“Let a Hundred Flowers bloom, let a hundred schools of thought contend” -Mao Zedong, May 1956 This was the beginning of the Hundred Flowers campaign, a movement within the Communist government aiming to terminate restrictions for Chinese citizens and granting them a freedom of thought and speech. Launched by Mao Zedong and the Communist Party of China in 1956, it encouraged Chinese citizens to share ideas, opinions, suggestions and allowed them to openly criticise the party and its policies. Many saw the Hundred Flowers as a period of loosening restrictions based on a system of ideas, but within a year Mao had discontinued and renounced the ideas of the campaign. Although the Hundred Flowers campaign initially had some positive effects regarding
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Students and Professors began criticising party members; Posters were hung up, articles condemning every aspect of the government were published in magazines, criticism meetings were held and gatherings demanded reform. According to an article on the website ThoughtCo., Mao saw the criticisms he received as threats to his control and “felt that the opinions being voiced were no longer constructive criticism, but were harmful and uncontrollable.” Some of the strongest criticisms came from University students in Beijing who protested against the Communist Party over the control of Chinese intellectuals, the banning of foreign literature, and how significant effects of previous mass campaigns and counterrevolutionaries lowered the standards of living in China. As stated on the website Alpha History, Historians remain contemplating whether the Hundred Flowers campaign was just an “error of judgement on Mao’s part” or a “deliberate ploy to coax dissidents into the open.” Later on, Mao had claimed that it was the end of the campaign as he had “enticed the snakes out of their caves.” (Mao 1957). What began as a goal towards liberalisation and tolerance ended in mistreatment and …show more content…
The beginning of the Hundred Flowers movement encouraged citizens to exercise a freedom of speech by criticising the government, but as the people became more open with the criticism, it rapidly became harsher to a point where it was seen as a threat. Although the condemnation was what the government had asked for, they felt that it had gone too far and become inappropriate; therefore drawing the campaign to a halt. While the Chinese government had targeted to improve the lives of their people, the Hundred Flowers campaign resulted with an Anti- Rightist Campaign, therefore causing multiple negative effects to the nation. To conclude, the Hundred Flowers was not a success and did not give China lasting beneficial factors. Instead, it weakened China’s political and social circumstances which harmed both the government and
Students and Professors began criticising party members; Posters were hung up, articles condemning every aspect of the government were published in magazines, criticism meetings were held and gatherings demanded reform. According to an article on the website ThoughtCo., Mao saw the criticisms he received as threats to his control and “felt that the opinions being voiced were no longer constructive criticism, but were harmful and uncontrollable.” Some of the strongest criticisms came from University students in Beijing who protested against the Communist Party over the control of Chinese intellectuals, the banning of foreign literature, and how significant effects of previous mass campaigns and counterrevolutionaries lowered the standards of living in China. As stated on the website Alpha History, Historians remain contemplating whether the Hundred Flowers campaign was just an “error of judgement on Mao’s part” or a “deliberate ploy to coax dissidents into the open.” Later on, Mao had claimed that it was the end of the campaign as he had “enticed the snakes out of their caves.” (Mao 1957). What began as a goal towards liberalisation and tolerance ended in mistreatment and …show more content…
The beginning of the Hundred Flowers movement encouraged citizens to exercise a freedom of speech by criticising the government, but as the people became more open with the criticism, it rapidly became harsher to a point where it was seen as a threat. Although the condemnation was what the government had asked for, they felt that it had gone too far and become inappropriate; therefore drawing the campaign to a halt. While the Chinese government had targeted to improve the lives of their people, the Hundred Flowers campaign resulted with an Anti- Rightist Campaign, therefore causing multiple negative effects to the nation. To conclude, the Hundred Flowers was not a success and did not give China lasting beneficial factors. Instead, it weakened China’s political and social circumstances which harmed both the government and