Use of terror in the cultural revolution

• What was autumn/winter 1966


  The red terror- violence spread out of control
• Who was targeted in the red terror?

  Former businessmen/ landlords

  Figures of authority e.g., party officials or teachers

  Anyone who wasn’t Mao was vulnerable
• What did Zhou Enlai plead?

  Denounce with words not violence but that was ignored
• What happened to Peng Dehuai?


  Brought back to Beijing to struggle sessions and beatings and died in 1974. est. that half a million party members were killed
• What happened to the party Cadres?


  3M were sent to May 7th schools, camps where there was political study and hard labour. They had to grow their own food and learn from local peasants. The aim was to be at one with the masses.
• What happened after the January storm?


  Mao created a new revolutionary committee for Shanghai made up of the PLA, red guards and party officials
• What happened at the 9th party conference in 1969?


  A new party constitution was adopted
• What did the new party constitution do?

  Increased the influence of the PLA

  Lin Biao was named as Mao’s successor
• What did the removal of Liu and Deng do for Mao?


  Left his control stronger
• Purging of society


  Attacks were focused on the workforce in urban areas

  Staff of virtually every shop/factory/office were subject to scrutiny

  Serious fall in industrial production in 1967/8

  It was then extended to the countryside

  100k killed
• Attacks on foreigners


  Some were forced to take part in struggle sessions and then sent to re-education camps

  Others had their possessions striped from them and were then deported

  Sidney Rittenberg- American communist who moved to China
• How many foreign embassies were attacked?


  11
• What happened to the British embassy in China?


  It was broken into, staff were attacked and it was sent on fire
• What happened at the Chinese embassy in England?


  Staff came out armed with sticks and matches and attacked the British police
• How many other countries experiment violence 


  30
• When and Why were the PLA allowed to restore order?


  In 1967 as they feared becoming a target