the great leap forward and the split in the yan’an leadership , 1958- 1965
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The Great Leap Forward and the split in the Yan’an Leadership , 1958- 1965. Lucía Arce and Karla Rico. The Seven Thousand Cadres Conference ( January-February 1962). Intended to review methods of leaderships and sum up the situation after the GLF. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
The Great Leap Forward and the split in the Yan’an Leadership, 1958- 1965Lucía Arce and Karla Rico
The Seven Thousand Cadres Conference (January-February 1962)
Intended to review methods of leaderships and sum up the situation after the GLF.
Led by Liu Shaoqui who made a key report and several other speeches
Clashes in the Conference
Mao Zedung
He thought things were returning to normal
Supported by Zhou Enlai and Lin Biao who delivered a positive assesment of the GLF.
Liu Shaoqui
Blamed trouble on the party center and urged for the party to stop purges.
Thought the economy was in crisis and it would still take a long time to put it back on shape
Deng Xiao Ping, Chen Yun and Peng Zhen were not sure on which side to take
Peng´s Uncertanties
He had his subordinates led by Deng Tuo investigate the real causes of the GLF.
Bad GLF strategy
Too many false reports
Conflictive directives
Ignored economic reality
Mao had been chairman since 1958 – It was largley his fault but this report was never shown in fear of Mao
Mao´s Failure?
Although it was personally recognized that Mao had commited some mistakes with the organization of the GLF. He was still seen as a sort of King Philosopher
Mao had conceptualized the revolution itself
No one had the courage to challenge his views on the current situation
Results from the Conference
The rehabilitation of some of the rightists (not Peng Dehuai)
Mao´s positive view on the current situation. (which was challenges shortly after the conference)
The need for a party rectification (didnt agree on how)
It marked the will for a fresh begininng but also reflected the fissures that had been suffered by the central party during the last three years.
What about the Economy?
Shortly after the conference was finished in February Chen Yun recieved the financial projection which included a 3 billion cut under current plans.
Yun prepared a plan which consisted of:
a) Significant down in production targets.
b) Increase of supplies of fish and soybeans (food security)
c) Machine building industry had to be held back
d) Decollectivisation
Xilou Conference
Chen´s plan was presented and circulated among the party memebers.
A smaller cometee was selected to discuss the plan.
Zhou Enlai took over the conference because Chen`s health was not well.
Results from the Xilou Conference
The ministry of Metallurgy refused and held out for a larger steel production target which would be the core of the new five year plan.
2 position arised:
A. Mao, Biao argued that China was recovering and it was the right time to follow a more socialist path therefore decollectivization was NOT an option.
B. Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiao Ping and Chen Yun thought a significant recovery time was necessary, to motivate people they had to use cultural activities, need for a more capitalist economy to feed the people and decollectivization.
The Beidaihe Conference (August 1962)
Resulted from the clashes that arised from the previous conference
Liu and his supporters tried to do what Yun had reported by opening operas and theaters, holding technology conferences
Mao attacked the ministry of finance stessing out China´s need for class struggle and made it clear that decollectivization would add on fuel to that fire. H e proposed a socialist education system. Of course he succeded.
The Tenth Plenum (september 1962)
Reveled all the contradictions from the Beidaihe Conference.
Mao accepted that he had turned around the meeting by making them all fear the class striggle which would anyway last for decades.
Liu confessed he had inclined to the right
Mao set up some boundries, no to descollectivization because he accepted the rest of the policies which would give support to the parts of society that were not to be trusted to avoid REVISIONISM.
The rise of Lin Biao
Minister of Defense since 1959
Wanted to: Consolidate position in PLA Solidify relationship with Mao
to enhance his power
• Revived Military Affairs Commission – put Mao in military
• Control (and sweep) over Ministry of Defense
• Mao Zedong Thought in military! (1960) – model for Party
• Enhanced role of PLA within the Party
• Abolished all military ranks
Took over Public Security Forces (vs. Luo Ruiqing)
1955: Bad international policies
Liu and Deng didn’t particularly believe Lin So Lin went for fawning over Mao: special prize of Mao’s
quotes! His policies! Harsh attack on Peng Dehuai! He’s a Marxist genius!
Luo Ruiqing Lin Biao
• Relieve tension through relations with USSR – Vietnam, anyone?
• USSR strategy at eve of WWII• Maximize output of heavy
industry - centralized
• Screw Vietnam• CCP strategy vs. Japan• Dispersal of industry, militia
and unconventional forces• Screw the USSR!• Let’s add Mao here for good
measure
• Lin ALWAYS defended Mao.• He also worked HARD to drive a wedge
between Mao and other party members• Lin was AMBITIOUS, not just a puppet. He
wanted to be Chairman! :O• ….except Mao wasn’t very excited by the idea.
In fact, he did consider Vietnam a threat, went with Lin Biao’s idea… but did not give it to Lin Biao but to Peng Dehuai.
Culture: Jiang Qing
Mao’s (4th & last) wife
Along with Lin Biao, coalition to form Cultural Revolution
Lin invited her to stage Literature and Arts Forum for the Army
Strong views on cultural policy
Since Yan’an, Mao promised to keep her at arm’s length politically
Working on culture since Yan’an
Informal political confidante
1959: appalled at ‘old’ play themes
1962: she convinced Mao
May, 1966: drafted policy towards culture, deputy director of the Central Cultural Revolution Group
Jiang Qing and Kang Sheng
Natural ties
Kang specialized in Marxism-Leninism
Sino-Soviet conflict, he was called upon
He argued novels and culture could have a criticism
Bridge between Jiang and other intellectuals
Jiang got scoffed at by Party intellectuals
Jiang kept cultural pressure on Mao
Constantly clashes with Party
Five-Man Group
Hai Rui dismissed from office
Ruthless aliance
Brought in people of ideas, but no organization
Finally, Jiang appointed as culture advisor to the army
Rectification New hierarchy of temporary organs to remedy a problem (1963)
Socialist Education Campaign: cleanse politics, economy, organization and ideology
Former 10 Points (Mao)
Later 10 Points (Deng and Peng)
Revised 10 Points (Liu)
Poor & middle peasant associations to supervise cadres…but they were disillusioned and corrupt
Stricter recruitment criteria for associationsPeasants unable to do the job! Urban-based teamsHigher levels > basic cadres
Mao disliked the lack of mobilization
Investigation by cadres, Liu and his wifePessimistic findings: corruption, opposition and counterrevolutionLarge work teams to communes (6 months)Deal with cadres5-6 years
Mao was pretty darn mad.• New target was corruption, not
revisionism!• Harsh penalties on cadres• Work teams instead of mobilizing massesMAO’S 23 ARTICLES (1965):• Educational effort on evils of revisionism
on Party• Removed Revised 10 Points• …only partial success
A changing man
Liu Shaoqi? EW.
Lin Biao? NAH.PENG ZHEN <3
• Mao distrustful of Party!
• …why?
The Soviet Union
Degeneration of Soviet System
Basically hated Khrushchev’s guts
Mao’s polemics
1963-4: Mao wrote nine polemics Critiqued USSR Issues where disagreement arose in CCP
However… Mao knew class struggle < struggle for production, but…
Huge fear of revisionist generations and ending like Stalin
The real Issue
Olympian-like role (1958), rise of others
Decline in power: Party Secretariat and 1962 decisions
GLF consequences
Mao’s ideas only kind of taken into account Bureaucratic Leviathan to contain him!
Mao’s conclusions Liou & co.’s conclusions
• Still mass mobilization (social)
• Decentralization for economy and education
• Art & health focused on countryside
• Mass mobilization doesn’t work EVER
• Policies in hands of experts… centralization
…he more or less succeeded Tiananmen square, today.
Still, the psychological and political stakes became so high he eventually launched a frontal assault on his lifetime love, the Party
So what caused the split in the Yan’an leadership?
1. Different lessons drawn from catastrophic consequences of GLF
2. The tensions arising from the succession of Mao (since 1958)
3. Growing fear of aging and death of the possibly increasingly senile leader
…all this lead to the EV(il)E OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION
Unhappy sources Much of the information comes from the polemical
literature form 1966-1967
The role of Zhou Enlai?
What about other members of leadership? Huge cult of Mao, but playing down preferences? Contradiction of Peng Zhen Liu and others were reasonable. What was up with Mao?
What about the public safety apparatus, and Mao’s private defense forces? Kang Sheng, Luo Ruiqing, Xie Fuzhi, Ministry of Public Security,
8341 Division