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The Cultural Revolution is the term defining the political events during the period from 1965 to 1976 in the history of the People’s Republic of China. This period is characterized by the extreme politicization of all dimensions of the urban life marked by the chaotic actions performed by the students and the representatives of the lower working class. The chaos in the political leadership of the country is one more characteristic feature of the period. The significant influence on the beginning of the Cultural Revolution was provoked by the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Mao Zedong, who attempted to consolidate the communist concepts and views as the official ideology of the state.
Although the bourgeoisie was already subverted, it still attempted to restore the Chinese society and win the hearts of people by exploiting old ideologies, old culture, characters, and customs. To confront the bourgeoisie, the proletariat needed to respond to all of its ideological calls through the development and dissemination of new proletariat ideas, new culture, and customs to transform the spiritual shape of the whole society.
The CCP had the purpose of smashing those who were in power and moved in the capitalist directions; criticizing the bourgeois authorities and ideologies; transforming education, literature, art, and those aspects of social life which didn’t match the economic basis of socialism. The achievement of these goals could contribute to the strengthening and evolution of the socialist system in China.
According to Yichang Wu, the phenomenon of the Cultural Revolution in China was primarily interrelated with the issues of the social class struggle (10). However, it is possible to assume that the main reason for the revolution to occur was the fight for political leadership. Mao Zedong put a lot of effort into the reorganization of the social structure in the country and reforming the ideological orientation. The fight with the ideas and figures opposing the views of the party was proactive, intense, and violent. There was a clear social division into those who were in support of the CCP and the “undesirable ones” (Wu 50).
After the Great Leap Forward fiasco, Mao’s position in the country reeled. Therefore, during the Cultural Revolution, his main objectives were the eradication of the opposition that had some ideas regarding the economy reformation and the provision of some occupation for masses. Mao Zedong put the blame for the failure of the Great Leap Forward on the inner-party opposition and the external enemies (the USSR), and, in this way, he both removed the political rivals and gave vent to the people’s discontent.
The ideological cleansings frequently took place in the upper echelons of power. Nevertheless, when Mao started to feel danger and political vulnerability, the renewal of the CCP became of mass proportions. The specific feature of the CCP purges was in the fact that they were conducted within the frames of the different ideological campaigns.
The application of Mao’s class theory in practice led to a real war of everybody against everybody. Any person from the average peasant to the upper-class party worker could get under the demagogic and vague definitions of the class enemies of the proletariat introduced by Mao. The power given into the hands of masses turned into anarchy. The power was conferred to the Red Guards who ultimately were allowed acting with impunity. Cultural and scientific activities became paralyzed, and their development stopped. The enlightenment and educational reforms took place on a large national scale.
The state’s control over society had almost been eliminated. The law enforcement and judicial systems stayed dormant. As a result, the Red Guards were given the total freedom of action that resulted in chaos. Initially, the Red Army was under Mao’s control. Many of the Red Guards were the children from dysfunctional families; they were uneducated and accustomed to violence since childhood. It made them a perfect weapon in the hands of Mao Zedong. During the Revolution’s development, the army had divided into black and red divisions according to the origins of social class belonging. In this way, the class struggle and opposition continued.
The Cultural Revolution driven by Mao Zedong was one of the most significant events in China in the 20th century. The Revolution was large-scale and involved the members of all the social classes. Although it may seem that the events were inevitable and historically determined, the violent and immoral revolutionary manifestations and events raise a great variety of ethical questions. The politics are inseparably connected with domination and social injustice. In the case of the Cultural Revolution, it is possible to observe how the ideologies and the fight for political domination may be misleading and come to the controversial results.
The history of the 20th century in China is characterized by unlimited and uncontrolled violence, and the undertaken measures cannot be considered the progressive phenomena in both political and social contexts. The Cultural Revolution brought multiple calamities to the party, the state, and the Chinese nation; and these historical events provide an important lesson that should be taken into consideration for the further sound development of the global society.
Works Cited
Wu, Yichang. The Cultural Revolution at the Margins: Chinese Socialism in Crisis, London, UK: Harvard University Press, 2014. Print.
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