Declassified: The Mao Zedong Years
"Declassified: The Mao Zedong Years" Answer in essay format these questions. - According to the film what differences existed between the outlook of General Secretary Mao Zedong and the rest of the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party? - What was the supposed open agenda of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and what was its hidden agenda? - Describe or explain the role of "Madame" Chiang Ching in the Proletarian Cultural Revolution and its aftermath? Can you think of other "significant persons," whether spouses, family kin, or trusted friends/confidants, who have wielded tremendous power solely by virtue of their personal tie to the formal/legal ruler of a country? - How can you explain the devotion of the Chinese people to a ruler who ruled so despotically and whose misrule led to the deaths and destitution of millions of Chinese? - What struck you are particularly interesting in this film or what new facts did you learn that help you to better understand the contemporary People's Republic of China?
DECLASSIFIED: THE MAO ZEDONG YEARS
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Difference between the outlook of Mao Zedong and other communist leaders
During the 1920s, China was struggling with social, economic and political challenges just like many other nations in the Asian continent. Most of the Chinese people lived in absolute poverty, there was widespread corruption in the government and there was a lot of influence in the activities and governance of the country from other countries especially the more developed countries. When Mao Zedong was elected chairman of the communist party, he became a revolutionist. Mao was a radical leader who pushed his people to great limits to achieve the changes that he believed China needed. He believed that for him as a leader to be truly successful, he must address the needs of the people instantly. He wanted to transform the political social and economic sectors of the country. He was also a dictator and fought anyone who he considered as counter-revolutionist. The other leaders those of communist party were quite democratic and conforming. Those who came after Mao led under the influence of his tenets.
Agendas of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution was conceived as a way of transforming China into a more modernized country. Mao wanted to change the old ideas, old habits, old customs and old cultural beliefs of China and introduce the communist ideology of education, art and literature. They wanted to combat and put an end to revisionism. They aimed at removing the capitalistic power holders, repudiating the academic authorities of the bourgeois. They also wanted to establish a socialist economic base in China. The first agenda carried out was reforming the education system and the school structure that was used in China as most of Mao’s supporters were intellectuals, from the middle school student graduates and above.
However, according to Andrew (2008), Mao had other hidden agendas. He wanted to reaffirm his leadership position as it was greatly weakened by the failure of the Great Leap forward strategy. He felt that the party was shunting him aside, through the Cultural Revolution every opposing force or individual would be identified and eliminated. He was also campaigning for collectivism where ...