Mao's Cultural Revolution: Political Motives

This assignment delves into the complex motives driving Mao Zedong's initiation of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. It examines the apparent goals of unifying urban and rural life, promoting education, and eliminating bourgeois elements, while also uncovering the hidden political agendas behind these actions. The analysis focuses on Mao's desire to consolidate power within the CCP and assert control over the Chinese populace, ultimately revealing how personal ambition fueled this tumultuous period in Chinese history.

Running Head: CONTEMPORARY WORLDS
Contemporary Worlds
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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Mao Zedong mobilised the Chinese youth in 1966 to start the Cultural Revolution. It is a
violent process that led to an elimination of the customs, culture, habits and thoughts of Chinese
people. This Cultural Revolution purged counter Revolutionary party members. It also
heightened Mao's personality cult as he intended to reassert his authority over the Chinese
government (Ho 2014). This paper discusses if political, ideological or economic considerations
are responsible for Mao's decision to launch the Cultural Revolution in 1966. Based on the
arguments in the essay it will be concluded what the reasons for launching the cultural revolution
by Mao were.
According to Gao (2016), the Cultural Revolution by Mao was due to a conflict between
his economic reality and political ideology. Mao did not firmly believe in Communism, as he
was not a pure communist. His understanding of Chinese history was based on Russia's early
leader Lenin. However, Mao was not found of Lenin’s successors. Mao was revisionist and
believed in the Leninism he adapted. Mao was popular among base class farmers and workers.
He had strict control of an army, and his party holds good coordination, which formed a basis for
his ideology and success. It was believed that the reason for Cultural Revolution was Mao’s aim
to increase his popularity among the base class (Wu 2014). This act would eliminate the hope of
capitalism revisionist. However, with the failure of the Cultural Revolution, the capitalism
revisionist did open and ultimately reform the country.
Mao was influenced by the socialist ideology. It is was evident from the ideas of Mao’s
wife, Jiang Qing. Using the socialist ideology, the Chinese tradition and culture were destroyed
to replace it with the purely "socialist ideas". It was the reason that attacked anything that was
old in China may it be economic or political policy. Anything new was accepted readily, without
criticism. The socialist ideology was evident from the Mao’s attempt to equalize the value of

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mental and the physical labour in different socioeconomic areas. This ideology meant to equally
reward the contributions of people in society and economy. However, this goal was not fulfilled
by the devastation of China between 1966-1968 (Starr 2015). According to Li (2015), Mao
wanted to bring China under one ideological movement. He wanted the country to become
socialist after the fashion of Stalin's (Lenin’s son) Soviet Union. In short, he tends to implement
half-hearted socialism.
Mao was pushed out of economic affairs, but no positive economic considerations were
found to be a reason for him to push the Cultural Revolution. For instance, the Great Leap
Forward was recognized by the “Peng Dehuai, Liu Shaoqi, and Deng Xiaoping” as working
against intended cause. The industrial and the agricultural output precipitated as famine. It left 45
million people to death. Further, it was observed by them that it was ruining China both socially
and economically. This was loyally criticized in Lushan Conference (Kim et al. 2014). However,
Mao failed to understand the economic implications of it and rather took the criticism personally.
In response to the criticism, Mao did nothing to improve the economic affairs of the country
rather purged Peng and his supporters from the party and PLA respectively. This event made Liu
and Deng more cautious that tend to keep Mao out of the day-to-day running of the Party and
eventually out of the presidency of the PRC (Callahan 2015). Instead of Mao, it was Liu and
Deng who modified the economic reforms for the country’s benefit. In turn, they gained
popularity in CCP. Thus, improvement in economic affairs and the decline in Mo's power were
the main reason for the Cultural Revolution by Mao. Mao’s failure reflected clearly in the Great
Leap and the Cultural Revolution
It can be argued that Mao launched the Cultural Revolution to resist the government and
the CCP from becoming too remote from people. The country’s industrial and agricultural

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benefit was not the main goal of Mao. The same is evident from the Mao’s criticism on the
increasing strength of the specialists and the experts in the economy and party. Mao complained
about the high level of preference given to the urban families in the Chinese education system.
Mao complained that this system led to privileged middle class in the country (Wang 2017). This
can be considered true because, under the leadership and policy of Liu and Deng, there was a
development of a body of scientist, intellectuals and technologies (Jian, Song and Zhou 2015).
Eventually, it was increasing their influence in the Chinese economy. From the economic point
of view, there was a tremendous success in Central control planning system. In addition to the
success in the heavy industry, there was a great failure in the light industry. Adding to it, the big
feminine led to deviation from socialism within the party members. It was the same condition
among other top leaders inside the party. In short, China was developing much more rapidly
under the rule of Liu and Deng when compared to the leadership of Mao in 1950 (White 2014).
Thus, Mao wanted to regain his dominant position.
Mao’s Cultural Revolution was an attempt to undermine the power of Liu and Deng and
regain his influence on the policy, which was decreasing 1959. With the help of Cultural
Revolution Mao, tend to appeal the Chinese people. His intention was to reinforce the support of
the mass people by attracting them over the heads of the party leadership. Thus, it can be argued
that Cultural Revolution was the best way to achieve this motive. Criticizing the activities of Liu
and Deng was the gateway for Mao to strengthen his policies and position. Therefore, Mao
accused Liu and Deng of betraying the revolution. Consequently, one group of class was never
allowed to take control and the authority was continually, challenged during the process of
change (Gao 2016).

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However, Mao was “father of nation for a small group of people” for his limited
beneficial activities to China. He thus reclaimed the party's mantle as his own. Using his limited
public support, he instigated the poor in china to fight against his failure and increase the
political power. He did involve the poor section of society to make people believe that he was
developing the bourgeoisie class. If his intention were to improve the economic affairs, he never
would have created Red Guards. He wanted to purge the elements of CCP. Therefore, he
motivated these red guards to roam like terrorizers, attack the state element, and raid state
arsenals for weapons. These guards controlled all the broadcasts attacking the cultural revolution,
public transport, and attacked all the teachers, intellectuals, doctors, scientists and any other
putting forward an opposing view (Ho 2014). These activities were opposite of initially
mentioned goal of the revolution. It includes unifying the lifestyle of the urban and the rural
communities, eliminating traditional cultural elements, and eradication of Bourgeoisie. However,
Mao disbanded the Red Guards its chaotic effects that reached the brink of civil war. After the
disbanding of the Red Guards, China gained back its normalcy. It was by 1976 that China
restored its peace. With the death of Mao in 1966, the Cultural Revolution was ended, and its
effects were reduced (Starr 2015).
It is evident from the literature review that Cultural Revolution by Mao was mainly a
political power struggle by Mao. He implemented the stated goals by assisting the rural
communities. Improved Education, developed red guards and persecuted the bourgeoisie class.
However, the hidden motives were prominent in his activities, which include regaining the
power within CCP and contra over the Chinese people. The apparent motives were fulfilled only
to achieve the personal motives. He won over the society by educating peasants and promoting
equal rights to rural and urban regions. Once he was successful, he gained the power to

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overthrow other politicians and categorized them as the bourgeoisie. He gained the respect of
China by snatching the power of other men to gain authority. Ultimately, the cultural revolutions
began at the behest of Mao and several fractions were battled in his name. Thus, political,
ideology and economic considerations underlied the Mao’s decision to launch the cultural
revolution in 1966.

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References
Callahan, W.A., 2015. History, Tradition and the China Dream: socialist modernization in the
World of Great Harmony. Journal of Contemporary China, 24(96), pp.983-1001.
Gao, M., 2016. 2. The Cultural Revolution: class, culture and revolution. Handbook on Class
and Social Stratification in China, p.44.
Ho, D.Y., 2014. Culture, Class, and Revolution in China's Turbulent Decade: A Cultural
Revolution State of the Field. History Compass, 12(3), pp.226-238.
Jian, G., Song, Y. and Zhou, Y., 2015. Historical Dictionary of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Rowman & Littlefield.
Kim, S., Deng, Q., Fleisher, B.M. and Li, S., 2014. The lasting impact of parental early life
malnutrition on their offspring: evidence from the China Great Leap Forward Famine. World
Development, 54, pp.232-242.
Li, H., 2015. Political Thought and China’s Transformation: Ideas Shaping Reform in Post-Mao
China. Springer.
Starr, J.B., 2015. Continuing the revolution: The political thought of Mao. Princeton University
Press.
Wang, Y., 2017. China's Economic Development and Democratization. Routledge.
White III, L.T., 2014. Policies of chaos: the organizational causes of violence in China's
Cultural Revolution. Princeton University Press.
Wu, Y., 2014. The Cultural Revolution at the Margins. Harvard University Press.

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