The Succession of Mao and the End of Maoism 1969-82By Karla Rico and Diana Pichardo

Background

• The cultural revolution aimed to:

a) Change the nature of the chinese people.

b) Liberate the masses through class struggle directed against revisionists whithin the party.

c) Embrace Mao´s thought

d) After Mao, what?Mao chose Lin Biao in the Ninth Congress in 1969

The Militarization of the chinese Politics

• Lin Biao – Minister of Defence (PLA)• The participation of the PLA in the politburo increased from 19

to 45 %• Lin biao´s success meant the end of the cultural revolution –

people thought here we go again

1 Political control broke out

2 Economic Disaster

3 Force against force (militarization of upper levels)

4 Ambitious aristocrat aimed to rebel against the leaders to overthrow new dynasty

5 New dynasty

A QUICK LOOK AT HISTORY(Not quick at all)

After the defeat of the Qing Dynsty followed the unsuccessfull rise of Yuan Shakai

• China entered a warlord era in 1916- 28 because no one managed to retain control after the last dynsty.

• Sun Yat sen and Chiang Kai-Shek founded the Whoampoa Military Academy with Soviet advisors to support the KMT.

• 1925- Sun Yat sen dies and struggle for power is won byChiang Kai-Shek due to his military base.

• Chiang sets up the Nationalist goverment.

• The CCP was instructed by Soviet advisors to cooperate with the KMT in order to bring the end of the warlord era • Chiang managed to rule and turned against the CCP in 1927.• It was then clear to Mao the need of his own military force.• He remained being the chairmanship of the MAC • (Military affairs comssion)

• Gao Gang tried to become Maos successor in the 1950s and failed

• Lin Biao (previous supporter of Gang) now rose to the polituburo bringing with him 7 of the 10 PLA marshals.

• Another demonstration of the importance of the military was the Lushan Conference.

o Defence minister Peng de Huai challenged Maos GLFo He was purged and automatically replaced by Maos right

hand: Lin Biaoo Lin Biao was loyal to maos thought and that wasy Mao

felt safe.o Mao always eforced the idea of party over army but at

this point the PLA was neededThe way they were going, the military had gained

tremendous power by being the only institution that Mao trusted – Was this to become an army over party relation?

THE FALL OF LIN BIAO

• By 1968 Mao had proclaimed the Cultural Revolution as a great Victory

• 1969 was seen as the new beginning• Cultural Revolution = the struggle for power

among the elite members of the party to see who had the right to shape the future

The reconstruction of the party• Lower levels of the party had been dismissed so members of the PLA quickly rised• Mao´s fifty character policy called for party reconstruction since 1967• Th progress was slow. From 1969 to 1970 only 45 of the nations 185counties had set up party commetees.• Young rebels were integrated to the party and• Old cadres dismissed which did not please Mao

Rebuilding the State Stucture• Mao proposed his ideas for the matter the 8 of March 1970 in which he said that:a) There should be a fourth national peoples congressb) Abolish the position of head statec) Aginst Ultra leftist campaign• Lin disagreed on the last one he thought that:a) Mao should resume the head office b) He needed the reassurance of being called MaosSuccessor, he should be Head of stateMao thought Lin was too old he needed acandidate as Well : Zhang Chunqiao

This really pissed off LinNow we know he always thought Mao was not trust worthy since he was always ready to knife his closest collegesNow he flet stronger with his military colleges in the army to force Mao to concede he had a new ally: Chen Boda who chose Lin fearing Maos anti leftist capaigns.

National cc´s Second Plenum

• Mao refused the position as head officer for fourth time and said that anyone who wanted it should take it

• Lin reassured his support for Maos thought• No one at the group meeting proposed Lin as head state• Chen wrote bulletins in which he said that anyone who

opposed Maos assumption of the state chairmanship was opposing maos thought

• All parto of Lins plan

• It didnt quite work in Lins favor

• Mao figured all the plan out

• Chen was ordered to make self criticism

• Reminder of Maos ability to manipulate the party

Disagreement over foreign policy

• Wether they should sign a sino-soviet pact or a sino-american pact

Lin thought that China was strongEnough to stand on their own Mao thought that, although

he didnt Fully trsut the soviets they should be Able to buy some time to strenghten The PLA with diplomacy

There was a sino soviet pacts and a sino American pact signed as a result signed in 1970

• If Mao was not going to cooperate, Lin

Would sieze power through force.• Mao launched a campaign against Lin and his colleges -

he wanted them to make a false move• All members had to read six prescribed books in order to

differentiate the materialism and idealism to later convict Chen Boda

• Mao wanted to

A) Throw stones – snaping Lins allies

B) Mix sand –adding his people to institutions controlled by Lin

C) Dig up the cornerstone – reorganizing Beijings military

Lin Biaos coup

• He gave order to the army to prepare for a coup in 1971• It was prepared by a young group (joint flee) led by Lin

Linguo who was director of the air force and Lins son• Lin was not supported by the PLA members in the

Politburo (no evidence)• Lins rise? 3 options

1. Peaceful transaction to power

2. Lin being thrown out

3. Lin assumed power ahead of time (killing Mao and Zhang

• Mao had a bas feeling about Lin so he publicly disregarded Lin in a rather sad tone.

• Between the 8-11 of september the joint flee prepared the assasination.

• Mao kept on moving following his great survival feelings

13 september incident

• After Lin Linguo learned Mao had escaped alive all the attempts to kill him he sent Lin and Ye to set up a rival regime in Guangdong

• The plan would have been successful if it wasnt for Doudou (food) Lins sister

• She had a bad relation with Ye and tried to commit suicide which Ye ignored

• She was sent to Beidahe by her brother to analyse his father options

a) To kill Mao

b) To set up a rival regime

c) To flee to the soviet union• She disagreed and insisted he should retire like a chinese

soildier.• No one ever told her anything so she spyed on them• During her wedding the attack had been planned so she

called Zhou Enlai to protect Mao• He was never able to stop the Trident• Ye called for a plane and she was denied it by Enlai which

rised suspicion that they knew.• The whole family but Doudou fled.

• Zhou went to Maos recidence to warn him personally

• Mao said “The rain has to fall, women have to marry, these things are immutable; let them go”

• Mao was transported to the hall where he held a meeting in which he wasnt present due to either security issues of embarassment of his heir.

• The trident fell near Mongolia after 2 hours of journey killing all inside the aircraft

The impact of the fall of Lin Biao

• Mao and Zhou Enli purged the military leaders from the politburo

• Ye Jianying took over the MAC and the investigations of the consipartor of the 13 september incident

• More importantly it impacted Mao personally, how could he been wrong for so long?

THE RISE AND THE FALL OF THE GANG OF FOUR

The succession problen

• Maos main concern was to find a credible successor• He wanted to rebuid the leadership and keep China from

expiriencing an abrubt change of leader.• 3 groups rose

a) The radicals- ultra leftists after cultural revolution

b) The survivors – senior officials (Zhou Enlai)

c) The beneficiaries of the Cult Rev.- Those who rose from the purges of the cultural rev

• Although Zhou certainly was Maos next in power he was diagnosed cancer and wasnt expected to live long

• Mao selected Wang Hongwen a junior radical

Enlais antileftist offensive

• Leftists in the party were at the defensive after Lins dishonor

• The leftists had controlled the production targets an now Zhou claimed new programs should be put into place

• 1972 Zhou implemented agriculture and education programs that didnt please the ultra leftists

• He couldnt remove them as they were backed by Mao who decreted that Lin Biao had never been a leftist but he had been a ultra rightist

The tenth Party Congress August 1973

• Wang Hongwen, Zg¡hang Chunqiao and Yao Wnyuan were in cherge of the documents for the meeting

• A political report, a revision of the party constitution and the draft of a new constitution were presented

• Aspects of the constitution were:

a) Reaffirmed the concept of the cultural revolution

b) Criticizing revisionism

c) Party leadership over other institutions

d) Suppressing criticism

New central leadership

Radicals

Mao, Wang Hongwen,Kng Sheng, Zhang ChungqiaoLi Desheng(supporters of the cultural rev)

Senior officials

Zhu De, Dong Biwu(Mao supporters)

Moderators

Zhou Enlai, Ye Jianying

Beneficiaries of the CulturalRevolution

Hua Guofeng, Wu De, Chen Yonggui

Seeing the organization the Radicals had most of the power andThey needed to get rid of their most formidable opponent: Zhou Enlai

Pi Lin Pi Kong

• Under the lead of Jiang Qing they prepared “The doctrines of Lin Biao, Confusious and Mencious”

• Aimed to criticize Biao and Confusious

*Confucious is a chinese philosopher that developed in the Qin Dynasty era. He supported tradition and belief.

Meanwhile, Zhous cancer got worse and he was unable to leave the hospital often.

The return of Deng Xiaoping

• Mao had to fing someone to replace Zhou Enlai fast.• Unfourtunatley, Wang Hongwen had no political skills

(marioneta)• Jiang Qing was not suitable because she was a woman and Mao

started to criticize her and the gang of four.• In 1974 he proposed Deng to tak over Zhous place as vice

premier and to becone chief staff of the MAC• Mao weakened the gang of four• Zhou Enlai tried to turn around Mao about his decision to rise

Deng • Mao responded by making him vicechairman of the party