Summary

Mao remained in undisputed control of China until his death in 1976.  After Mao's death there was a power stuggle, which saw the fall of Mao's 'Gang of Four' supporters, and the restoration of Deng Xiaoping, who followed a more moderate line ... whilst retaining absolute political control.

Deng, however, did not try to destroy Mao's reputation.  Instead, the Central Committee declared that Mao had been '70% right 30% wrong', and this is the official stance of the Chinese government today.

Links:

The following websites will help you complete the task:

After Mao:
• List of facts 

• Chinese posters

• Evaluation of Mao 

• American newspaper article on Deng Xiaoping

Deng Xiaoping was reinstated, and in 1977 was appointed General Secretary of the CCP

The CCP met in 1978 and appointed Deng Chairman of the Committee in charge of economic reform. It accepted Deng's policy of the 'four modernisations' and resolved to restore Party democracy

Rather than trying to attack Mao, Deng proposed a compromise; Mao was accepted as a great leader who, although he had made some 'gross mistakes … his contribution far outweighs his mistakes' – the Central Committee declared that Mao had been '70% right 30% wrong'

The Gang of Four were put on trial for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people during the Cultural Revolution

Deng introduced set a policy of reform called the 'four modernisations' (agriculture, industry, technology, military)

In agriculture, peasants were allowed to rent a plot of land and farm it almost as a private farm provided they gave a set quota of produce to the commune

In industry, each State-owned Enterprise had to produce a certain amount for the state … after which any extra profit could be used to award higher wages, bonuses etc.

This Resolution did not allow private businesses, but it gave much more freedom to SoE managers to run their businesses as they wanted, along capitalist lines

The first four SEZs were Shanton and Xiamen (north), Shenzen and Zhuhai (south); they were given autonomy and tax deals, and told to concentrate on exports - exports quintupled 1978-88

Similarly to Gorbachev in Russia, Deng introduced 'Reforms and Openness' (the Beijing Spring'), and set a policy of reform called the 'four modernisations' (agriculture, industry, technology, military)

Modernisation was NOT accompanied by political reform – Deng opposed democracy and recommended upholding 'the socialist road', democratic dictatorship, the CCP leadership, and Mao Zedong Thought

The CCP was accused of corruption, especially when scandals like the Heilonjiang fraud (where SoE managers of a power company were stealing the profits) were discovered

A place where reformers stuck their writings – from time to time the government would arrest them and clear the posters

The funeral of popular reformer Hu Yaobang and the visit of Gorbachev to Beijing prompted a student hunger strike and occupation of the Square; after the tearful pleas of General Secretary Zhao Ziyang were ignored, the PLA moved in and killed thousands of students

Even after Mao died, Chinese media were not allowed to attack his record; Chinese schools do not teach the failures of the past. The 1981 declaration of the CCP Central Committee – '70% right 30% wrong' – is the current official Chinese assessment of Mao

Western accounts written during the Cold War often presented Mao as a monster, and China as a terrifying, alien society

In the 1970s and 1980s, many westerners formed a romantic image of Maoism – the Little Red Book sold well – and formed a view of Maoism as the best way forward for Chins

Even until recently, revisionists such as Lee Feigon, although accepting Mao’s violence and mistakes, still regarded Mao as generally successful at bringing China into the modern world

Writers such as Lu Xinhua and Jung Chan, whose families suffered under Mao, 'fuelled by an unrelenting hatred of Mao', have produced ‘scar’ accounts, stressing the suffering and negative aspects of Mao’s rule