Impact of Cultural Revolution on China

Impact of Cultural Revolution on China What effects did the Cultural Revolution have on life in rural China? Introduction In 1966, China’s Communist leader Mao Zedong launched a movement in which became to be known as the Cultural Revolution in order to reassert his authority over the Chinese government. Mao called on the nation’s youth which formed the Red Guard and was Mao’s personal army to purge the impure elements of Chinese society. The Cultural Revolution continued for a decade until Mao’s death in 1976. The Cultural Revolution had such a tormented and violent legacy that it still resided in Chinese politics during the post-revolution era. The Cultural Revolution was a great political movement that took place in the People’s Republic of China in 1966. Mao Zedong was the in charge of starting this movement as he wanted to enforce communism more on the country by trying to remove capitalist and certain elements from the current Chinese society that were affecting his party negatively. This revolution helped Mao Zedong back into power even after the failed five year plan of the ‘Great Leap Forward’. This movement significantly affected China economically and socially which in turn had heavy negative effects on China’s position politically. Many of the youths of China started to from the Red Guard groups as an appeal to Mao to help bring more control and spreading of his influence. These groups conducted a mass purge even on senior officers who were so called accused of being more in favour to the capitalist side rather than following the road of communism that Mao Zedong wants all of China to follow. This group grew significantly and rapidly as more youths were influenced to join the cause in helping Mao and his movement. â€Å"During this turbulent decade, many events happened in China with the most notably the Red Guard movement, nationwide revolutionary rebels and great chaos, the fall of Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping, the Lin Biao affair and the movement of millions of youths and intellectuals to the rural country sides. During the different events and stages of the Cultural Revolution, millions of people were killed or who have suffered unspeakable hardships both physically and psychologically.† (Chang, 1999) Context The Cultural Revolution affected the Chinese system as a whole which resulted in many consequences. In the short run, political instability and the economy produced a slower economic growth which resulted in a significant decline in government expenditure and services. Although there were many problems in the main city’s the rural and countryside areas life prospered during the Cultural Revolution as many educated youths who joined Mao’s movement and became a Red Guard moved to the rural areas. â€Å"This first generation of educated rural youth helped village production brigades begin to mechanize agriculture, develop irrigation on a large scale, introduce chemical fertilizer, and experiment with new seeds, crops, and methods, and they also staffed the more than 2,500 small factories and other enterprises set up by Jimo villages during the Cultural Revolution decade.† (Han, 2008) During the Cultural Revolution, Mao who is in charge of the Communist Party implemented a policy which was known as the Down to the Countryside Movement, which was to move the educated youths from the urban areas down to the rural and countryside areas to live and learn. These youths were educated by farmers in understanding a greater role in agrarian labor. These educated youths which were mostly the Red Guards were moved out of the urban areas so that there would be less social disruption than in the urban areas during this conflict. Each individual youth learned the many ways of agrarian labor and were inducted into this new society. As the Cultural Revolution continued on there were a large number of experienced health personnel that were deployed to the countryside. Farmers were given the opportunity of medical training and the building of health centers was established in the countryside to help further improvement of life in the rural areas. This process led to a high improvement in health and life expectancy of the general population in rural areas. â€Å"There were massive expansion of rural middle schools and the development of rural-oriented vocational education during the Cultural Revolution decade.† (Han, 2008) â€Å"Agricultural production began to substantially improve and rural industry took off in Jimo County. The expansion of rural schools and especially the new vocational education programs provided village youth with the training required to modernize agriculture and develop small factories.† (Han, 2008) By June of 1966 many schools and universities all over China had closed down due to the majority of students spending all their time joining the Cultural Revolution movement and becoming a Red Guard for Mao. Millions of these youths were ordered to take part in attacking other citizens and high elite personal that are not wanting or following the movement’s ideologies. Many of the rural villages start to rise up and challenged village officials face to face with public debates, posters and mass meetings. In the first time ever in China, farmers were able to stand up and fight against the government and criticize them for all their faults especially during the Great Leap Forward years. The government officials in charge of the villages were significantly outnumbered and succumbed to the new communes of farmers. Government officials and leaders had lost all of their power and influence during the Cultural Revolution. â€Å"Enthusiastic urban youths in middle schools and colleges formed Red Guard organizations and served as Mao’s crusading army against the traditional party and state establishment before all 17 million in total were sent to the countryside to receive reeducation from local peasants. Deprived of regular school education in their formative years, most members of this cultural revolution generation were at a loss in the competiti on for employment in the post-Revolution reform era.† (Guo, Song Zhou, 2006) Government officials had no choice but to either leave back to the city or reform to the movement’s ways and activities. Many of them did reform and started new life’s and worked as farmers. They had to follow the rules implemented by the farmer’s communes and their new democratic culture which was now being heavily implemented by all villages in the rural areas during the Cultural Revolution period. As time passed on during the Cultural Revolution period, ordinary farmers were empowered and were given more control in the management of the affairs of production teams and brigades. During the revolution years the farmers started many committees which were democratically election. This helped provide the farmers with fair and equal election. With the elected leaders of each committee, production plans and budgets were greatly improved thus improving economic activities and providing a higher growth rate. This improved life greatly in the rural areas during the Cultural Revolution. â€Å"Hence Mao’s idea of a spiral of growth in the villages beginning from simple, labor-intensive, nil-gestation investment and leading on to the modernization of rural China.† (Gray, 2006) Conclusion In conclusion life during the Cultural Revolution period in China for the rural areas was quite successful. With a high number of youths that moved to the rural areas during the down to the countryside movement, the rural areas had a significant increase in overall production and economic growth as new societies were created and increase in infrastructure and services most notably agricultural factories were built. Although this revolution had terrible consequences during the short term such as millions of people suffering or being killed the revolution proved beneficial in its long term as it impacted the entire country for decades to come. â€Å"The Cultural Revolution involved virtually all Chinese people and indirectly many other countries in the world. During the Cultural Revolution, revolutionary art, music and dramas were pursued and major reforms in education, factory management, economic planning, medical care and other areas of Chinese life were carried out. Many of these actually brought bitterness and injury to the Chinese people. During this turbulent decade, China also encountered difficulties, setbacks and isolation in the international relations area in the late 1960s and only made some efforts to try and improve its relations with other countries and expand its diplomatic base in the 1970s.† (Chang, 1999) â€Å"This 10 yearlong class struggle on a massive scale caused unprecedented damage to traditional culture and to the nation’s economy. To a great extent, it was the disaster of the Cultural Revolution that prompted post-Mao Chinese communist leaders ahead of their soviet counterparts to implement pragmatic economic reforms. Major policies that the post-Mao government has adopted, even today may still be best understood as a reaction to the racial politics of the Cultural Revolution. â€Å"(Guo, Song Zhou, 2006) Word Count: 1447 Bibliography Chang, T. (1999). China during the Cultural Revolution, 1966-1976 (1st Ed.). Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. Depts.washington.edu. (2014). Cultural Revolution. Retrieved 19 April 2014, from https://depts.washington.edu/chinaciv/graph/9wenge.htm Gray, J. (1990). Rebellions and revolutions (1st Ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Gray, J. (2006). Remembering Jack Gray (1st Ed.). Guo, J., Song, Y., Zhou, Y. (2006). Historical dictionary of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1st Ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. Guo, J., Song, Y., Zhou, Y., Guo, J. (2009). The A to Z of the Chinese Cultural Revolution (1st Ed.). Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press. Han, D. (2001). Impact of the Cultural Revolution on Rural Education and Economic Development. Modern China, 27(1), 5990. Han, D. (2008). The unknown cultural revolution (1st Ed.). New York: Monthly Review Press. HISTORY.com. (2014). Cultural Revolution Facts Summary HISTORY.com. Retrieved 19 April 2014, from http://www.history.com/topics/cultural-revolution HsuÃÅ'ˆ, I. (1970). The rise of modern China (1st Ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. Kissinger, H. (2011). On China (1st Ed.). New York: Penguin Press. Potter, S. (1988). The cultural construction of emotion in rural Chinese social life. Ethos, 16(2), 181208. Singhal, D. (1972). A year in upper felicity: life in a Chinese village during the Cultural Revolution (1st Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, N. J.: Prentice-Hall. Zhou, X., Hou, L. (1999). Children of the Cultural Revolution: The state and the life course in the Peoples Republic of China. American Sociological Review, 1236

Essay --

Men and Women There is a misconception in society that has to be with the differences that exist between male and female. People think that women and men react and experiment the same changes as they go through the difference stages of life. That idea is completely wrong. A lot of phycological studies affirm that since childbirth, the social, emotional and developmental differences are inevitable. The differences between masculine and feminine appear very early in the human development.The differences when choosing toys are very obvious. While boys like to play with cars or balls, girls prefer Barbie and pink dresses. In the middle of childhood, we can appreciate those differences too, for example, at school. Boys like physical games while girls, tend to favor games that include talking and social communication. During those ages, parents encourage boys to explore fresh experiences and unknown things, while girls are more protected by their parents and relatives. Boys normally have large groups of friends, and they like to play together. The stronger boy in the group is considered â€Å"the leader." With girls, this aspect is very different; they focus on one or two "bestfriends." Friendship between girls consists on keeping secrets that no one else can discover. Trust is the main element. They avoid differences. Girls prefer an identical distribution of power.That is why, when girls go, for example, to the movies; they constantly try to walk in a perfect row, which means that they have "identical power†. In contrast, boys regularly walk in a triangular shape.The leader is supposed to be the first, and the rest of the group follow the leader. Those differences in characters and ideas that appear during childhood are re... ... get over the situation, men cannot understand those changes most of the times, and they prefer to end with their marriages or to look for new experiences with younger women during their marriages. According to Dr. Paul Cameron, a Maryland psychologist, reported to the Midwestern Psychological Association, based on his exhaustive research, â€Å"Men like sex a lot more than women do, we men are fools for beauty.† As we can see there are a lot of changes that both genders experiment during their life but women and men react and live each stage in a different manner. During adolescence and adulthood, the contrast that in childhood is reinforced and new hormonal changes appear. Alterations such as menstruation, maternity, breastfeeding or menopause make an enormous difference between opposite genders. The lifetime discrepancy between sexes is completely unavoidable.

Stefan’s Diaries: Origins Chapter 15

As soon as twilight fell, I sneaked down the stairs, opened the back door, and tiptoed out onto the grass, already wet with dew. I was extra cautious, since there were torches surrounding the estate and I knew Father would be displeased that I was venturing out after dark. But the carriage house was only a stone's throw from the house itself–about twenty paces from the porch. I stole across the yard, staying in the shadows, feeling my heart pound against my rib cage. I wasn't concerned about animal attacks or creatures of the night. I was more concerned that I'd be found by Alfred or, worse, Father. But the notion of not being able to see Katherine that night made me feel hysterical. Once again, a heavy fog blanketed the ground and rose to the sky, an odd reversal of nature that most likely was due to the changing of the seasons. I shivered and made sure to look away from the willow tree as I ran to the bridle path and up the porch steps of the carriage house. I paused at the whitewashed door. The curtains on the windowpanes were pulled shut, and I couldn't see any candlelight seeping under the windows. For a second, I feared I had come too late. What if Katherine and Emily had retired to bed? Still, I rapped my knuckles sharply against the wooden door frame. The door creaked open and a hand grabbed my wrist. â€Å"Come in!† I heard a rough whisper as I was swept into the house. Behind me, I heard the click of the lock and realized I was standing face-to- face with Emily. â€Å"Sir,† Emily said, smiling as she curtseyed. She was dressed in a simple navy gown, and her hair fell in dark waves around her shoulders. â€Å"Good evening,† I said, bowing gently. I glanced around the little house, allowing my eyes to adjust to the dim light. A red lantern glowed on the rough-hewn table in the living room, casting shadows against the wooden beams of the ceiling. The carriage house had been in a state of disrepair for years, ever since Mother had died and her relatives had stopped visiting. But now that it was inhabited, there was a warmth to the rooms that was absent in the main house. â€Å"What can I do for you, sir?† Emily asked, her dark eyes unblinking. â€Å"Um †¦ I'm here to see Katherine,† I stammered, suddenly embarrassed. What would Emily think of her mistress? Of course, maids are meant to be discreet, but I knew how servants talked, and I certainly didn't want Katherine's virtue to be compromised if Emily was the type to engage in idle servant gossip. â€Å"Katherine has been expecting you,† Emily said, a glint of mischief in her dark eyes. She took the lantern from the table and led me up the wooden stairs, stopping at the white door at the end of the hallway. I squinted. When Damon and I were little, we'd always been vaguely afraid of the upstairs of the carriage house. Maybe it was because the servants had said it was haunted, maybe because every floorboard had creaked, but something about the space had stopped us from staying very long. Now that Katherine was here, though, there was nowhere else I'd rather be. Emily turned toward me, her knuckles on the door. She rapped three times. Then she swung the door open. I walked cautiously into the room, the floorboards creaking as Emily disappeared down the hallway. The room itself was furnished simply: a cast-iron bed covered by a simple green quilt, an armoire in one corner, a washbasin in another, and a gilt-plated, freestanding mirror in a third corner. Katherine sat on her bed, facing the window, her back to me. Her legs were tucked under her short white nightgown and her long curls were loose over her shoulders. I stood there, watching Katherine, then finally coughed. She turned around, an expression of amusement in her dark, cat-like eyes. â€Å"I'm here,† I said, shifting from one booted foot to the other. â€Å"So I see.† Katherine grinned. â€Å"I watched you walk here. Were you frightened to be out after dark?† â€Å"No!† I said defensively, embarrassed she'd seen me dart from tree to tree like an overcautious squirrel. Katherine arched a dark eyebrow and held her arms out toward me. â€Å"Y need to stop worrying. ou Come here. I'll help you take your mind off things,† she said, raising her eyebrow. I walked toward her as if in a dream, knelt on the bed, and hugged her tightly. As soon as I felt her body in my hands, I relaxed. Just feeling her was a reminder that she was real, that tonight was real, that nothing else mattered–not Father, not Rosalyn, not the spirits the townspeople were convinced roamed outside in the dark. All that mattered was that my arms were around my love. Her hand worked its way down my shoulders, and I imagined us walking into the Founders Ball together. As her hand stopped at my shoulder blade and I felt her fingernails dig through the thin cotton of my shirt, I had a split- second image of us, ten years from now, with plenty of children who'd fill the estate with sounds of laughter. I wanted this life to be mine, now and forever. I moaned with desire and leaned in, allowing my lips to brush hers, first slowly, as we'd do in front of everyone when we announced our love at our wedding, and then harder and more urgently, allowing my lips to travel from her mouth to her neck, inching toward her snow-white bosom. She grabbed my chin and pulled my face to hers and kissed me hard. I reciprocated. It was as if I were a starving man who'd finally found sustenance in her mouth. We kissed, and I closed my eyes and forgot about the future. All of a sudden, I felt a sharp pain on my neck, as if I were being stabbed. I called out, but Katherine was still kissing me. But no, not kissing, biting, sucking the blood from beneath my skin. My eyes flew open, and I saw Katherine's eyes, wild and bloodshot, her face ghostly white in the moonlight. I wrenched my head back, but the pain was unrelenting, and I couldn't scream, couldn't fight, could only see the full moon out the window, and could only feel the blood leaving my body, and desire and heat and anger and terror all welling up inside me. If this was what death felt like, then I wanted it. I wanted it, and that was when I flung my arms around Katherine, giving myself to her. Then everything faded to black.

Differences Between Male And Female Brain - 1536 Words

Are there physical differences in the male and female brain? Are there gender differences in memory? If there are differences, do they begin as early as childhood or adolescence? As we age, and experience life, are men or women more superior in the recollection of memories? Even a novice in the study of gender and memory could presume that male and female’s brains are different, and they would presume correctly as evidenced by the results of many studies performed and the articles written to record the results of these studies. This literary review is comprised of five scholarly articles on the topic of the effects of gender on memory. The male versus female brains are different physiologically and psychologically. The Effects of Gender on Memory The Human Brain To understand the differences in memory pertaining to gender, one must first look the physical differences and similarities in the brains of men and women. This can be accomplished by using imaging procedures. These procedures can include functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In the article Evolving Knowledge of Sex Differences in Brain Structure, Function, and Chemistry (Cosgrove, 2007), the authors state that there are many similarities in the brain structure and function in men and women. The article also lists some important differences as well. One finding is that men have greater brain volume thanShow MoreRelatedSummarizing and Evaluating References of The Brain Difference between Males and Females 545 Words   |  2 Pages As human being, people need to socialize with others. People cannot live alone; men should look for women to be a pair, family needs looking fo r other family to build community. Therefore, they can help each other and make life easier. What will happen if there is a person who has abnormality like bipolar disorder in community? 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Human sexuality and how males and females act within the relationship can be considered as physically influenced by biology, for example hormones, brain centres