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 UncertantiesHe 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 ConferenceChen´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 ideologyFormer 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,

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