the cultural revolution
"The goal was to construct a strong China." -Former Government Worker
"In addition to stability and unity, we must maintain liveliness … when liveliness clashes with stability and unity, we can never pursue the former at the expense of the latter. The experience of the Cultural Revolution has already proved that chaos leads only to retrogression, not to progress …" -Deng Xiaoping, making a speech ("The Present Situation and the Tasks Before Us") on January 16th, 1980
".......Its aim is to overthrow through struggle the small handful of persons within the Party who are in authority who have taken the capitalist road, to sweep away all ghosts and monsters in our society., and to break the old ideas, culture, customs and habits of the exploiting classes ....... and develop the socialist system."
-Lin Biao, (Defense Minister) Speech at Celebration Rally on October 1, 1966
"...Mao started the Cultural Revolution in 1966 by asking young Red Guards to go against his Political Army to regain his authority. And those young Red Guards started this so called Revolution by not attending school and just reading Mao's book. The Red Guards could be as young as their low teens. Those Red Guards traveled across the country to carry out their Revolution. Those who objected Mao's revolution, those thought to be taking on the Capitalist Road, intellectuals and scholars, were either tortured and killed, humiliated and committed suicide, jailed, or sent to labor camps to die. They burned very valuable and old items-The 4 Olds: Old ideas, culture, customs, and habits. China was sent into chaos, by these Red Guards."
-Wei Tong, Student Interview, on Red Guards. "Food is central to Chinese life. But during the Cultural Revolution, it became even more important. You couldn't discuss politics. Religion, literature, even romantic love were forbidden. Food was about the only way people had left to express themselves."
~ Guo Yue, Musician born in the Great Leap period |
"Chairman Mao has defined our future as an armed revolutionary youth organization...So if Chairman Mao is our Red-Commander-in-Chief and we are his Red soldiers, who can stop us? First we will make China red from inside out and then we will help the working people of other countries make the world red...And then the whole universe." -A Red Guard Leader
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"Mao had finally realized the harm and instabilities the Red Guards were causing to China. Industrialized production had dropped 12% from pre-Cultural Revolution times, in 1966 and the actions and violence of the Red Guards had threatened China's relations with the Soviet Union. Finally, Mao decided it was time to abolish these violent Red Guards, dispersed them all over the country and controlled them with the army." -Houwen Ma, Student Interview
"The Gang of Four consisted of Mao's wife: Jiang Qing, and 3 others: Zhang Chunqiao, Wang Hongwen, and Yao Wenyan. They wanted to overthrow leaders like Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi. They controlled four areas: intellectual education, basic theories in science and technology, teacher-student relations and school discipline, and party policies regarding intellectuals. After the Cultural Revolution declined in popularity, through Mao's support, they maintained their power through the media and propaganda outlets. After Mao's death and the end of the Cultural Revolution, on September 9th 1976, the Gang of Four were tried in court, for sedition, trying to overthrow the government, the death of around 35,000 people, the persecution of leaders, and even plotting to murder Mao himself! They were all found guilty and were jailed." -Houwen Ma, Student Interview
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"Smash the Gang of Four." -Chinese Slogan
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RESULTS OF TRIAL:
Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao:
Death Sentences-later reduced to life-imprisonment
Wang Hongwen: life-imprisonment
Yao Wenyan: 20-years imprisonment
Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao:
Death Sentences-later reduced to life-imprisonment
Wang Hongwen: life-imprisonment
Yao Wenyan: 20-years imprisonment