where socialist ideological constraints were loosened to allow for market forces and private enterprise to drive economic growth.
- Citation du texte
- Dr.phil. Irmtraud Eve Burianek (Auteur), 2009, China in the 1970s - From Cultural Revolution to Emerging World Economy, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/127244
