The Great Leap Forward and the split in the Yan’an Leadership , 1958- 1965

1. The Great LeapForward and the splitin theYan’anLeadership, 1958- 1965 Lucía Arce and Karla Rico

2. TheSevenThousand Cadres Conference (January-February 1962) • Intendedtoreviewmethods of leaderships and sum up thesituationafterthe GLF. • LedbyLiuShaoquiwhomade a keyreport and severalotherspeeches

3. Clashes in theConference Mao Zedung LiuShaoqui Blamedtroubleontheparty center and urgedforthepartyto stop purges. Thoughttheeconomywas in crisis and itwouldstilltake a long time toputit back onshape • He thoughtthingswerereturningto normal • SupportedbyZhouEnlai and Lin Biao whodelivered a positive assesment of the GLF. DengXiao Ping,ChenYun and PengZhenwere notsureonwhichsidetotake

4. Peng´sUncertanties He hadhissubordinatesledbyDengTuoinvestigatethe real causes of the GLF. Bad GLF strategy Toomany false reports Conflictivedirectives Ignoredeconomicreality Mao hadbeenchairmansince 1958 – Itwaslargleyhisfaultbutthisreportwasnevershown in fear of Mao

5. Mao´sFailure? • Althoughitwaspersonallyrecognizedthat Mao hadcommitedsomemistakeswiththeorganization of the GLF. He wasstillseen as a sort of King Philosopher • Mao hadconceptualizedtherevolutionitself • No onehadthecouragetochallengehisviewsonthecurrentsituation

6. ResultsfromtheConference • Therehabilitation of some of therightists (notPengDehuai) • Mao´s positive viewonthecurrentsituation. (whichwaschallengesshortlyaftertheconference) • Theneedfor a partyrectification (didntagreeonhow) • Itmarkedthewillfor a freshbegininngbutalsoreflectedthefissuresthathadbeensufferedbythe central partyduringthelastthreeyears.

7. WhatabouttheEconomy? • Shortlyaftertheconferencewasfinished in FebruaryChenYunrecievedthefinancialprojectionwhichincluded a 3 billioncutundercurrentplans. • Yunprepared a plan whichconsisted of: • Significantdown in production targets. • Increase of supplies of fish and soybeans (foodsecurity) • Machine buildingindustryhadto be held back • Decollectivisation

8. XilouConference Chen´s plan waspresented and circulatedamongthepartymemebers. A smallercometeewasselectedtodiscussthe plan. ZhouEnlaitookovertheconferencebecauseChen`shealthwasnotwell.

9. ResultsfromtheXilouConference • Theministry of Metallurgyrefused and heldoutfor a largersteelproduction target whichwould be thecore of the new fiveyear plan. • 2 position arised: • Mao, Biao arguedthat China wasrecovering and itwastheright time tofollow a more socialistpaththereforedecollectivizationwas NOT anoption. • LiuShaoqi, DengXiao Ping and ChenYunthought a significantrecovery time wasnecessary, tomotivatepeopletheyhadto use cultural activities, needfor a more capitalisteconomytofeedthepeople and decollectivization.

10. TheBeidaiheConference (August 1962) • Resultedfromtheclashesthatarisedfromthepreviousconference • Liu and hissupporterstriedto do whatYunhadreportedbyopening operas and theaters, holding technologyconferences • Mao attackedtheministry of financestessingoutChina´sneedforclassstruggle and madeitclearthatdecollectivizationwouldaddon fuel tothatfire. H e proposed a socialisteducationsystem. Of course he succeded.

11. TheTenthPlenum (september 1962) • ReveledallthecontradictionsfromtheBeidaiheConference. • Mao acceptedthat he hadturnedaroundthemeetingbymakingthemallfeartheclassstrigglewhichwouldanywaylastfordecades. • Liuconfessed he hadinclinedtotheright • Mao set up someboundries, no todescollectivizationbecause he acceptedtherest of thepolicieswhichwouldgivesupporttotheparts of societythatwerenotto be trustedtoavoid REVISIONISM.

12. The rise of Lin Biao • 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 • Minister of Defense since 1959 • Wanted to: • Consolidate position in PLA • Solidify relationship with Mao to enhance his power

13. 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 PengDehuai. • Took over Public Security Forces (vs. LuoRuiqing) • 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 PengDehuai! He’s a Marxist genius!

14. 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

15. 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

16. Jiang kept cultural pressure on Mao • Constantly clashes with Party • Five-Man Group • HaiRui dismissed from office • Ruthless aliance • Brought in people of ideas, but no organization • Finally, Jiang appointed as culture advisor to the army

17. Rectification • New hierarchy of temporary organs to remedy a problem (1963) • Socialist Education Campaign: cleanse politics, economy, organization and ideology • Mao was pretty darn mad. • New target was corruption, not revisionism! • Harsh penalties on cadres • Work teams instead of mobilizing masses • MAO’S 23 ARTICLES (1965): • Educational effort on evils of revisionism on Party • Removed Revised 10 Points • …only partial success

18. A changing man Lin Biao? NAH. PENG ZHEN <3 • Liu Shaoqi? EW. • Mao distrustful of Party! • …why?

19. The Soviet Union • Degeneration of Soviet System • Basically hated Khrushchev’s guts

20. 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

21. 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!

22. …he more or less succeeded Still, the psychological and political stakes became so high he eventually launched a frontal assault on his lifetime love, the Party • Tiananmen square, today.

23. So what caused the split in the Yan’an leadership? • Different lessons drawn from catastrophic consequences of GLF • The tensions arising from the succession of Mao (since 1958) • Growing fear of aging and death of the possibly increasingly senile leader …all this lead to the EV(il)E OF THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION

24. 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, LuoRuiqing, XieFuzhi, Ministry of Public Security, 8341 Division