The Cultural Revolution

Essay # 64619

History > Asian

An analysis of the causes of the Chinese Cultural Revolution.

1,221 words () | 5 sources | APA | 2005 Canada

Paper Summary:

This paper explores what Mao's initial intention was when he first launched the Cultural Revolution and why he failed to achieve his initial goals. Contesting the commonly accepted assumption that sees a purge of oppositional forces as Mao's primary intention, it argues that Mao's fundamental motive for the revolution was his strong desire to remodel China according to his communist ideals.

From the Paper:

"Wang argues that Mao's strong desire to consolidate his Marxist ideals, which can be seen as the major cause of the Cultural Revolution, was driven by the fundamental contradiction within the Chinese society that time. When the Communists came to power in 1949, the new regime shared with its Republican and late-Qing predecessors the determination to strengthen the nation. China was facing two broad goals to achieve at once. One was to acquire economic and technical power so that it could develop into an advanced, powerful, industrial society. The other was to create a society based on values that conformed to Marxist concepts of social justice. China's long history of chronic poverty and inquality strongly drove its national leaders to promote both full-speed modernization and egalitarian social transformation. "