1. Hu Yaobang
Two days after Hu Yaobang’s death in April 1989, thousands of students from Beijing universities marched to Tianamen Square and laid wreaths at the Monument to the People’s Heroes in honor of the former CCP Secretary-General who had been forced to resign his post in January 1987.

2. Zhao Ziyang
Communist Party Secretary Zhao Ziyang urging students in Tianamen Square to end their hunger strick. Later he would tearfully admit,” I came too late, I came too late,” but he assured them that “The problems that you have raised will eventually be resolved.”
They weren’t resolved. Zhao Ziyang would be purged by the hardliners in the Politburo

3. Prescribed Subject 3: Communism in Crisis Area 1: The Struggle for Power following the Death of Mao, Hua Guofeng, the re-emergence of the of Deng Xiaoping and the Defeat of the Gang of Four

4. The Struggle for Power following the Death of Mao
Mao is ill
Lin Biao
1969 designated Mao successor
10 of 16 on Politburo are PLA 3 are clear supporters of Lin
1970 Chen Boda urges Mao to restore the Party Chairman position which Mao wants to abolish
Mao suspects Lin wants the job as Chen is a Lin supporter
Sept Lin disappears
571 Plot to overthrow Mao over US/Chinese rapproachment (Lin flees to Russia but plane crashes)
Mao fears Soviet invasion like Czech. And reaches out to US

5. The Struggle for Power following the Death of Mao
Background: The Radicals and the Pragmatists battle for control of the CCP
From 1971 Zhou Enlai and Mao run the party but both are ageing
1972 Zhou diagnosed with cancer
Mao struggles to keep balance between the Pragmatists and Radicals

6. The Struggle for Power following the Death of Mao
Not clear which group will govern when Mao dies
Debate on Economic Policy
Radicals what continued central control, mass mobilization, production targets based on quantity and speed
Pragmatists/modernizers led by Deng and Zhou (dies 1976) want gradualism, quality of production, incentives and wage variations
Critical issue arrives in
Deng and Zhou propose the 4 Modernizations

7. The Moderates/Pragmatists
Zhou is leader (Mao’s deputy after 1971 fall of Lin)
Wants to avoid errors of GLF an CR
Smaller communes, private plots, modern tech., reward skilled labor
Modern technological industrial state
Dies in 1976 from cancer
Deng is another possible successor
Worked closely with Liu Shaoqui (Deng attacked as Number two authority seeking a Capitalist Road)
Accused of shutting out Mao after GLF and sitting with his deaf ear to Mao (can’t hear him)
Sent “down to the countryside” 1969 (tractor factory although Zhou eases his punishment)
Zhou helps bring Deng Back in 1973 and Deng is a Vice-Premier again

8. The Struggle for Power following the Death of Mao
The Gang of Four
Even after disaster of Cult. Rev. radicals are a major force in the CCP
Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunquiao, Yao Wenyuan were part of the Shanghai Forum and the CCRG.
Wang Hongwen: Shanghai union leader is 4th member
Rapid rise gives him nickname; the Helicopter

9. Gang of Four
During China’s Cultural Revolution ( ), Zhang Chunqiao, Jiang Qing, Yao Wenyuan, and Wang Hongwen, clockwise from top right, developed a series of radical political campaigns with the support of Communist Party leader Mao Zedong.
The campaigns caused ten years of chaos and violence. After Mao’s death in 1976, the group was dubbed the Gang of Four, and each was tried and convicted of crimes associated with the Cultural Revolution.

10. Gang of Four/Radicals
Jiang, a former film star and Shanghai socialite, was Mao’s fourth wife.
She consolidated political power by adopting an extreme Maoist stance
She played a key role in encouraging a rejection of Confucianism and destroying any work of art and literature that did not adhere strictly to Maoism during the Cultural Revolution
From 1969, as Mao’s health was declining, she was a member of the Politburo in charge of artistic matters, ideology and propaganda.
Zhang Chunqiao
Zhang had previously been the head of the Communist Party in Shanghai during the Cultural Revolution and had supported radical groups like the Red Rebels.
He became a member of the Politburo in 1973, and the inner-circle Politburo Standing Committee.

11. Gang of Four/Radicals Yao Wenyuan Wang Hongwen
Yao was a CCP journalist. In the 1960s, he had supported Mao and Jiang Qing in devising a response to an opera that had subtly criticized Mao’s actions in the Great Leap ForwardCalled ‘Hai Rui Dismissed from Office’.
In November 1965, he wrote a critical review of the opera in the major Shanghai newspaper Wenhui Bao.
He was then elected to the Politburo in 1969 where he worked on propaganda.
Wang Hongwen
Wang was a former Shanghai textile worker who had come to prominence during the Cultural Revolution as a trade union leader.
He was the youngest member of the Gang.
He accepted that the aims of the Cultural Revolution could not be achieved without purging opponents.
He was elected to the Politburo in 1973, and was Party Vice-Chairman at 39 years of age. Jiang Qing insistently pushed for him to succeed Mao.

12. Gang of Four/Radicals
Uncertain if Mao was led by Gang or they were his ardent supporters
Ultimately impact is cultural rather than political
Lack a power base in the party or the PLA
Supporters are mostly ambitious young cadres who arose during the Cultural Revolution
Jiang Qing says she followed orders
DO THEY FOLLOW ORDERS OR ARE THEY PROMOTING EXTREMISM???
They continue to argue only Ideology Matters
When Schools reopen they continue to push that work is more important than education

13. The Struggle for Power following the Death of Mao
Group will be labeled the Gang of Four
1973 three are put on the Politburo
Wang is presented as Mao’s successor!!!
Mao seems concerned about G4’s power and brings Deng back to Central Committee in 1973
Radicals launch propaganda attack on Zhou in 1973
Criticize Confucius and Lin Biao Campaign
Zhou dies 1976 but Mao makes Hua Guofeng, Hunan Party Secretary the new Premier (unknown, compromise candidate not a part of either faction)

14. Hua Guofeng
In 1976 Hua Guofeng became premier of China and chairman of the Chinese Communist Party. He resigned from both posts in the early 1980s.

15. Qingming Festival Mar.-Apr 1976
Zhou dies and Gang limits mourning
Mourning coincides with the Qingming festival where ancestors graves are honored
Denounced by the CCP as superstition
People defy the Party (April 5th Movement)
Morphs into celebration of Zhou
1000’s of flowers in Tiananmen Square (notes are anti-radical)
Gang is insulted and orders them removed (riot follows)
P-buro denounces movement and Deng is blamed (may be true)
Hua Guofeng sides with radicals and Deng out as V-Premier
July 1976 earthquake kills several 100,000 (traditiois this signals new emperor
Mao dies Sept. 9.

16. The Arrest of the Gang of Four
Hua gives eulogy for Mao (G4 is by his side with Jiang directly behind him (Suggests she had power but is not dominant)
As Mao’s official widow, despite their estrangement, Jiang Qing insisted on handling Mao’s will.
Demands all his papers
Rumor was she was looking for or intended to forge a testament placing her in charge
With Mao gone, she was now refused in her demands
she mustered armed support and openly criticized Hua
Hua was supported by Marshal Ye and other key military figures in the PLA.
They plotted to arrest the G4 (call a special P-buro meeting)
In October 1976, at the meeting of the Standing Committee of the Politburo, Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan and Wang Hongwen were arrested on the orders of Hua Guofeng.

17. The Arrest of the Gang of Four
Jiang Arrested at her home
The fact that the Gang of Four’s downfall came so soon after the death of Mao suggests that without his support, its power base was very fragile.
The Gang of Four lacked support in the 16-member Politburo and in the PLA. Only in Shanghai did security forces seem sympathetic to the Gang of Four
Beijing, rather than Shanghai, was the real centre of political power.
Public sentiment against the Gang’s imperious ways and total control of propaganda had made it most unpopular.

18. Hua Guofeng’s Short-lived Regime
By 1976, most cadres, and also the High Command of the PLA, wanted a return to some semblance of political normality
Oppose chaos of the Cultural Revolution
Hua seems secure
Appointed Premier, Chairman of the Party, Chairman of the PLA Military Affairs Commission
Represents the Cautious Maoists
Retain most Mao policies
Doesn’t totally reject the CR

19. Hua Guofeng’s Short-lived Regime
Key question: What were the key policies of Hua Guofeng and why was he not able to establish a permanent hold on power?
The key policies of Hua Guofeng
 Hua Guofeng was born into a peasant family in 1921 and was appointed to the Politburo in 1973
April 1976, he took over Zhou Enlai’s role of State Premier. Mao perhaps hoped that he might be an uncontroversial figure committed to preserving his legacy.
However, Mao also commented that one of Hua’s greatest political assets was that ‘he is not stupid’!
Despite such a mild endorsement, on 7 October 1976, he was appointed Chairman of the Central Committee and became the most powerful man in the PRC.

20. Hua Guofeng’s Short-lived Regime
The key policies of Hua Guofeng
Hua was in an unstable position.
Although he had the Gang of Four arrested and blamed for the excesses of the Cultural Revolution, he had actually risen politically during the Cultural Revolution.
Hua Guofeng was slow to reinstate Deng to his previous party leadership positions
He decided his best recourse was to remain devoted to the legacy of Mao
Policy is known as the ‘Two Whatevers’

21. ‘Two Whatevers’ The key policies of Hua Guofeng Hua’s Position
‘whatever decisions Mao made we firmly support’
‘whatever Mao instructed we unwaveringly follow’
Announces in 1977 the Cultural Revolution is officially over
Continues to praise its “achievements” in art, education…
Hua used an extensive propaganda campaign by posters to indicate clearly that he was Mao’s chosen successor
Supporting a Mao Memorial in Tiananmen Square
Publishing more of Mao’s writings
Promoted festivals, dances, concerts and other forms of public displays of affection for Mao’s memory and his own loyalty to Mao

22. Return of Deng Xiaoping
July 1977 Made Vice Chairman at a Central Committee Meeting
Hua had to call the CC to confirm his posts
Deng smuggled into Beijing by CC supporters and is appointed when meeting is called
In August 1977, the Eleventh Party Congress met and confirmed Deng’s rehabilitation to Vice-Premier and Vice-Chairman of the CCP
Deng was now also head of the PLA
Deng was also given charge of implementing the Four Modernizations originally set out by Zhou Enlai in 1975
Hoped to give a new impulse to industry, agriculture, defence and technology.
Eleventh Party Congress announced the end of the Cultural Revolution
Hua has to demystify Mao as right re-emerges
Says Mao was 70% Good, 30% bad
Awkward position as Mao is the Lenin of China and can’t be discarded like Stalin was

23. Hua’s decline Trial of G4 undermines him
48 Crimes charged
Assassination, torture, murder
Meisner (historian) considers the trial critical
Publicizes horrors of CR that Hua is tied to
Closure provided for those abused
Right gets revenge
Mao’s status declines
Jiang and Zhang are unrepentant and sentenced to death (commuted), Wang and Yao long prison terms

24. Hua’s decline The Ten Year Plan February 1978
promoted over 100 projects in various areas of the economy, such as steel production, oil, electricity and transportation
However, after years of chaos, there was not enough revenue to support these ambitious projects
foreign investment from the capitalist world, in particular Germany and Japan, was now permitted
The plan also emphasized traditional aspects of Maoist ideology such as the role of the masses’ revolutionary fervour in bringing about modernization.
Economic reality fell short of expectations
Targets: steel production from the 21 million tonnes produced in 1973 to 60 million by 1985 and eventually 180 million tonnes by 1999, were not met.
oil production also proved to be unfounded.
One reason for failure was the Cultural Revolution, higher education in particular had been disrupted, China lacked the professionals and trained experts

25. Hua’s decline Other initiatives
 Hua promoted family planning in China, which he voiced in the Fifth National People’s Congress in 1980
enforce a one-child policy for Chinese citizens
released and rehabilitated nearly 100,000 prisoners by 1978
200,000 more in the 1980s, including:
high party officials supportive of Deng
Artists and writers imprisoned during the Cultural Revolution and other political prisoners
Rehabilitated Liu Shaoqui
Problem is Hua fails to deliver 10% industrial growth, 5% agicultural growth, catch the West by 2000 or devote 24% of GDP to Defense and the economy
Central planning, heavy industry an revolutionary spirit won’t work

26. Hua’s decline
Deng Wants decentralized economy, free enterprise zones and quality over quantity
10 Year Plan targets revised down in 1979, but it simply costs too much
Hua Guofeng’s fall from power: Why was Hua Guofeng not able to establish a permanent hold on power?
The failure of Hua’s Ten Year Plan certainly exposed him to criticisms
However, his position as Mao’s chosen successor was threatened once Deng returned to his party positions,
the lack of a political power base contributed more to Hua’s downfall than his economic policies.
not due to a rigid adherence to ‘whatever’ Mao had endorsed
Rather, it was due to his low historical standing within the CCP. Compared to Deng and Chen Yun, who were regarded as true heroes of the 1949 revolution,
Hua was a mere ‘1938 cadre’ who came into the Party relatively late in its struggle. Without historical credentials

27. Hua’s Fall
1978 3rd Plenum of the 11TH Central Committee sides with Deng
Blecher argues class struggle was replaced with modernization, private plots, markets, consumer industry and balance
Hua’s past as Security Chief during the Cultural Revolution and his commitment to Maoism were beginning to seem out of step
Hua lost further support by the way in which he sought to emulate Mao by creating a cult of personality (even changing his hairstyle to resemble Mao’s)
such actions did nothing but increase Hua’s political isolation
Deng and his allies began to portray Hua as blindly following Maoist ideas, regardless of whether or not they actually worked
At the CCP Plenum in 1978, the Tiananmen Incident was retrospectively declared to be ‘revolutionary’
Hua, as Minister of Public Security repressed these protests after the death of Zhou Enlai,
He was now in a very awkward position
5th Plenum 11th CC Feb. 1980
Hua’s supporters gradually removed, “Little Gang of 4” lose all posts

28. Hua Resigns
At an enlarged Politburo meeting in mid-November 1980, Hua was severely criticized for his incorrect commitments, including:
(1) long-term persistence in the ‘two whateverisms’;
(2) implementation of a ‘leftist’ economic policy …
(3) resistance to Deng’s political line that ‘practice’ was ‘the sole criterion truth’;
(4) adoption of an ambiguous attitude toward the correction of false charges, wrong sentences, and frame-ups;
(5) opposition to the reversal of … the Tiananmen Incident;
(6) prevention of Deng and Chen Yun’s rehabilitation; and
(7) creation of his own cult of personality.  
On the basis of these defects, the meeting declared that Hua’s contribution to the overthrow of the Gang of Four should be affirmed, but he was no longer fit to be party chairman and chairman of the CCP Military Affairs Commission. Hua offered his resignation to the meeting and it was quicklyaccepted.

29. Hua Resigns Deng and Marshall Ye (PLA) have won
Deng Proteges control party
Zhao Ziyang is Premier 1980
Hu Yaobang General Secretary 1980
Deng id Chairman of the PLA 1981
Deng controls the government until his death in 1997
Hua’s career as Chairman is described as one of slow failure
However, he can be credited with maintaining stabilityduring the transitional period
ideology gave way to a new era of pragmatic reforms.

30. Deng Xiaoping
After Chinese Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong died in 1976, Deng Xiaoping became the most influential political official in China. Deng was the force behind the Communist government’s easing of cultural and political policies and push for economic modernization that occurred during the 1980s. He also ordered the military crackdown in June 1989 on the students demonstrating for democratic reforms at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.