Greetings Tongzhimen,
As this tumultuous period finally comes to a close I now have the opportunity to reflect on the Cultural Revolution and the extent to which it achieved its two ambitious, main goals of closing the gap between the cities and the countryside and creating revolutionary successors from the urban, educated youth. Looking back, the two goals of the Cultural Revolution were only partially achieved and resulted in many negative consequences.
Mao attempted to bridge the long-standing socioeconomic gap between the rural and the urban communities through the “Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside Movement”. Educated urban youth like students, teachers, and professionals were sent to the countryside to help solve the labor shortage rural communities were facing, while at the same time establishing an appreciation of rural life among the educated urban youth. Connecting urban and rural communities is a noble goal however the movement had a lot of unintended consequences. The educated urban youth were ill-prepared for the harsh conditions of the countryside. The propaganda the party published gave the educated urban youth a false image of prosperous and advanced rural communities, the reality of poor village life hit them very hard as they had to live with no electricity or running water. The first round of the campaign was voluntary and when reports on the reality of the villages returned nobody wanted to go, but by then the campaign was no longer voluntary. The educated urban youth also were not physically strong and did not know the required farming techniques and skills but still required sustenance from the rural families, proving to be counterproductive. The mass migration to the countryside disrupted the education of an entire generation of urban youth, and the consequences of this will not be fully realized until years later when the generation ages. The generation was also isolated from their families and old urban social networks, leading to isolation and for some individuals serious psychological issues like depression and disillusionment.
One successful initiative under this broader movement was Barefoot Doctors, the mobilization of doctors and medical professionals into rural communities. Historically, rural populations had poor or non-existent healthcare, and by providing medical care and teaching medical knowledge to locals in these rural communities the quality of healthcare improved.
The physical embodiment of urban, educated revolutionary successors was the Red Guards. These groups were mostly comprised of high school and university students who all unwaveringly followed Mao Zedong thought. They were the army that helped advance the Cultural Revolution. The Red Guards would engage in mass mobilization, confront perceived class enemies, and propagate Maoist thought. The intense ideological indoctrination and cult of personality surrounding Mao created a generation of individuals deeply loyal to Mao. They saw him as the supreme leader whose guidance was unquestionable. However, power struggles and extreme violence among revolutionary groups emerged, with each group claiming they loved Chairman Mao more. Innocent civilians were afraid to go out during the day for fear of being caught in the crossfire. Under the slogan “Attack with Words, Defend with Guns” the groups justified the fighting as members would acquire a range of weapons including grenades, bayonets, machine guns, cannons, tanks, and anti-aircraft missiles. Violence intensified until these groups were abolished by Mao. The cost of ideological conformity in the short term is the underdevelopment of the youth in the long term as political activism was prioritized over education. Mao radicalized the urban youth and destroyed independent thought, making it arduous to take a pragmatic approach after the Cultural Revolution.
The Cultural Revolution pursued the admirable goals of closing the gap between urban and rural China and creating a new generation of revolutionary successors. Despite the consequences, it made minimal progress toward narrowing the divide between the rural and urban was effective in producing educated, urban youths who would become revolutionaries.
I agree with your conclusion and the point you brought up throughout this blog. Mao was putting together mass mobilizations of every single population group from intellectuals and doctors, to red guards. Some of these movements had a glimpse at success but it was not enough to make a true positive impact on society.
I also think that expanding health care in rural areas was a successful policy. Indeed, as you wrote, the cost of this will be significant in the long run, as loyalty to Mao’s policies was more important than education at this time.
I strongly agree with you on the devastating outcome of the Cultural Revolution on the destruction of open, independent thought particularly within this new generation. I wonder what this will mean for the future of our nation, and if the youth will cleave to the new political institution.
Your post provides a very good overview of the Cultural Revolution’s two main goals and the consequences that ensued. It highlights the challenges faced by educated urban youth sent to rural areas and the radicalization of the Red Guards. I believe these two points are integral for understanding the nuances of this time period.