Timing

= Timing/Rise to prominence = At the beginning of the decade, China suffered famine for three years because of Mao’s improper leading in the Great Leap Forward. The failure led some senior party members, with __Liu Shaoqi__ in the lead, to suggest that “buying is better than manufacturing, and renting is better than buying”, which was, in Mao’s view, the first step __toward the capitalism__. Also, many were questioning whether it was time for Mao to step down and let a new generation to take charge. Naturally, Mao defended his position by restoring national revolutionary fervor on class struggles, initiating the Socialist Education Movement, which in effect indoctrinated Maoist ideology on the young. With many potential threats to his authority, Mao cordially welcomed the formation of the Red Guards in May 1966. Mao believed that the Socialist Education Movement did not achieve the proper goal, thus he began to plan out the Cultural Revolution. On August 8, 1966, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party passed [|“Decision Concerning the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution”], more widely known as “the 16 Points”, signaling the start of the Cultural Revolution. Ten days later, Mao along with other CR leaders “reviewed a mass rally of over 1 million Red Guards in Tiananmen Square in central Beijing” (“Cultural”). Soon enough, mass rallies of the Red Guards were held all over the country. ||
 * McCarthy || Red Guards daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaafasddfaa ||
 * McCarthy’s timing was perfect: with ** the fall of China, the successfully tested atomic bombs from Soviet Union, and the sensational spy cases **as his ladders, he couldn’t hope for a better foundation for his grander opening. || The Red Guards came along just as ** the power of Mao was waning **. ||
 * America has a history of anticommunism. The first wave of Red Scare was in the early 20th century, when the Bolshevik Revolution took place. During that time the U.S. government went out of its way to ensure that America’s democracy was safe from foreign contamination. In the beginning of the Cold War, anticommunism sentiment reached an all time high. President Truman, under political pressure, launched a loyalty review program, which investigated federal departments in an attempt to uncover Soviet agents. Though the program received “widespread public support”, it generated enough pressure among the citizens to create an atmosphere of fear. Believing that by pumping money and weapons into Chiang Kai-shek’s corrupt and incompetent government America could secure a democratic China, the Truman Administration was shocked with the “loss” of China to the Communists. “Americans reacted hysterically to the event and went in search of scapegoats at home” (“Anticommunist”). Far from reaching a satisfactory conclusion, Americans received the news that the Soviets had successfully tested an atomic bomb. Around the same time sensational spy cases, such as the Hiss Case and the Rosenberg Case, made the public panic stricken. On top of these, the Korean War started in 1950. When “anticommunist hysteria was in full swing” (“Anticommunist”), McCarthy went on the stage with a spectacular opening. || Originally, the “Red Guards” were several middle school students who made posters, criticizing a political play that was believed to allude to the Mao regime. Soon the school administration denounced the students as “radicals”. However, Chairman Mao Zedong ordered the actions of the Red Guards be publicized nationally, which granted them political legitimacy. Soon afterwards, the Red Guards appeared across China. But their raise to fame was not this simple.

How did they stay in control?