The Cultural Revolution, 1966
- All Mao's idea
- Wanted to have a 'pure' form of Communism
- Red Guards began openly criticizing the gov't officials
- Some people were upset about the following and were seen as targets:
- Those who wanted to return to capitalism
- 'Spcialists' - anyone who did not do manual labour were forced to work
- Anyone who disobeyed "Little Red Book"
- The Red Guard got so violent that the PLA had to restore order the Revolution ended by 1969
Zhou En-Lai
- Became Prime Minister in 1958 (Mao's second in command)
- Avoided disaster of the Cultural Revolution by ordering the PLA to put down Red Guard
- Under him "Going down" getting your hands dirty) became a common part of Chinese life
- 'Barefoot Doctors' travelled the countryside bringing medicine and reporting on the status of the health
Ping Pong Diplomacy
- USA recognized the Republic of China (Taiwan) as the true China until the 1970s
- Taiwan one of the 5 permanent seats on the UN security council
- Diplomacy began between USA and China after the US ping pong team visited in 1971
- 1971 People's Republic took the seat on the UN security council
- USA still supported Taiwan's bid for independence
- In 1972 Richard Nixon visited China to begin trade negotiations
Summary
In 1966 Mao had independently made up his mind about politics, for he desired a form of communism in its purest form. He started by creating the Red Guards, a group of youth who were meant to criticize all types of government officials. Additionally they hassled specialists or anyone who did not work in a setting that required manual labor. Those who wanted to see a return to capitalism were targeted, but in 1958 Zhou En-Lai was elected as the second in command at the role of Prime Minister.