The Origins of the Cultural Revolution: Contradictions Among The People, 1956-1957

Why did Mao Zedong launch the cultural revolution that almost destroyed all that he had worked so long and so hard to create? In his highly praised study-now a classic-Roderick MacFarquhar seeks to answer that question by examining the politics, economics, culture, and international relations of China from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. Contents Preface Abbreviations Introduction Part One: The 'Fundamental Change' 1 The “High Tide" of Socialism 2 The First “Leap Forward" is Launched 3 The Thaw Begins 4 The Soviet 20th Congress and Chinese Reactions 5 Mao Against the Planners 6 The Thaw Spreads 7 The End of the First ‘Leap Forward’ Appendix 1 : Lu Ting-yi’s Interpretation of Mao’s Hundred Flowers Policy Part Two. The CCP's Eighth Congress 8 The Position of Mao Tse-tung 9 The Dispute Over Liberalization 10 The Second Five-Year Plan 11 The New Central Leadership Appendix 2: Cultural Revolutionaries’ Attacks on Teng Hsiao-p’ing’s Report Appendix 3 : The Two ‘Fronts’ in the Chinese Leadership Appendix 4: Mentions of Mao’s Speech Appendix 5: Cultural Revolutionaries’ Attacks on Liu Shao- ch’i’s Report Appendix 6: The Politburo Part Three: The Rectification Campaign 12 The Impact of the Hungarian Revolt 13 A Rectification Campaign is Agreed On 14 Mao Analyses Contradictions Among the People 15 The Rectification Campaign is Launched 16 Blooming and Contending Appendix 7: Where was Liu Shao-ch’i on 27 February 1957? Appendix 8: The Attitudes of Provincial Leaders to Rectification Part Four: The Anti-Rightist Campaign 17 The Publication of the Contradictions Speech 18 Mao Linked with the Rightists 19 Compromise Conclusions Abbreviations used in Notes Notes PART ONE: THE 'FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE' Chapter 1. ' The High Tide' of Socialism Chapter 2: The First ' Leap Forward ' Chapter 3. The Thaw Begins Chapter 4: The Soviet 20th Congress Chapter 5: Mao Against the Planners Chapter 6. The Thaw Spreads Chapter 7: End of the First Leap Forward Appendix 1 : Lu Ting-yi's Interpretation of Mao's Hundred Flowers Policy PA’RT TWO: THE CCP's EIGHTH CONGRESS Chapter 8: The Position of Mao Tse-tung Chapter 9. The Dispute Over Liberalization Chapter 10. The Second Five-Year Plan Chapter 11. The New Central Leadership Appendix 2. Cultural Revolutionaries' Attacks on Teng Hsiao-p'ing's Report Appendix 3. The Two ' Fronts ' in the Chinese Leadership Appendix 4. Mentions of Mao's Speech Counter Revolutionaries' Attacks on Liu Shao-ch'i's Report PART THREE: THE RECTIFICATION CAMPAIGN Chapter 12. The Impact of the Hungarian Revolt Chapter 13. A Rectification Campaign Is Agreed On Chapter 14. Mao Analyses Contradictions Among the People Chapter 15. The Rectification Campaign is Launched Chapter 16. Blooming and Contending Appendix 7. Where was Liu Shao-ch'i on 27 February 1957? Appendix 8. The Attitudes of Provincial Leaders to Rectification PART FOUR: THE ANTI-RIGHTIST CAMPAIGN Chapter 17. The Publication of the Contradictions Speech Chapter 18. Mao Linked with the Rightists Chapter 19. Compromise Conclusions Bibliographical and Methodological Note Bibliography Index This is the final volume in a trilogy that examines the politics, personalities, economics, culture, and international relations of China from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s. It seeks to answer the central question: Why did Chairman Mao Zedong launch the Cultural Revolution (1966--76), which plunged China into chaos and almost destroyed its Communist Party? The Coming of the Cataclysm starts with the great famine of the early 1960s, which resulted in tens of millions of deaths and set in train a series of emergency measures that increasingly divided Mao from his comrades-in-arms. His anger that they were prepared to adopt "capitalist" methods to rescue the country was sharpened by his belief that Moscow had actually gone capitalist and sold out to the "imperialist" West. From 1961 to 1966, the period covered by this volume, the increasingly urgent question for Mao was how to prevent a similar revolutionary degeneration in China. The Cultural Revolution was his answer.Drawing upon new evidence from Party documents, personal interviews, books, and journals, MacFarquhar details the growing rift between Mao and his colleagues as they attempted to cope with domestic privation and an increasingly hostile international environment -- until the Chairman finally decided to smash the unity of the Yan'an Round Table by unleashing society against the party-state This is the final volume in a now-classic trilogy that seeks an answer to this question as it examines the politics, economics, culture, and international relations of China from the mid-1950s to the mid 1960s. "The Coming of the Cataclysm" explores the important events leading up to the Cultural Revolution, and details the ways in which Mao continually tested the Chinese Communist Party. 1. Contradictions Among The People 1956-1957 -- 2. The Great Leap Forward 1958-1960 -- 3. The Coming Of The Cataclysm 1961-1966. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Reason began to prevail in the summer of 1960 as a gloomily pensive Mao realized the enormity of what he had perpetrated.