"dogma as dog shit"

1. "dogma as dog shit" • The return of Mao and the Cultural Revolution with purges and the 100 Flowers as a pretext

2. By 1962, Mao was ready to re-ascend • Pg 130 of your China book explains his position and entrenchment within the government • Mao hated hierarchy, expertise and all things divisive or west • He and the 'true left' began to denounce the new conservative voice and propagated the famine and hardships of the Great Leap Forward as a necessary evil towards true equality

3. Flashback to 1953 • In 1949, justas the victory took hold, GAO Gang was the leading CPC official in Manchuria • In 1952, he became head of the commission responsible for directing the 1st 5yr plan. • GAO voiced, in agreeance with Mao, the need for faster production, but this looked as an attempt to usurp Deng and Liu. An attempt to ascend to the vice presidency • Mao used a December 1953 meeting to accuse him and Rao Shushi of attempted kingdom building and underground activities. Gao committed suicide, Rao died in prison 20 hrs later

4. The 1956 Hundred Flowers Campaign • Demanded that intellectuals should feel free to openly criticize the party • Born due to internal communist debates about the effectiveness and future of five yr plans, Mao felt that intellectuals would actually see and support his decisions and discredit internal party conservatives

5. In 1942, Mao said "let us talk about the question of intellectuals. Since china is a semi colonial, semi feudal country and her culture is not well developed, intellectuals are particularly treasured. • In 1948, he said, "intellectuals are often ignorant and have little or no experience in practical matters." • In february, 1957 he said, "letting a hundred flowers blossom and a hundred schools of thought contend is the policy of promoting progress in the arts and sciences and a flourishing socialist culture in our land. Quesions of right and wrong...should be settled through free discussion...through practical work." • Results of this were student demonstrations, accusations of human rights abuses, accusations of slavishly following the USSR, propaganda posters demanding democracy, silencing of educational structures and creating a new, privileged bureaucratic class • Posters, newspapers, magazines and public rallies all sent these messages

6. He flet with the success of 1st 5 hrs ands the tight new consolidated control that his success would be immense and praise for him would abound • After the previous reactions, his rhetoric changed. • He said, "we must carefully distinguish between what is really a posinous weed and what is really a fragrant flower." • In may 1957, he said, in recent days, rightness in the democratic parties and institutions of higher education have shown themselves to be most determined and most rabid. We shall let the rightists run amuck for a time and reach their climax. This is better for us. The more outrageous their conduct, the more they will show themselves as opposite of cooperating with the communist party and accepting it's leadership. They will end up by burying themselves.

7. Some historiography • Chang and Halliday - "he cooked up a devious plan. Few guessed that mao was setting a trap and that he was inviting people to speak out so that he could then use what they said as an excuse to victimize them. • Spence,- "a muddled and inconclusive movement that grew out of conflicts within the party leadership. At it's center was an argument about the pace and type of development that was best for china...made not one but two misjudgments. He underestimated the volume and bitterness of the criticisms, and the party's ability to withstand them. • Was it a conceived plot or a misjudged and poorly executed, yet honest experiment? • Either way, the party was stronger consolidated and voices of a generation silenced. Intellectual life in China was also completely stifled.

8. Peng Dehuai • In Dec 1958, Mao had just stepped down as chairman. He was replaced by Liu, a more moderate • He still kept his positions of CPC Chairman and Military Affairs Commission Chairman • In 1949, Peng visited his hometown in Hunan province and saw effects of the GLF firsthand • He decided to take his concerns to Mao in a meeting but Mao did not attend so he wrote a letter. The letter explains that Tyne GLF was correct in theory, but flawed in specific practices

9. Mao decided this was too critical. He published the private letter for all delegates to see, using the opportunity to destroy Pengs career • Peng had impeccable records as a communist general in the revolutionary struggle, and a reputation as incorruptible • A larger problem was that many criticisms mirror those of Soviet complaints at the time. He was therefore also accused of objectively aiding Chinas enemies and leading a right-opportunist anti-party clique • Mao also accused him of deviating from the party line (a harsh crime in the party structure) • Mao organized a session of the politburo to decide his fate and he was dismissed and placed under virtual house arrest for his remaining life. Lin Bao was brought out of retirement to retake his position