Power Struggle 1969-76

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The Power Struggle 1969-76

Power groupings and factional rivalries after the Cultural Revolution

1.) Lin Biao and the PLA

2.) Jiang Qing and the Shanghai radicals

3.) Zhou Enlai and the bureaucracy

Lin Biao and the PLA

  • The whole country should learn from the PLA
  • Revolutionary committees dominated by the PLA
  • 1969 clashes with the USSR make the PLA the defenders of the nation
  • Mao was concerned after the CR that the military was beiginning to control the party, not the other way round
  • Lin had huge power and many positions including Mao''s successor
  • Lin was passive and compliant at teh 9th Party Congress
  • After that he showed himself as more self important

Jiang Qing and the Shanghai Radicals

  • "shallow, vindictive and totally self centered"
  • Zhang Chunqiao, Yao Wenyuan and Wang Hongwen and Jiang = Gang of 4
  • alliances with lin biao, kang sheng and radical red guard units from the CR
  • 1970 - they were put in ocntrol of propaganda which gave them huge power
  • Jiang kept trying to outmanouevre Lin for Mao's favour and trying to undermine Zhou Enlai

Zhou Enlai and the bureaucratics

  • H wanted political stability and economic growth
  • he was pragmatic which did not agree with mai's untra-left policies (1960s+)
  • he survived by always supporting Mao and removing allies who Mao disliked or was going to purge

The Fall of Lin Biao

  • he began to get over powerful
  • Mao suspected a chinese bonaparte
  • central committee meeting in 1970 Mao wanted to remove Liu's position of State Chairman but Lin made efforts to stop him, Mao saw this as Lin wanting it for himself
  • Chen Boda attacked Zhang Chunqiao for criticising Lin, and he was arrested for factionalism
  • 1970-71 Mao moved against Lin with a campaign of "throwing stones (1), mixing in sand (2), and digging up the corner stone (3)"
  • 1 - Lin's allies were forced to make self criticisms
  • mao undermined his control by adding mao loyalists to all of his committees
  • 3 - allies of Lin among military commanders were moved out of Beijing to keep the PLA loyal to Mao, not Lin
  • 1971 - his son made plans for a coup - Mao was aware of these plans and organised crisis talks
  • Lin and his family fled to set up a rival…

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