Gang of Four

The Gang of Four was a political bloc in the People's Republic of China during the turbulent period known as the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Aligned with Communist Party leader Mao Zedong, the faction was comprised of four senior leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP): Jiang Qing (1913-1991), Zhang Chunqiao (1917-2005), Wang Hongwen (1935-1992), and Yao Wenyuan (1931-2005). After Mao's death, they were blamed for the harsh execution of the revolution's repressive policies. The four were demonized by the officially sanctioned national media as the perpetrators of the sweeping purges associated with the Cultural Revolution. They were convicted of treasonous actions after a highly publicized trial in 1981.

Mao's Ascendency

Mao Zedong (1893-1976) was an anti-imperialist revolutionary who, as a founder of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), became one of the most powerful political figures in twentieth-century Chinese history. Mao embraced a Marxist-Leninist philosophy and led small revolutions as part of the CCP's efforts to establish a communist China. His communist forces continued to combat the established government throughout the late 1920s and into the early 1930s, before the communists were forced to undergo the so-called "Long March" military retreat in 1934 and 1935. While the Long March marked a major defeat for the communists, Mao was able to use the year-long trek to cement his leadership in the CCP. In December 1949, after the conclusion of World War II, Mao's forces drove the Kuomintang from mainland China, and Mao declared the establishment of the communist People's Republic of China.

During the next decade, Mao engaged in several campaigns to weed out opposition to his leadership and encouraged his followers to report any potentially divisive elements within the party. In 1958, Mao began the Great Leap Forward, an economic plan intended to drive the Chinese economy using Marxist-Leninist principles. A series of natural disasters combined with inflexible governmental policies led to major declines in Chinese harvests. This led to the Great Chinese Famine that killed more than 30 million people between 1959 and 1962. The effects of the famine were worsened by Mao's elimination of any critical voices within the CCP. The disastrous policies of the Great Leap Forward led to increased conflict within the CCP, and several key leaders began to reconsider Mao's role as its chairman.

Cultural Revolution

In 1965, Beijing academic Wu Han published a play called Hai Rui Dismissed from Office, which was a story based on a sixteenth-century Chinese public official who was famed for his integrity. In the play, a simple official criticizes the Ming emperor for his disastrous policies and is punished for his outspokenness. Mao and his allies interpreted Wu's play as an attack on Mao and his policies during the Great Leap Forward. Mao had Gang of Four member Yao Wenyuan write a strong rebuke of the play in hopes of limiting further criticism of Mao, while also embarrassing Wu's superiors, who were his CCP rivals. The ploy was successful, and several of Mao's enemies were imprisoned as a result of the ensuing controversy.

Mao and his allies recognized the effectiveness of these tactics and launched a series of attacks on their political rivals. This increased infighting within the CCP, which Mao justified as part of his newly unveiled "Cultural Revolution." Mao labeled his political adversaries as enemies of the Communist Party and established a policy that he argued would purify China and free it from capitalism and the outdated thinking of traditional Chinese culture, which he considered dangerous. Mao called on the nation's youth to lead a new revolution that would restore China's greatness.

To help publicize his goals and strengthen his position, Mao enlisted the individuals who would come to be known as the Gang of Four: propagandist Zhang Chunqiao, literary critic Yao, Wang Hongwen, who was being groomed as Mao's successor, and Jiang Qing, Mao's fourth wife and devout supporter. Mao announced his creation of the Cultural Revolution in 1966. The resulting movement became built around a cult of personality centered on Mao and his revolution. The nation's youth enrolled in paramilitary groups called the Red Guard and were encouraged to weed out counter-revolutionary voices such as intellectuals, Confucians, and anyone having expressed opposition to the revolution. These revolutionary guards, however, had few checks, and soon descended into competing groups with differing interpretations about the true goals of the revolution. This led to a period of relative anarchy in China in which the economy soured and conflicts between rival versions of the Red Guard threatened national security.

Downfall of the Gang of Four

By the 1970s, the purges had continued unabated. In addition, Mao's handpicked successor, Lin Biao, had been discredited and would subsequently die in a mysterious plane crash while defecting to Russia. Enthusiasm for Mao's revolution was on the decline. In 1972, Mao suffered a stroke and his health began to deteriorate, leaving his revolution increasingly rudderless. Jiang, Mao's wife and most trusted advisor, began to assert greater authority in Mao's name. The return of the previously purged politicians led to a new rivalry between Mao's radical leftists who wanted to expand the revolution, and their rivals who wanted to end it. After Mao's death in 1976, a brief power struggle ensued. However, the betrayal of the Chinese army commanders allowed Mao's rivals to appoint Hua Guofeng as the new party chairman. Hua quickly had the "Gang of Four" arrested and imprisoned in October 1976. Over the next few years, they (and their remaining allies) were charged as being the primary perpetrators of the highly unpopular Cultural Revolution, thus sparing Mao's reputation out of respect to his lingering national admiration.

The Gang of Four remained imprisoned until they were finally granted a show trial in 1981. Although Wang and Yao expressed regret for their roles, Jiang remained unapologetic throughout the trial. All four were convicted, with Jiang and Zhang receiving death sentences that were eventually commuted to life in prison, and Wang and Yao receiving lengthy prison terms.

Bibliography

"Cultural Revolution." History.com. A&E Networks. Web. 2 Dec. 2015. http://www.history.com/topics/cultural-revolution

MacFarquhar, Roderick, and Michael Schoenhals. Mao's Last Revolution. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2006. Print.

Teiwes, Frederick C., and Warren Sun. The End of the Maoist Era: Chinese Politics During the Twilight of the Cultural Revolution, 1972-1976. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 2007. Print.

Zheng, Haiping. "The Gang of Four Trial." University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. University of Missouri-Kansas City. Web. 2 Dec. 2015. http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/gangoffour/Gangof4.html