The 20th century was a dark period for many different people, like WWI and II, which killed around 100 million people, or the Cold war, which killed 7 million people. But one dark period of time which was intended to boost communism ended up killing over 32 million people in just 14 years. The Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, which were a very dark period for the Chinese. This period was intended to inspire people and encourage that communism was better than capitalism and western ‘filth’, but this proved to be one of the worst periods of time in China’s history.
What Happened in The Great Leap Forward?
Mao Zedong, China’s leader in those times, believed strongly in communism and he was convinced that if people were organised, they could achieve huge goals. He was also ambitious that China could become an industrial superpower and prove that communism was better than capitalism and that he was just as good as the Western countries. He also had different styles of leadership, often encouraging generals to show enthusiasm and pride in the communism way and belief. Although it sounded good on paper, it often led to exaggerated answers and inaccurate results that didn’t match. But because of his leadership that was otherwise good, he had little opposition in the 1950s, which led him to start his next great scheme, the Great Leap Forward.
His great idea was to get millions of farmers to work in large farms were land, tools and food were shared. Large numbers of people were forced into groups and were expected to push out lots of food. The government also set high standards, often unachievable for the rates that the farmers pushed out. By 1958, Mao’s Great Leap Forward had started, but it took a terrible toll from the start. Points were used in the communes to distribute the food and if you had more points, you had more food. This system was sometimes unfair though because the village officials could abuse it to get more food for themselves. This broken management helped the famine grow and spread like crazy. Because of the poor planning and the forced labour policies, the food started reducing instead of growing.
Village officials often stretched the results to make the government happy, so they took more than they should have to keep the government pleased, so there was even less food. With even less food, many starved to death and had to eat anything they could find, even bugs, grass and tree bark just to survive a little bit longer. Things were horrible, and the government couldn’t do much about it because they were spending lots of money on useless projects, like backyard furnaces to boost steel production. They also encouraged new farming methods that were untested, which decreased yields even more. This all combined led to a serious famine that killed 30 million people. For many years even after the Great Leap Forward, there was a deep impact on people. In the end, it caused immense human suffering, a disturbed economy and seriously undermined society’s confidence in Mao.
The Chill Period: 1962-1966
In 1962, the Great Leap Forward officially ended, but the famine still lingered for a few months. Mao’s leadership skills were doubted, and senior leaders like Deng Xiaoping and Li Shaoqi took over some control of the party. Farmers were allowed to have their private land again and life was starting to come back to the villages. Small-scale industries were re-established so there were more ways to make money in these faithful few years. Although the economy was still in ruins, the country started over and food was distributed evenly, which helped the country to stabilize economically. Although Mao’s power started to decline, he still had power over the Communist Party and the military. But when these new leaders started using practical and ‘Western’ solutions, Mao started to doubt their commitment to the communist way, and he started to criticize the way they did things. Between 1962 and 1966, he started to gain followers and worked to regain his political dominance among the youth, the military and the elements that made up the powers of China. This period of time also saw the rise of the Red Guards, Mao’s young followers and the propaganda campaigns that saw the rise of the Cultural Revolution.
The Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution is often regarded as one of the worst events in Chinese history because of its deep impact on the culture and the thoughts that the people had. The Cultural Revolution officially started in 1966 when Mao was concerned that the Communist Party was drifting away from his idea of a superpower China and diverting to more ‘Capitalist’ or ‘Western” ideas. To direct the party back into its rightful place, Mao started a campaign to reassert his authority and direct his country back to the ideal position. He turned to the remaining Chinese population, especially teens and young people, and told them to rise up and defend the Communist way from Western ideas. Students across the country formed groups called Red Guards, and they became the force that moved the Cultural Revolution.
Mao used slogans to inspire the Red Guards, like ‘Destroy the Four Olds’ and ‘Bombard the Headquarters — My Big-Character Poster!’. Mao also wanted to get rid of the 4 Olds, the Old Ideas, Old Culture, Old Customs, and Old Habits. He also put up large, handwritten posters that used large Chinese characters to attract attention. They were used to accuse and criticize people like teachers, classmates or officials, spread political ideas, show loyalty to Mao or encourage students to join the Red Guards. In the first few years of the Cultural Revolution when the Red Guards were most active, they were sent to challenge anyone that could be seen as a threat, like teachers, principals and immigrants that could spread ideas or harm the Communist Belief. Teachers were the main target in these years, and many went on to be killed, be led to suicide or be sent to labour camps. As a result, teachers and principals were often dragged out of lessons and publicly shamed, accused and insulted by the Red Guards in front of students and colleagues. They lost their statues and were no longer allowed to teach, and many were physically harmed by the Red Guards. Schools remained closed for 10 years until the end of the revolution, which meant many students lost their education and could only work with the Red Guards or projects that were funded by Mao.
In the later years, they were sent to the countryside to be re-educated by the peasants and to do manual labour to help their country. Shop-owners were also targeted if they remained private and followed Capitalist ideas. Many small business owners were seen as suspicious and were also denounced in front of the community, like teachers. Most shops were shut down by the state, and many shop-owners had to take lower paying jobs elsewhere to survive. Many were harmed by the Red Guards and were sometimes killed in public if they retaliated. Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong, or The Little Red Book was also another tool used in the Cultural Revolution. It was a vibrant red book, that was small and easy to carry. It was a symbol of being devoted to Mao, and Red Guards followed it like a Bible. It was filled with slogans and explanations that anyone should follow to uphold the Communist Belief. In the Cultural Revolution, it was mandatory to carry this book everywhere. Students studied it in groups, and people publicly quoted slogans to prove their dedication to the Cultural Revolution and to Mao.
Quoting from it correctly could save a life, but quoting incorrectly could kill someone. Many things went wrong in the Cultural Revolution, mainly because it combined mass mobilisation, ideological fanaticism and unchecked power to people who were unsuited. The Red Guards were given too much freedom, and they attacked teachers, officials and even their own family if they suspected they weren’t loyal to Mao. Factories were forced to close down, and production slowed down by a lot. Millions were persecuted simply because of their social background and the perceived political stance. Because of this, many innocent people were killed or sent to labour camps. Many families were torn apart when kids denounced their parents, and fully accepted Mao and fear was spread throughout the country.
Many were beaten, killed or imprisoned. Because schools and universities were closed, many people lost their education. Factories and businesses were shut down because nobody could help to run them, and the economy went into a tragic decline. Efforts to re-educate people helped the decrease because the farmwork took away Red Guards from their productive work. There was also a lot of destruction, as the Red Guards charged against the Four Olds. Many old temples, artefacts and cultural items were destroyed in this period of time. Centuries of Chinese heritage was instantly lost, and this left deep scars on society. This movement also ignored reason, evidence and human life to follow Mao blindly. Quoting from the Red Book was often more important than solving problems. This created a culture of fear and obedience instead of progress. When it finally finished in 1976, when Mao had died and the Gang of Four were arrested, China was left socially, economically and politically broken, and trust in Communism was seriously damaged. Even later, the Government admitted it was a serious mistake that shouldn’t be attempted again.
After
Mao officially died on September 9, 19766, marking the end of an era of terror and wrongdoing. China had entered a period of political transition and reflection. The most immediate thing was who should be the leader, which Hua Guofeng, Mao’s chosen Succesor filled, but was later taken over by Deng Xiaopeng. One of the things that happened after the Revolution ended was the arrest of the Gang of Four. The Gang of Four was led by Jiang Qing, or Mao’s wife. The Gang of Four consisted of Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan and Wang Hongwen. They were arrested because of their harsh rules and policies. After a few weeks, China began to recover economically, and schools were reopened to the public and students were allowed to finish their education. The Red Guards were disbanded, and after the Gang of Four’s arrest, they had no funding for activities. The industry, which was neglected in the Cultural Revolution, was reorganised and started up again. Forced Labour was disbanded and pay was increased. May rules were let go of and there was more freedom. Farmers were allowed to work on their private lands, and shop owners were allowed to open up their businesses again. While Mao was still credited for creating the People’s Republic of China, many of his campaigns were described as accidents and grave mistakes. Socially, Cina faced a difficulty of rebuilding bonds with communities and families, and many were still torn apart. This period of transition was built on the promise to rebuild after a terrible period of time, and Mao’s death symbolised the beginning of healing.
In the end, China was left destroyed and broken, and these two events symbolise the devastating effect of radical policies imposed without regard for practical realities and human costs. The Great Leap Forward was supposed to China into a competitor to the West and to show Communism could be just as good as Capitalism. It was aimed to rapidly advance China and to make it a bigger and better nation. But it ended with a famine, 30 million dead and economic collapse. While we thought China may have learnt a lesson, Mao tried a new campaign that in some ways was even worse. The Cultural Revolution was supposed to strike Capitalism and Western ideas and find purity in Communism, but it ended in chaos. But now, China has rebuilt into one of the biggest economies the world has ever seen.
By: Bhavik DORANALA
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