Extracts from two British information reports titled ‘World Reactions to China’s Cultural Revolution and the Red Guards – Part II’ and ‘Parts III’, 14 February 1967 and 1 December 1967. Catalogue reference: FO 1110/2317 and FO 1110/2319
Transcript
The East German agency on January 7, 1967, commented:
“The most recent events in China confirm in a most alarming manner what had been said for many months by Communist and workers’ parties in the whole world. That the alleged Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution…was neither great and proletarian nor has it anything to do with culture or even with a revolution.”
Pakistan: The Karachi paper The Leader on January 11, 1967 published an article on the clashes in China in which it said that:
“Neighbours of China, like Pakistan, which are developing close relations with China…have to be alarmed by the developments in the Chinese cities.”
The paper also stated:
“If the quarrel in China is ideological, it should have been settled through the party caucus or the People’s Congress and not through young volunteers or street mobs, whether they be Red Guards, workers or students.”
Iraq: The paper Al-Arab on August 31, 1966, stated:
“A cultural revolution has never meant the destruction of religious, social and cultural traditions which do not conflict with cultural, social and economic progress at all…To launch oppressive campaigns against religious social and cultural traditions in the name of the cultural revolution…is not the right thing to do and it will not do the Chinese people any good.”
Malagasy Republic: President Tsiranana of the Malagasy Republic said in an interview with the Courier de Madagascar in March 1967 that some Chinese leaders has come to realise the mistake of allowing Red Guards to run wild. But if the young people had erred, the fault was with their leaders. He said he believed the main reason for the cultural revolution was that the Chinese leaders were trying to hide the regime’s internal difficulties.
Indian Communist Party: Moscow radio of November 13, 1966, reported that the Delhi paper New Age was publishing a series of articles by Adhikari, a member of the Central Secretariat of the Indian CP, in which he had stated:
“The Cultural revolution uses the cult of the teaching of Mao Tse-tung to destroy all opposition and criticism made in the ranks of the party in connection with economic difficulties and shortcomings, and declares that the teaching of Mao Tse-tung provides the final solution to all the problems of life in all fields. This contradicts Marxism.”
These sources are evaluations of the Cultural Revolution from different perspectives: the Chinese Communist Party (Source 4a), British government officials (Source 4b), and countries around the world (Source 4c). (It’s useful to note that all of these perspectives were translated and selected by British government sources.) Look through each piece of evidence and form your opinion to answer the question: did the Cultural Revolution achieve its aims?
- How would you describe the language and tone of Jiang Qing, speech (Source 4a)?
- How does she justify a ‘proletarian dictatorship’?
- How does this explain her view on the Cultural Revolution?
- How do British officials describe the impact of the Cultural Revolution in Source 4b?
- Apart from economic effects of the Cultural Revolution, can you think of its possible effects on education, cultural life, and the arts?
- What are the similarities and differences in perspective from other countries on the Cultural Revolution in Source 4c?
- Do you think the Cultural Revolution was successful in achieving its aims? Give your reasons with reference to source documents found in this lesson.