Kwun Ho Ho, Harris Ms, Caroline Johnson COM-102-045 .docx

Kwun Ho Ho, Harris
Ms, Caroline Johnson
COM-102-045
04 May 2014
Cultural Revolution
China's decade-long Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
shook the politics of
china China and the world in 1950. Even thought around it is
almost 60 years old, the
movement is still so controversial that the communist party of
china China still prohibits
public discussion about its Cultural Revolution. This paper
seeks to investigate the
Chinese Cultural Revolution. The thesis of the paper is that the
Communist Party of
China government should admit their wrong doings and have the
courage to face their
failure in the Cultural Revolution. A nation that is not willing to
admit its past does not
deserve a prosperous future. It is believed that if the Chinese

can face up to its past
mistakes, China can develop in a faster pace and become more
successful.
Background of the Cultural Revolution
It has been about 60 years ago since the Communist Party of
the China started
what came to be called the Cultural Revolution. Mao Zedong
was very fond of the Great
Proletarian Cultural Revolution. But, the his ideas he had ended
up destroying the lives
of millions of Chinese. Indeed, some observers do not believe
that the dark history that
the Chinese underwent through can be addressed and really
forgotten completely. In
addition to the fact that millions had their lives, history,
believesbeliefs, and cultures
destroyed, the proponents of the Great Proletarian Cultural
Revolution did also destroy
millions of historical artifacts and monuments which were
greatly valued by many
communities around the country (Esherick et al. 34).
Another reason why Chairman Zedong’s idea of Cultural

Revolution is criticized
is that the children were separated from their families and their
parents. As a matter of
fact, familial ties were destroyed completely, particularly
between 1966 and 1976; the
period when indoctrination and forced adoption of concepts
were at their extreme levels.
The Communist party did also force people to abandon their
economic activities,
education for their children as well as for themselves, and their
professions. In fact, a
whole generation was lost since Chinese China became
inadequately educated when
compared to the rest of the world (Esherick et al. 34).
The Aim of the Cultural Revolution
Chairman Zedong had hoped that his idea of Cultural
Revolution would help
revolutionize China speedily. He had hoped that within no time,
China would be in a
position to catch up with the rest of the world. To Zedong, the
reason why the western
powers appeared to oppose his views was that they did not wish
to see China emerging as

a power. However, his approach was wrong, and it resulted into
serious consequences
and a lot of suffering for the people he had hoped to assist (Lu
78).
The disruption of the country’s economy and society was too
great that the
objectives which the Chairman had remained largely
unachieved. His experimentation
was more damaging than beneficial, and it almost bankrupted
the government and the
people. Therefore, even though he was opposed to the
redesigning of his original ideas,
the Chairman had no choice but to let the man he had chosen as
his Vice Chairman and
the one who was the Premier to implement some reforms, i.e.
redesigning of his original
ideas (Jiang 46).
Anti – Revisionism (Three Red Flags)
Anti-revisionism is the term that is used to refer to the
opposition that influential
Chinese people had towards the revision or the modification of
the revolutionary ideas

which the Chairman and his team had. Anti-revisionists views
any attempt to review or
dilute the ideas of the Chairman as rather concessions to the
adversaries of Communism.
Such feelings made them oppose the move to revise vehemently.
The following
subsections address some of the steps which the government of
China undertaken
undertook to safeguard their communist ideas (Feng 78).
The Chinese government adopted the General Line from the
ideas of the leaders
of the Soviet Union. In the Soviet Union, the General Line
started being implementation
implemented in the year 1927, and it was meant to help with the
celebration of the idea of
collectivization of agricultural activities. The idea was really
being championed by Leon
Trotsky who was a Bolshevik. Chairman Zedong believed that
the General Line was the
best for China. He believed that it would help ease the
agricultural activities; and,
therefore, the people of China did not have to suffer famines.
However, the idea failed,
and people suffered famines (Chong 73).

The Great Leap Forward refers to the campaign of economic
and social activities
which the government of China implemented between the years
1958 and 1961. Through
this idea, the Chairman had hoped that China would be
transformed from a largely
agrarian economy into a country that was largely industrialized
through communism. On
the country, the country did not industrialize rapidly; instead,
the people of China
experienced what is commonly referred to as the Great Chinese
Famine. The most noted
changes to the Chinese society include the fact that people were
forced into participating
in agricultural collectivization and the prohibition of private
farming activities. Anyone
who went against these rules was considered a counter
revolutionary and was punished
severely (Chong 38).
The Communist Party of China placed a lot of restrictions on
the people living in
rural areas. The restrictions were enforced via what was

referred to as the public struggle
sessions. In these sessions, there was a lot of social pressure
and forced labor. The
Communist party called this the rural industrialization, and it
was the official priority for
the party. The people’s commune refers to what used to be the
most significant of the
three main administrative levels of the communities living in
the rural areas. Its
implementation was done between the years 1958 and 1983.
Starting from 1983, the
communes were abandoned, and townships emerged (Dittmer
15).
As the idea of the Cultural Revolution was being implemented,
there was
significant authority struggle in the Communist Party. Some of
the officials did not
follow the orders of the Chairman to the letter. Indeed, some
ended up being corrupt, and
they tended to amass resources for themselves and their cronies.
This practice annoyed
the Chairman so much that he came up with a plan of punishing
them in public; at least
so that he can intimidate the rest into dropping their corrupt

views (Yan & Gao 30).
Following the removal of a leader called Peng Zhen, the party
was disoriented.
This disorientation was particularly seen in the Party Committee
that sat in Beijing. There
was massive disorder and discontent in the country’s capital.
About the same time, on
Comment [t1]: Do you mean “contrary??”
May 25, 1966, a lecturer of philosophy called Nie Yuanzi wrote
a poster where he and
other leftists criticized the university administration’s policies.
Yuanzi alleged that the
administration was having a secret mission to gain so much
influence before undermining
the party from within (Dittmer 67).
Zedong favored dealing with dissenters in a chaotic manner. In
this regard, he
ordered that Yuanzi’s message be broadcasted throughout China
in a bid to demonstrate
to the dissenters that their plans cannot go unnoticed and
unpunished. The broadcast was
followed by the closure of classes in Beijing and other regions

of the country in protest to
the school administration’s secret plans. In early June, students
lined the streets while
holding huge portraits of Chairman Zedong, shouting slogans,
and beating drums as if to
intimidate the Chairman’s perceived enemies. By the end of
July 1966, the Red Guards
started violent purges of dissenters. By mid August, most of the
needed purges had
already been done (Dittmer 70).
Cultural Revolution of the Development Process
As it has been indicated, Chairman Zedong’s idea of Cultural
Revolution was
meant to facilitate a rapid development process. Although his
ideas appeared to be
working at the very beginning, they soon began to wreck havoc
on the society, economy,
and governance. The following subsections address some of the
most important issues
which relate to the development process (Chong 12).
Cultural Revolution was a huge social-political movement
whose objective was to
facilitate the enforcement of communism and the removal of

cultural and traditional
elements as well as capitalistic views from the society. In order
to achieve this goal, the
Chairman imposed Maoist orthodoxy within the Communist
Party. The movement
caused a lot of paralysis to the society in terms of the economy,
social aspects, and
politics. The launch of the revolution followed claims by Mao
Zedong that some
bourgeois elements had infiltrated his government as well as the
society at large, and that
their aim was to facilitate the restoration of capitalism.
Therefore, his move was meant to
have them removed through violent Class Struggle (Feng 18).
The young youth, especially the students, responded to
Zedong’s request by
forming the Red Guards all over the country. The movement did
spread fast and was
adopted by the Communist Party, urban workers, as well as the
soldiers. As a result, there
were serious factional struggles in every aspect of life in China.
Many senior officials

were expelled from the party after being accused and
condemned for assuming views
which were largely considered to be capitalist. The most famous
expellees were Deng
Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi. Such expulsions made the Mo’s
personality cult to spread and
grow to proportions which were so immense to be ignored (Feng
30).
Although most Chinese were of the opinion that the revolution
was necessary, a
significant number did not agree with the Chairman. Those who
did not agree were
persecuted, especially through what had become violent
factional struggles. There were
wide-ranging abuses, including arbitrary imprisonment, public
humiliation, sustained
harassment, property seizures, and torture (Esherick et al. 45).
Most of the dissenters were urbanites who were vehemently
opposed to forced
emigration from the cities into the rural areas. As all these were
taking place, the Red
Guards were ransacking religious and cultural sites. They did
also destroy numerous
artifacts and historical relics. Of course there was serious

opposition to such activities.
There were people who had grown up respecting and valuing
what was being destroyed.
However, the activities had to remain since they were either
ordered or sanctioned by the
Chairman himself. The Maoist reforms where, however, done
away with following the
death of the Chairman in 1976 (Esherick et al. 78).
In August 18th 1966, the Red Guards gathered in Beijing in
order to listen to the
Chairman addressing them. The Red Guards had come from all
over the country, and
were so eager to listen to the Chairman who spoken atop the
Tiananmen Gate (Feng 78).
The Chairman and his handpicked successor, Lin Biao, made
several and frequent
appearances in a bid to greet the Red Guards whose number was
approximated to have
been 11 million. The Red Guards cheered the two leaders wildly
every time they made an
appearance. While making his speech, the chairman praised the
conduct that the Red

Guards had been exhibiting, and indicated that they had helped
entrench democracy and
socialism in the society (Lu 10).
The Gang of Four refers to the political faction of the Chinese
Communist party
that consisted of four prominent officials. Their prominence was
linked to the Cultural
Revolution that occurred between 1966 and 1976. They included
Jiang Qing, who was
Mao’s last wife, Wang Hongwen, Yao Wenyuan, and Zhang
Chunqiao. Later on, these
officials were charged with treason and subsequently expelled
(Dittmer 150).
It remained relatively unclear whether the gang was
implementing Mao’s ideas or
the ideas which they were implementing were their own. In the
end, these individuals
were blamed for many of the excesses of the Communist Party,
and this is what led to
their purging. History indicates that the gang’s impact was
largely negative. They
sanctioned terror and other forms of excesses which made the
Chinese people to suffer a

lot (Yan & Gao 89).
Zedong favored violent or chaotic expulsion of the dissenters.
He believed that
such violence would in the end intimidate the potential
dissenters and to force them to toe
the line. During the expulsions, many dissenters lost their lives,
or at least their
livelihood. The Red Guards were feared for being extremely
ruthless, and due to the fact
that they had direct contact with the Chairman himself. They
were the people who turned
Zedong’s following into a cult. In that case, few would have
dared to oppose the
Chairman (Jiang 67).
The post revolution period was marked by drastic changes.
First of all, Maoism
was dropped as an ideology, and the society became more open.
Indeed, China became
more open to foreign direct investment and political room was
open a little bit. In that
case, people could discuss political subjects more openly, and
they could also engage in
economic activities more freely. The reforms deed, therefore,

facilitate the emergence of
the Middle Class, and this Middle Class was able to afford a
better life while still living
in the Communist China (Feng 89).
The End of the Cultural Revolution
Chinese Cultural Revolution came to an end about the same
time when Mao
Zedong died. The Red Guards had been done away with a little
bit earlier after it became
clear to the Chairman that they were not only a threat to the
social cohesion but also to
the Communist Party structures. Nonetheless, the group was
disbanded after it had
accomplished the mission that Chairman wanted them to
accomplish. After the death of
the Chairman, there emerged serious dissenting voices against
the Gang of Four and other
revolutionaries. In that case, the revolution had to be abandoned
(Clark 67; Chong 45).
Deng Xiaoping became the Chairman of the Central Advisory
Commission of the
Communist Party in 13

th
of September, 1982. He ran that office way through to 2
nd
November 1987. Xiaoping is remembered for his reformist
policies and the fact that he
enabled the country to become a market based economy.
Xiaoping did a lot for China in
spite of the fact that he never became the head of state or
government, or even the
General Secretary of the Communist Party of China. He led
smartly while sharing power
with much older leaders in what came to be known as the Eight
Elders (Yan & Gao 68;
Lu 89).
Impact of the Cultural Revolution
The Chinese Cultural Revolution made an impact in many
aspects of life in
China. These impacts are still being witnessed to the present
day. This section discusses
some of them. At the height of the revolution, politics were
greatly influenced by the
Chairman and the revolutionaries. There was little political
participation for those who

considered Zedong’s ideas as being oppressive. This impact can
be said to have
continued up to the present time since the Communist Party is
still in power and powerful
and has no political opposition (Chong 49).
The revolution ruined the economy. Industrial output fell
greatly, and the level of
income dropped sharply. Indeed, many observers believed that
the economy could not
recover with the revolution being continued. That is why
leaders like Xiaoping ushered in
the reforms which they believed were appropriate. The reforms
did in fact help China
recover and grow (Dittmer 89-91). As it has been indicated, the
revolution destroyed
cultural practices and believes. Cultural sites were completely
destroyed, and the people
adopted a relatively different way of life. The cultural loss that
China suffered was and
remains to be permanent. However, a number of people living in
rural communities have
started retracing their cultural roots (Dittmer 91).

The political ideology during the revolution was one hundred
percent support for
the Chairman. The support grew so intensely that it became a
personal cult. This scenario
was worsened by the fact that religion was discouraged. So,
Mao was a moral leader in
addition to being a political leader and the leader of the people
of the republic (Chong
34). During the revolution, historical relics were replaced with
political relics meant to
praise the Chairman. Much of the oral history was lost in that
process. In China, almost
all utterances were made in favor of praising the Chairman.
Anything else was lost in the
process (Feng 29).
Obviously, the Chinese people lost most of the practices which
were handed
down from one generation to the other. Indeed, they lost both
material and immaterial
possessions and it was all about politics and support for the
Chairman. Following the
starting of the reforms in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the
society has begun reclaiming

its heritage. The government is also helping to this effect (Feng
31).
Relate the World War Z
Chinese Cultural Revolution is closely related to the analogies
narrated in World
War Z. this This is because it was not only destructive to the
society’s culture, economy,
and politics, it did also have a lasting impact on the society.
Most of the accounts narrated
Comment [t2]: ital
in World War Z have serious consequences, and they resulted
into complete destruction
of societies. That is what happened in China and that is why it
has taken so long to outdo
the damage that was caused. The Chinese government continues
distract the citizens as it
is indicated in World War Z (Brooks 11). Indeed, the
Communist Party of China
government should admit their wrong doings and have the
courage to face their failure in
Cultural Revolution. By so doing, the entire Chinese society
would feel valued and

respected, and not just the leaders in government.
Good so far. I did not see your Clark source cited. Also, you
MUST clarify your sources
in the Works Cited. Where did you find them? They seem to be
all print sources…did
you get them in the Moraine library? I see you have many
paraphrases and summaries,
but I did not see any long quotes or short quotes. You need one
of each. You also need 3
“They Say, I Say” statements. See if you can revise for
Tuesday.
Comment [t3]: ital
References
Brooks, M. World War Z: An oral history of the zombie war.
New York: Broadway Books, 2013

Chong, W.L. China's Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution:
Master narratives and post-Mao
counter narratives. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2002
Clark, P. The Chinese Cultural Revolution: A historyHistory.
Cambridge, England: Cambridge
University Press, 2008
Dittmer, L. Liu Shaoqi and the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
Armonk NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1998
Esherick, J., Pickowicz, P., and Walder, A.G. The Chinese
cultural revolution as history. Palo
Alto, California: Stanford University Press, 2006
Feng, J. Ten years of madness: Oral histories of China's
Cultural Revolution. Beijing: China
Books, 1996
Jiang, J. Burden or legacy: From the Chinese Cultural
Revolution to contemporary art. Hong
Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2007
Lu, X. (2004). Rhetoric of the Chinese Cultural Revolution: The
impact on Chinese thought,
culture, and communication. Columbia, SC: Univ of South
Carolina Press, 2004
Yan, J. & Gao, G. Turbulent decade: A history of the Cultural
Revolution. Honolulu: University

of Hawaii Press, 1996
Comment [t4]: Works Cited
Comment [t5]: capitalize
Harris, I have a problem with most of these sources. We
discussed this in the library.
Are these print sources or web? You have not clarified. As
presented, they appear to be print
sources, but I did not see you with any books in the library.
Can you please let me know where
you got these sources?
Kwun Ho Ho, Harris
Ms, Caroline Johnson
COM-102-045
04 May 2014
Cultural Revolution
China's decade-long Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
shook the politics of China and the world in 1950. Even though
it is almost 60 years old, the movement is still so controversial
that the communist party of China still prohibits public
discussion about its Cultural Revolution. This paper seeks to
investigate the Chinese Cultural Revolution. The thesis of the
paper is that the Communist Party of China government should
admit their wrong doings and have the courage to face their
failure in the Cultural Revolution. A nation that is not willing to
admit its past does not deserve a prosperous future. It is

believed that if the Chinese can face up to its past mistakes,
China can develop in a faster pace and become more successful.
Background of the Cultural Revolution
It has been about 60 years ago since the Communist Party
of the China started what came to be called the Cultural
Revolution. Mao Zedong was very fond of the Great Proletarian
Cultural Revolution. But, his ideas ended up destroying the
lives of millions of Chinese. Indeed, some observers do not
believe that the dark history that the Chinese underwent can be
addressed and really forgotten completely. In addition to the
fact that millions had their lives, history, beliefs, and cultures
destroyed, the proponents of the Great Proletarian Cultural
Revolution did also destroy millions of historical artifacts and
monuments which were greatly valued by many communities
around the country (Esherick et al. 34).
Another reason why Chairman Zedong’s idea of Cultural
Revolution is criticized is that the children were separated from
their families and their parents. As a matter of fact, familial ties
were destroyed completely, particularly between 1966 and 1976;
the period when indoctrination and forced adoption of concepts
were at their extreme levels. The Communist party did also
force people to abandon their economic activities, education for
their children as well as for themselves, and their professions.
In fact, a whole generation was lost since China became
inadequately educated when compared to the rest of the world
(Esherick et al. 34).
The Aim of the Cultural Revolution
Chairman Zedong had hoped that his idea of Cultural
Revolution would help revolutionize China speedily. He had
hoped that within no time, China would be in a position to catch
up with the rest of the world. To Zedong, the reason why the
western powers appeared to oppose his views was that they did
not wish to see China emerging as a power. However, his
approach was wrong, and it resulted into serious consequences
and a lot of suffering for the people he had hoped to assist (Lu
78).

The disruption of the country’s economy and society was
too great that the objectives which the Chairman had remained
largely unachieved. His experimentation was more damaging
than beneficial, and it almost bankrupted the government and
the people. Therefore, even though he was opposed to the
redesigning of his original ideas, the Chairman had no choice
but to let the man he had chosen as his Vice Chairman and the
one who was the Premier to implement some reforms, i.e.
redesigning of his original ideas (Jiang 46).
Anti – Revisionism (Three Red Flags)
Anti-revisionism is the term that is used to refer to the
opposition that influential Chinese people had towards the
revision or the modification of the revolutionary ideas which
the Chairman and his team had. Anti-revisionists views any
attempt to review or dilute the ideas of the Chairman as rather
concessions to the adversaries of Communism. Such feelings
made them oppose the move to revise vehemently. The
following subsections address some of the steps which the
government of China undertook to safeguard their communist
ideas (Feng 78).
The Chinese government adopted the General Line from
the ideas of the leaders of the Soviet Union. In the Soviet
Union, the General Line started being implemented in the year
1927, and it was meant to help with the celebration of the idea
of collectivization of agricultural activities. The idea was really
being championed by Leon Trotsky who was a Bolshevik.
Chairman Zedong believed that the General Line was the best
for China. He believed that it would help ease the agricultural
activities; and, therefore, the people of China did not have to
suffer famines. However, the idea failed, and people suffered
famines (Chong 73).
The Great Leap Forward refers to the campaign of
economic and social activities which the government of China
implemented between the years 1958 and 1961. Through this
idea, the Chairman had hoped that China would be transformed
from a largely agrarian economy into a country that was largely

industrialized through communism. On the contrary, the country
did not industrialize rapidly; instead, the people of China
experienced what is commonly referred to as the Great Chinese
Famine. The most noted changes to the Chinese society include
the fact that people were forced into participating in
agricultural collectivization and the prohibition of private
farming activities. Anyone who went against these rules was
considered a counter revolutionary and was punished severely
(Chong 38).
The Communist Party of China placed a lot of restrictions
on the people living in rural areas. The restrictions were
enforced via what was referred to as the public struggle
sessions. In these sessions, there was a lot of social pressure
and forced labor. The Communist party called this the rural
industrialization, and it was the official priority for the party.
The people’s commune refers to what used to be the most
significant of the three main administrative levels of the
communities living in the rural areas. Its implementation was
done between the years 1958 and 1983. Starting from 1983, the
communes were abandoned, and townships emerged (Dittmer
15).
As the idea of the Cultural Revolution was being
implemented, there was significant authority struggle in the
Communist Party. Some of the officials did not follow the
orders of the Chairman to the letter. Indeed, some ended up
being corrupt, and they tended to amass resources for
themselves and their cronies. This practice annoyed the
Chairman so much that he came up with a plan of punishing
them in public; at least so that he can intimidate the rest into
dropping their corrupt views (Yan & Gao 30).
Following the removal of a leader called Peng Zhen, the
party was disoriented. This disorientation was particularly seen
in the Party Committee that sat in Beijing. There was massive
disorder and discontent in the country’s capital. About the same
time, on May 25, 1966, a lecturer of philosophy called Nie
Yuanzi wrote a poster where he and other leftists criticized the

university administration’s policies. Yuanzi alleged that the
administration was having a secret mission to gain so much
influence before undermining the party from within (Dittmer
67).
Zedong favored dealing with dissenters in a chaotic
manner. In this regard, he ordered that Yuanzi’s message be
broadcast throughout China in a bid to demonstrate to the
dissenters that their plans cannot go unnoticed and unpunished.
The broadcast was followed by the closure of classes in Beijing
and other regions of the country in protest to the school
administration’s secret plans. In early June, students lined the
streets while holding huge portraits of Chairman Zedong,
shouting slogans, and beating drums as if to intimidate the
Chairman’s perceived enemies. By the end of July 1966, the
Red Guards started violent purges of dissenters. By mid August,
most of the needed purges had already been done (Dittmer 70).
Cultural Revolution of the Development Process
As it has been indicated, Chairman Zedong’s idea of
Cultural Revolution was meant to facilitate a rapid development
process. Although his ideas appeared to be working at the very
beginning, they soon began to wreck havoc on the society,
economy, and governance. The following subsections address
some of the most important issues which relate to the
development process (Chong 12).
Cultural Revolution was a huge social-political movement
whose objective was to facilitate the enforcement of
communism and the removal of cultural and traditional elements
as well as capitalistic views from the society. In order to
achieve this goal, the Chairman imposed Maoist orthodoxy
within the Communist Party. The movement caused a lot of
paralysis to the society in terms of the economy, social aspects,
and politics. The launch of the revolution followed claims by
Mao Zedong that some bourgeois elements had infiltrated his
government as well as the society at large, and that their aim
was to facilitate the restoration of capitalism. Therefore, his
move was meant to have them removed through violent Class

Struggle (Feng 18).
The young youth, especially the students, responded to
Zedong’s request by forming the Red Guards all over the
country. The movement did spread fast and was adopted by the
Communist Party, urban workers, as well as the soldiers. As a
result, there were serious factional struggles in every aspect of
life in China. Many senior officials were expelled from the
party after being accused and condemned for assuming views
which were largely considered to be capitalist. The most famous
expellees were Deng Xiaoping and Liu Shaoqi. Such expulsions
made the Mo’s personality cult to spread and grow to
proportions which were so immense to be ignored (Feng 30).
Although most Chinese were of the opinion that the
revolution was necessary, a significant number did not agree
with the Chairman. Those who did not agree were persecuted,
especially through what had become violent factional struggles.
There were wide-ranging abuses, including arbitrary
imprisonment, public humiliation, sustained harassment,
property seizures, and torture (Esherick et al. 45).
Most of the dissenters were urbanites who were
vehemently opposed to forced emigration from the cities into
the rural areas. As all these were taking place, the Red Guards
were ransacking religious and cultural sites. They did also
destroy numerous artifacts and historical relics. Of course there
was serious opposition to such activities. There were people
who had grown up respecting and valuing what was being
destroyed. However, the activities had to remain since they
were either ordered or sanctioned by the Chairman himself. The
Maoist reforms where, however, done away with following the
death of the Chairman in 1976 (Esherick et al. 78).
In August 18th 1966, the Red Guards gathered in Beijing
in order to listen to the Chairman addressing them. The Red
Guards had come from all over the country, and were so eager
to listen to the Chairman who spoken atop the Tiananmen Gate
(Feng 78). The Chairman and his handpicked successor, Lin
Biao, made several and frequent appearances in a bid to greet

the Red Guards whose number was approximated to have been
11 million. The Red Guards cheered the two leaders wildly
every time they made an appearance. While making his speech,
the chairman praised the conduct that the Red Guards had been
exhibiting, and indicated that they had helped entrench
democracy and socialism in the society (Lu 10).
The Gang of Four refers to the political faction of the
Chinese Communist party that consisted of four prominent
officials. Their prominence was linked to the Cultural
Revolution that occurred between 1966 and 1976. They included
Jiang Qing, who was Mao’s last wife, Wang Hongwen, Yao
Wenyuan, and Zhang Chunqiao. Later on, these officials were
charged with treason and subsequently expelled (Dittmer 150).
It remained relatively unclear whether the gang was
implementing Mao’s ideas or the ideas which they were
implementing were their own. In the end, these individuals were
blamed for many of the excesses of the Communist Party, and
this is what led to their purging. History indicates that the
gang’s impact was largely negative. They sanctioned terror and
other forms of excesses which made the Chinese people to
suffer a lot (Yan & Gao 89).
Zedong favored violent or chaotic expulsion of the
dissenters. He believed that such violence would in the end
intimidate the potential dissenters and to force them to toe the
line. During the expulsions, many dissenters lost their lives, or
at least their livelihood. The Red Guards were feared for being
extremely ruthless, and due to the fact that they had direct
contact with the Chairman himself. They were the people who
turned Zedong’s following into a cult. In that case, few would
have dared to oppose the Chairman (Jiang 67).
The post revolution period was marked by drastic changes.
First of all, Maoism was dropped as an ideology, and the society
became more open. Indeed, China became more open to foreign
direct investment and political room was open a little bit. In
that case, people could discuss political subjects more openly,
and they could also engage in economic activities more freely.

The reforms deed, therefore, facilitate the emergence of the
Middle Class, and this Middle Class was able to afford a better
life while still living in the Communist China (Feng 89).
The End of the Cultural Revolution
Chinese Cultural Revolution came to an end about the
same time when Mao Zedong died. The Red Guards had been
done away with a little bit earlier after it became clear to the
Chairman that they were not only a threat to the social cohesion
but also to the Communist Party structures. Nonetheless, the
group was disbanded after it had accomplished the mission that
Chairman wanted them to accomplish. After the death of the
Chairman, there emerged serious dissenting voices against the
Gang of Four and other revolutionaries. In that case, the
revolution had to be abandoned (Clark 67; Chong 45).
Deng Xiaoping became the Chairman of the Central
Advisory Commission of the Communist Party in 13th of
September, 1982. He ran that office way through to 2nd
November 1987. Xiaoping is remembered for his reformist
policies and the fact that he enabled the country to become a
market based economy. Xiaoping did a lot for China in spite of
the fact that he never became the head of state or government,
or even the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China.
He led smartly while sharing power with much older leaders in
what came to be known as the Eight Elders (Yan & Gao 68; Lu
89).
Impact of the Cultural Revolution
Chinese Cultural Revolution made an impact in many
aspects of life in China. These impacts are still being witnessed
to the present day. This section discusses some of them. At the
height of the revolution, politics were greatly influenced by the
Chairman and the revolutionaries. There was little political
participation for those who considered Zedong’s ideas as being
oppressive. This impact can be said to have continued up to the
present time since the Communist Party is still in power and
powerful and has no political opposition (Chong 49).
The revolution ruined the economy. Industrial output fell

greatly, and the level of income dropped sharply. Indeed, many
observers believed that the economy could not recover with the
revolution being continued. That is why leaders like Xiaoping
ushered in the reforms which they believed were appropriate.
The reforms did in fact help China recover and grow (Dittmer
89-91). As it has been indicated, the revolution destroyed
cultural practices and believes. Cultural sites were completely
destroyed, and the people adopted a relatively different way of
life. The cultural loss that China suffered was and remains to be
permanent. However, a number of people living in rural
communities have started retracing their cultural roots (Dittmer
91).
The political ideology during the revolution was one
hundred percent support for the Chairman. The support grew so
intensely that it became a personal cult. This scenario was
worsened by the fact that religion was discouraged. So, Mao
was a moral leader in addition to being a political leader and the
leader of the people of the republic (Chong 34). During the
revolution, historical relics were replaced with political relics
meant to praise the Chairman. Much of the oral history was lost
in that process. In China, almost all utterances were made in
favor of praising the Chairman. Anything else was lost in the
process (Feng 29).
Obviously, the Chinese people lost most of the practices
which were handed down from one generation to the other.
Indeed, they lost both material and immaterial possessions and
it was all about politics and support for the Chairman.
Following the starting of the reforms in the late 1980s and early
1990s, the society has begun reclaiming its heritage. The
government is also helping to this effect (Feng 31).
Relate the World War Z
Chinese Cultural Revolution is closely related to the
analogies narrated in World War Z. This is because it was not
only destructive to the society’s culture, economy, and politics,
it did also have a lasting impact on the society. Most of the
accounts narrated in World War Z have serious consequences,

and they resulted in complete destruction of societies. That is
what happened in China and that is why it has taken so long to
outdo the damage that was caused. The Chinese government
continues distract the citizens as it is indicated in World War Z
(Brooks 11). Indeed, the Communist Party of China government
should admit their wrong doings and have the courage to face
their failure in Cultural Revolution. By so doing, the entire
Chinese society would feel valued and respected, and not just
the leaders in government.
Com. 102 / MVCC / Johnson
World War Z Research Paper
As part of this course you are required to complete a 9 - 11 page
research paper. Your paper can be
either expository—where you inform and explain a topic—or
argumentative, where you argue
persuasively FOR or AGAINST an idea. Because we are
focusing primarily on the book World
War Z in this class, you will also need to include at least one
paragraph about the book in your
paper. Your task is to research your topic and write an
insightful paper. Your paper will include
mostly secondary sources. Below is a step by step guide to get
you started.

Read the following steps below before starting your paper.
Good luck!!
1. Choosing your topic. Be careful when choosing a topic.
Choose one that you like, and about which
you can find sources. Try to go online and do a preliminary
reading of your topic to get a feel for the
information that is out there. It's a "first come, first served" on
the topics, so the earlier you choose your
topic the better chance you will have at getting the one you
want. Also, everyone must choose a
different topic.
The Research Question. After you have chosen your topic
and have browsed through some
preliminary sources, your next task is to form a working
question that will guide you in your research.
Although most research implies questions, for this
assignment you must formulate one specific question
before you begin your search. This question will provide
direction and the necessary basis for the
selection and evaluation of sources you will do as you
perform your research.

The questions can vary. However, avoid questions that are so
specific that they can be answered in a
few words. For instance, "Who is Thomas Paine?" is a question
that can be answered briefly. Formulate
questions that will give your research direction. For instance:
"What are Paine's dominant themes in his
writings?" "What did Paine's contemporaries, critics, as well as
other authors, think of his works?" Or,
if you are writing about the U.S. prison system, "Why are so
many prisoners in the U.S. incarcerated
because of drug charges?" In class, we will discuss the research
question further.
The question must be clearly formulated before you begin your
search. It will be part of your
research proposal You must write your question in the Research
Proposal, which is due
Thursday, April 24, in the library.
2. Types and Number of Sources. Students must use a variety
of sources in the works cited for a total of
at least eight (9 including WWZ). Your eight sources must be
found using the online library catalogs,
including critical sources, reference materials, books or other
information from the Moraine Valley

library or other libraries. Your sources should reflect a
diversity of different material, such as:
Two or three scholarly journal sources (databases)
Two or three books
Two reference sources (encyclopedias, etc.)
Magazines, newspapers
One or two Internet sites
You should NOT get all of your information from the Internet.
Explore the resources at the library. Since we
will be visiting the library ONLY on April 24, you will have to
do much of the research on your own time.
You will be required to write bibliographical information on 10
Source Sheets and have these checked by the
teacher. These sheets will also be checked by the teacher for
points.
3. Evaluating Sources. When you have located a source that you
feel will be useful to you for your paper, you
will be responsible for evaluating that source. You will want to
first evaluate the usefulness of that source in
answering the question you have posed at the beginning of your

research. If it is an Internet source, you will
want to be especially careful in evaluating the authenticity of
the Web site, being careful to check out the
author of the article, the date it was written, and any other
factual information that verifies its legitimacy.
4. Writing Source Sheets. Once you feel the source you have
located is a valid source and will be useful
to you, fill out a Source Sheet for it, following the steps and
procedures we outline in class, following
MLA style. Be careful!! You will be graded on this!
5. Take Notes. Using your 10 Source Sheets, a spiral notebook,
or highlighted text, take notes from your
sources in an organized fashion. Scan each source to see if you
will be using any extended citation
(more than two sentences) from it. If so, photocopy the page or
make a copy from the Internet if it is a
Web site. You will need to document three sources from which
you have quoted text verbatim in
your paper. Keep the paper copy to hand in with the final
research paper.
6. Write an outline. When you are finished with your note
taking, your next step is to write a
comprehensive outline for your research paper. We will work
on this in class. It will be worth points.

7. Stay organized. Keep a folder to keep all of your notecards,
outline and other notes.
Due Dates
Topic chosen Tues., April 22 Beginning of Class
Four Sources due Tues., April 22 In class & April 24
4 more sources Thurs., April 24 In library
All 10 Sources due in pocket folder Tues., April 29 Beginning
of Class
Comprehensive Outline/Thesis: Thurs., May 1 Beginning of
Class
E-mailed Rough Draft Sun., May 4 6 p.m.
OR Rough Draft Conference Tues., May 6 At Conference
Final Draft with Works Cited Thursday, May 8 Beginning of
Class
IMPORTANT NOTE: Each of these projects must be done in
steps. I cannot accept anything done
"out of order." Also, there are no "late grades" for the research
paper. Missing class can seriously

affect your grade.
What Do I Write About?
Okay, so now that you know what is expected of you in terms of
length, bibliography, and note taking, you
may have no clue about what to write about. Here are some
general guidelines to help you as you go about
doing your research. Your research paper should include:
which will probably be some kind of answer to your
research question.
original works or books, and discuss them.
Choose your texts carefully. Choose works not only that you
like, but ones that seem to represent a
certain theme, or that are similar in terms of style or techniques.
The bulk of your paper will be made up of analysis. You must
include quotes from each text to illustrate
your analysis, and document each source according to MLA
guidelines. It is also necessary to include

documentation of all of your sources and critical sources in
your paper. This will be done using
parenthetical citation according to MLA standards. We will go
over this format in class.
You must also include at least one paragraph that relates your
topic to the book, World War Z. As a result,
the book is one of your sources and must be include in your
Works Cited page.
-thought out conclusion that restates your thesis.
ited page that includes all the resources you have
cited, in alphabetical order.
placed in a pocket folder.
_____________________________________________________
__________
The grade you receive will be based on the quality and variety
of your sources, the clarity and depth of your
writing, the completeness of your paper, its length, and the
degree to which the sources relate to the research
question you originally ask. You will also be graded on
grammar, according to MVCC standards.

Plagiarism is prohibited, and anyone caught cheating or
plagiarizing will receive an automatic 'F' on the
research paper, and possibly for the class.

Kwun Ho Ho, Harris Ms, Caroline Johnson COM-102-045 .docx

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