History - China

Intro

Mao travels all over China, people cheer him, love him, convices him that he’s in touch with the people, tells the government nows the time to allow greater freedom of expression (presumably because he thinks he’s going to get praise). Makes a speech about how pleased he is with the FFYP but then complained that the CCP officials were too heavy handed, so maybe they should allow intellectuals a greater say in debate (note he didn’t like them). Felt like they could be lenient towards intellects for example Hu Feng who challenged Marxist Leninism, because the FFYP was that successful. In 1957 he opens up the floor for criticisms of the CCP party under the slogan “let a hundred flowers bloom let a hundred schools of thought contend”. After overcoming the initial fear, many people made criticisms

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·         Done to maintain power

·         Mao wanted to let criticism happen so he wouldn’t be accused of the cult of personality that Khrushchev denounced Stalin for

·         He feared something similar to de-Stalinisation happening in China

·         The similarities were undeniable. He wanted to invite criticism so he could be accused of seizing personal power at the expense of the party

·        …