Hundred Flowers Campaign

Hundred Flowers Campaign

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  • Created on: 23-05-10 09:47

Hundred Flowers Campaign

"LET A HUNDRED FLOWERS BLOSSOM, LET A HUNDRED SCHOOLS CONTEND"

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Why did he introduce it?

  • Mao had travelled extensively, wherever he went he had the impression that he was in touch with the people
  • 1956, informed officials that it was now the time to allow the people to have a greater freedom of expression
  • Allowing them to
    • comment on how well the country was achieving
    • constructive criticism on how to become a complete proletarian state
  • Hinted that it was now the time of the intellectuals to finally speak
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Why conduct it?

  • Impact of Khrushchev:
    • Attacked Stalin in speeches
    • Many were going to under Lenin-Stalin beliefs
    • Resulted in revolts in Hungary, troops sent to calm things down
  • This convinced Mao's opposition to no take this direction
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Political Strategy

  • Mao was always persistent, become more determined to win the argument
  • Worked on Trains as a lobbyist to convince party officials for criticism
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Strength of the CCP

  • Communist party had now been securely in control, campaign against counter revolutionist appeared to eliminate any serious opposition
  • Targets of the first FYP had already been met a year earlier, however there were still problems of it
  • Mao had believed that the party officials were only serving the communist government and not the people
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Short Term Impact

  • Unleashed attacks on the communist system
  • Mostly led by the Media & Intellectuals
  • Main criticisms were about human rights
  • In Beijing University a democracy wall was built up
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Long Term Impact

  • Full scale attack on the Intellectuals were sent out
  • 500,000 Intellectuals were branded righteous (sent to labour camps or re-education camps)
  • Many driven to suicide as a result
  • Some students were shot in public
  • Mao was now officially unchallengeable
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