Summary of Frank Dikötter's The Cultural Revolution

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

#1 The Great Hall of the People, which is the largest auditorium in the building, was built in 1959 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Chinese Revolution. It is a grand, intimidating structure heavily inspired by Soviet architecture.

#2 Mao was a Stalinist who imposed a harsh communist regime on China in 1949. He was a faithful follower of his master in Moscow, and for good reason. The Chinese Communist Party had been dependent on financial help and political guidance from the Soviet Union since its inception.

#3 In 1956, Mao Zedong began to shift away from his cult of personality. He publicly praised the ordinary man, and sought to test his colleagues’ loyalty. He hinted that he might want to step back for health reasons, but instead they created a new position of honorary chairman for him.

#4 In 1957, Mao began to encourage intellectuals to speak out against the party. He spoke sincerely about examples of the party’s errors, and appealed to the public at large to help party officials improve their work by airing their grievances.

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Rafbók: 12 april 2022