Abstract This paper discusses Rae Yang's memoir - "The SpiderEaters". The paper explains that the books is the story of a classless person who came of age during the Cultural Revolution and who obviously worked hard to present her experiences in a direct and emotional manner. The paper explains that Yang's volume covers the decades between 1950 and 1980 and clearly illustrates the cruelty that Yang came to see all around her though a committed communist and Red Guard. The paper also shows how Yang's memoir points to Mao as a very aware person, a megalomaniac in Communist clothing who had no care as to the degree of cruelty that was inflicted through an entire society, or how this experience might shape future Chinese society and politics. In conclusion, the paper shows that Mao and the Chinese Cultural Revolution destroyed the Chinese who might have had much to offer the socialist experiment, drove great wedges between people and accustomed the Chinese once again to conditions of great fear.
From the Paper "Mao's regime could be, just as the Red Guard she came to recognize as brutal, a movement quickly dissolving into anarchy, a kind of gang warfare, till the Red Army intervened. This is an interesting revelation given that one is so often instructed that Mao was not aware of the abuses inflicted on many Chinese during the Cultural Revolution, that the Red Army had somehow taken over or carried out what he had not intended. Yang's memoir points to Mao as a very aware person, a megalomaniac in Communist clothing who had no care as to the degree of cruelty that was inflicted through an entire society, or how this experience might shape future Chinese society and politics. Yang's volume covers the decades between 1950 and her 1980. Shortly after, Yang left for the United States where she made her career."
Abstract This paper takes a look at Rae Yang's "The SpiderEaters - a Memoir", a book addressing the Cultural Revolution from the perspective of a person who was caught up in a frightening time in the early People's Republic of China (PRC).The paper considers the book a disturbing reflection on the youth of the Red Guard and the vicious sort of fascism created by Chairman Mao. It concludes that the book is well written and informative.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Maoism and Youth
Divisions
Conclusion
From the Paper "Yang writes in a way that is immediate and also indicating that her days in the Red Guard were far away, a dream somehow, and as much of the volume moves back and forth between the present and the past and with anecdotes to do with her childhood and family adding to a surreal and very personal explanation of a frightening time and different people's reactions to it. A chapter "A Strange Gift from the Pig Farm" refers to her habit of waking at 3 a.m. that remained after she was placed in the Manchurian countryside just as millions of other young people to finish high school were sent for menial labour away from the cities. She had had to waken at 3 a.m. to perform part of her assigned work and the habit remained, years later. (pp. 1-2) So much forgetting a disturbing time, or the person she had become, as 3 a.m. waking in America showed that some things could not be washed away. The inability to reconcile what Maoism preached, what happened, and came into view as very wrong with the CCP movement produced despair later and a wish to die which took time to overcome. Rae Yang embarked on graduate studies at the University of Massachusetts. She graduated from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in 1981 and in the U.S., completed her M.A. in 1985 and her Ph.D. in 1991, obtaining a post at Dickinson College where she specializes in pre-modern and modern Chinese literature."
Tags:China cultural revolution communism Chinese, red army, red guard mao maoism
Abstract This paper provides an overview of Rae Yang's "SpiderEaters," a political and social memoir of the life of a young Chinese woman during the Chinese cultural revolution. The paper shows that Yang's memoir is of her youth torn between two worlds, that of her loyalty to the Communist Party, and that of her parents and friends.
From the Paper "The narrative technique utilized in the book is that of first person. Continuously moving from past to present and from dream to reality this technique helps to convey the vast complexity of life in China, as well as the richness, confusion, and struggle of Yang's inner-self. For example, her dreams act as a soliloquy as they illustrate to the reader Yang's conflicted feelings as it shows her naive and tormented side."
Abstract This paper examines how, when the Second World War ended, the nations of the USSR and China formed a bond based in common interests for power and other advancements. It discusses how history was formed and developed by the agreements the two nations made, and one of those agreements was that Stalin was going to share the secrets of nuclear technology with Mao in return for several things, including military agreements, possible provocation of the U.S., and other favors. It looks at how Mao faithfully followed his end of the agreement and how Stalin backed out, promoting Mao to believe the USSR was working toward victimizing China, and with this belief, he ordered his technology experts to devote their time to the development of nuclear technology. It analyzes how, because of the broken trust between Stalin and Mao, China has become a formidable opponent in the field of nuclear technology.
From the Paper "Mao's belief that his country was a victim became strengthened when Stalin refused to comply with the earlier promise to share information. At that time Mao decided Stalin was becoming a threat to China as he held nuclear technology secrets. In the mind of Mao there was only one reason that his former ally would suddenly change his mind about sharing the agreed upon information and that was so the USSR could become a power over China and a serious threat to the future of the nation. When Stalin backed out of his word Mao believed Stalin was actually planning to become a threat to China and this was one of the motivating factors behind Mao's decision to pursue the development of nuclear technology."
Tags: stalin, mao, weapons, of, mass, destruction, energy
Abstract The writer notes that the faith of the Chinese in the teachings of Chairman Mao was so strong that it permeated every aspect of urban life, both private and public. Schools rang with the teachings of communist ideals and adults both feared and praised the rules imposed on them by their government. This paper examines the effects of the communist ideal on the people of China. The writer of this article states that the movement of China toward communism was a turbulent one, resulting in social disorder. By providing the reader with an often painful inside-view of the turmoil of the classes during the Great Cultural Revolution of China in his book, "Son of the Revolution", Liang Heng reveals the strength of the Chinese people at a time when China's social structure was at its weakest. This article discusses the permeation and effects of Communist ideals in Chinese society.
From the Paper "Additionally, although the peasants did hold some amount of reverence for Mao's ideas, they did not truly understand the purpose of the Revolution; they saw only themselves having to struggle harder to support a movement that made no sense. As a movement to "Attack the Evil Winds of Capitalism" struck the countryside, for example, rural peasants were left wondering about Mao's intent for them. Liang Heng recounts a tale of a peasant who was told to destroy his ducks - a valuable commodity to a peasant and a symbol of capitalism to the Party."
Abstract A description of how the US "lost" China, the Truman administration's policies toward China, and Mao Zedong's intentions during and after the civil war between Chinese Nationalists and Communists.
From the Paper:
"On October 1, 1949, from a reviewing stand atop the Gate of Heavenly Peace in Peking, Mao Zedong formally announced the People's Republic of China. This moment marked a great victory for Mao and the Chinese Communists, but also the undoing of Mao's intentions to ?establish relations with any country willing to respect China's international equality and territorial integrity,? including the United States. Mao knew China could not prosper without international help, but his victory over the Nationalists made relations with the US impossible."
Abstract This undergraduate level paper is an exploration of the life of Mao Zedong. It focuses on his political leadership in China, his origins, and the nature of his rule. It concludes that, in the overall view, Mao's charisma was no match for his failures as a leader, which left China as little more than a barely industrialized Third World nation.
Abstract This paper contains in-depth research into the history of China's communist leader Mao Tse-tung, speculated to be the most powerful person who has ever lived. This paper delves into Mao's political and military career and examines his writings and thoughts that dominated the functioning of the People's Republic from 1949-76. Mao authored some 2,300 publications and 740 million copies of his "Quotations" have been printed. Adapting communism to Chinese conditions Mao stressed the need for rural rather than urban-based revolutions in Asia, for reducing rural-urban differences, and for perpetual revolution to prevent the emergence of new elites.
Topics covered in this report include:
Introduction
The Young Mao The Rise of the CCP - Mao Tse Tung - The Cataclysmic Years
The Civil War: The Revolutionary Mao The KMT and the Long March
Achievements of the Kuomintang (KMT)
Conclusion
Endnotes
Bibliography
From the Paper "One major area of dispute between Mao and the Returned Student leadership was military strategy. By early 1930s Mao had developed very strong opinions in this area. Despite the fact that he was without professional military training, he had always taken the strongest interest in war and strategy. The issues that divided him and the Central committee were not narrowly technical, but had important political implications."
Tags: communism, political, history, china, asia, military
Abstract The paper questions how Mao Zedong managed to take control of the Chinese Communist Party, establish the Peoples' Republic of China and rule the most populous nation in the world with an iron fist until his death when he came from commonplace beginnings. The paper examines this question from the point of view of Freudian psychoanalytic theory. The paper explains that Mao dreamt of death and destruction as much as he dreamt of life and liberation, making him an extraordinary man. The paper maintains that this explains to some extent how this commonplace boy was able to change the world.
From the Paper "The only thing these two responses have in common is passion. Anyone who can inspire such very different responses is clearly a most remarkable person. Another authority refers to Mao's megalomania, his reckless fearlessness, and his "idiosyncratic self-assertion [which] became deeply ingrained in the collective experience of the CCP and ... profoundly shaped the communal awareness of the Chinese intelligentsia as a whole" (Wei-Ming, 1996, p. 156). Moreover, as we know, the CCP on which Mao stamped his personality was collectively responsible for millions of deaths, to the point that one authority sees the "destruction of lives, property, institutions, and values" as "a defining characteristic of modern Chinese history" (Wei-Ming, 1996, p. 149). As far as "motiveless malignities" go, Mao had Iago hopelessly outclassed."
Abstract This paper compares Madame Chiang Kai-sek's view of socio-economic evolution as expressed in her description of the "New Life Movement" with Mao Tse-Tung's view of socio-economic evolution. The paper explains why the two views are entirely at odds.
From the Paper "The descriptions of the communist revolution and the "New Life Movement" by Mao Tse-Tung and Madame Chiang Kai-shek respectively demonstrate two very different and opposing views of socio-economic evolution. Tse-Tung's view looks to the peasant class for a revolution from below while Mme Chiang's "New Life Movement" seeks to impose authority on the peasant class for a revolution from above. In his report Mao Tse-Tung describes a revolution as an uprising, an act of violence whereby one class overthrows another. He is specifically..."
Abstract This paper compares and contrasts the socio-political structures in China under the Ming Dynasty and the People's Republic of China. In doing so, the author explores the differences between Confucius's philosophies and Mao's with its roots in Soviet Communism. A good part of the paper is devoted toward a discussion of Zhu Yuanzhang's totalitarian rule.
From the Paper "In 1911 AD, a revolution in China overthrew the Manchu rulers and ended the Qing Dynasty. Over the next forty years China was ruled by various warlords, occupied by the Japanese, and eventually liberated by the nationalist forces of Chang Kai Shek, known as the Guomindang. However, before China could be restored to order, the Red Army of the Chinese Communist party, operating in small guerilla units, took first the North and then the South of China, forcing Chang and the remnants of his forces to flee to Taiwan. On October 1st 1949, Mao Zedong proclaimed the establishment of the people's republic of China."
Abstract This paper reviews the biography of Deng Xiaoping, Mao Zedong's successor, as the leader of Communist China. Its main focus is on the differences between Deng and Mao, especially Deng's reforms which began China's move towards free enterprise.
From the Paper "Richard Evan's biography on Mao Zedong's successor as the paramount leader of the People's Republic of China is a critical evaluation of Deng Xiaoping's political career in the Chinese Communist Party. Mostly just telling the story of his life as it is (based on facts obtained from previous books on China and the CCP, government sources, and interviews with communist officials), Evans? own opinions inevitably come out in the narrative. Throughout the book, Evans indirectly declares his admiration for Deng Xiaoping. He especially praises his contributions to the Chinese economy and living standards, and to China's current standing in the international political arena. Evans also compares Deng to Mao Zedong on several points, in each case revealing Deng's contrast to be the better side (which contributed to Deng's greater popularity over Mao's once Deng had been in charge for a short while). This contrast of personalities and beliefs is to me the strongest message which this book proclaims."
Abstract This paper examines how Deng Xiaping started China's economic reforms in 1978 with the announcement of the "Open Door Policy" and how, prior to the introduction of the new policy, China had followed the radical, centrally directed economic policies of Mao that emphasized self-reliance and closed its door to trade with foreign countries. It also looks at the roles of Deng Xiaping, Jiang Zeminand and Hu Jintao's three generations of Chinese leadership in China's political economy, the achievements has China made since then and the main problems with today's Chinese political economy.
Outline
Deng Xiaoping's Economic Reforms
Achievements by China Since the Initiation of Economic Reforms
Major Problems in Today's Chinese Political Economy
Why China is Not a Democracy Yet
Evaluation of the Roles of Deng, Jiang and Hu in China's Political Economy
From the Paper "Despite considerable economic gains made by China in the post-1978 period, it is still faced with a number of serious politico-economic problems. Corruption and other economic crimes have proliferated in China as it has moved towards a market-oriented economy. Unemployment, though not too high in terms of percentages (3% according to official figures ), translates into more than 20 million unemployed workers due to the large Chinese population. ("Economic Overview" Country Watch) In addition to the unemployed, it is estimated that 50 to 100 million surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the cities, barely surviving through part-time, low-paying jobs. There is a growing trend of inter-regional and urban-rural inequality with the rural areas and areas away from the booming coastal regions, falling significantly behind. Despite efforts at reforming state owned organizations and the closure of a number of loss-making industries, over half of China's large state-owned enterprises are still making losses."
Abstract This paper discusses the painting, "Mao", acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas, that Andy Warhol painted in 1973 at the height of Mao's power in China. The author states that this painting is more realistic than many other Warhol paintings, but it is clearly his "style". The author believes that this painting is very interesting because of the two different mediums used and all the hidden meanings that seem to be buried in the colors and shapes.
From the Paper "The painting is over 15 feet high, and so Mao looks down at the viewers as if he is looking over a group of children. Mao's face is not what you would expect, except from someone like Warhol. The face is done in bright oranges and yellows, to show his Asian ancestry, but even more, to make him look vibrant and alive. Warhol has also given him bright red cheeks and lips, so much so that he looks like a woman wearing a lot of make-up, especially blush and bright lipstick. There is blue eye shadow over his eyes to enhance the look of make-up, too."
Abstract A review of Communist China under the leadership of Mao, focusing specifically on the years 1966 to 1976. According to this paper, these ten years where possibly the most violent and unstable eras in the history of China. These ten years saw intense internal political struggle and horrific destruction.
From the Paper "The last ten years of Mao's leadership of Communist China, from 1966 to 1976, was arguably one of the most violent and tumultuous periods in Chinese history. It was a decade in which the people of China were literally encouraged by its leader to rise up against the ruling class and take back control over domestic and foreign policy. It was a period of intense domestic political struggle as well as "appalling destruction" (Fairbank 383). In an effort to cleanse the nation of foreign influence and the trappings of the past - all of which were felt to undermine the egalitarian principles of Mao' communist vision - China quite literally tore itself apart. During the Cultural Revolution, as that period came to be known, Mao gave his support to the leftist radicals within the communist government (Wakeman par. 194). "
