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OCR A-level history; China and it's rulers
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Notes and example essays for the China and it's rulers unit of OCR A-level history :)
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● The Cultural Revolution commenced officially in May 1966 when Mao announced a partypurge led by the CCRG. The notable event drawing attention was a mass rally in Tiananmen
Square in August. Under Mao's direction, Lin Biao organised students in a campaign
criticising the education system. Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi sent work teams to contain
the unrest.
● Despite Zhou Enlai's efforts to maintain peace, violence escalated. Mao returned in July 1966
with a staged spectacle of swimming across the Yangtze River. In August, a CCP Central
Committee meeting saw the downgrading of Liu Shaoqi and the elevation of Lin Biao.
August Rally, 1966
● On August 18th, over a million, mostly young people, gathered in Tiananmen Square, waving
Little Red Books and expressing adoration for Mao. The Red Guards, fueled by Lin Biao's
speech, targeted the "four olds": old ideas, culture, customs, and habits.
Mao's Motivations
● Mao aimed to reassert control, preserve power, erase the Great Leap Forward's failure, mould
Chinese society permanently, counter Soviet influences, and maintain a peasant-centric
revolution. His concept of "permanent revolution" aimed to prevent party bureaucracy and
renew revolutionary spirit.
Testing the Young and Undermining Bureaucrats
● Mao believed younger party members needed testing in the revolutionary struggle. He sought
to undermine bureaucratic elements and intellectuals, preserving the revolution as a peasant
movement.
Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi's Fate
● In August 1966, Deng and Liu were accused of deviating from Maoist thought and adopting a
bourgeois reactionary line. They were publicly denounced, physically attacked, and faced
brutal "struggle sessions." Liu died in 1973 in solitary confinement, while Deng suffered public
humiliation and corrective labour.
Influence of Lin Biao, Jiang Quing, and Kang Sheng
● Lin Biao and Jiang Quing, aided by Kang Sheng, gained influence, leading purges that
continued to decimate the CCP's upper echelons throughout 1966 and 1967
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