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To scotch rumours of ill health, Mao took a swim in a Chinese river.

China: Under Mao - 1965-1976 - How Far The Communist Government Was A Dictatorship

Was Communist China under Mao a true dictatorship between 1965 and 1976? Use this GCSE History quiz to revise power, control and opposition in Mao’s later years.

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Fascinating Fact:

The Cultural Revolution from 1966 gave Mao power to attack rivals inside the party. Many officials were removed, humiliated, or sent to labour camps.

In GCSE History, this topic asks how far the Communist government in China functioned as a dictatorship by the mid 1970s. You will consider control of politics, information and everyday life.

Key Terms

Dictatorship: A system in which one leader or small group holds most power, with limited or no free elections and little legal protection for opposition.
One-party state: A country where only one political party is allowed to rule, so voters cannot choose between competing parties in national elections.
Red Guards: Groups of mainly young people who claimed to defend Mao’s ideas, often attacking officials, teachers and others seen as enemies of the revolution.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

Why was Mao’s China seen as a dictatorship in this period?

Mao’s China was often seen as a dictatorship because the Communist Party controlled government, there were no free multi-party elections, censorship was strong and critics could be punished or silenced.

What evidence shows growing control by Mao in the late 1960s?

Evidence includes the one-party system, the use of campaigns to remove opponents, the influence of the Red Guards and the way propaganda encouraged people to treat Mao as the main source of authority.

How should I answer an exam question on dictatorship under Mao?

Define dictatorship, then use clear examples such as control of the party, treatment of opponents and limits on freedom. Explain both sides of the argument and end with a balanced judgement.

Try These Related Quizzes

1 .

Those who were found guilty in self-criticism sessions were expected to wear a particular form of head gear. What was this?

A conical penitent's hat like those used in Spain by the Inquisition for heretics in an earlier era

A dunce's cap

A paper crown

A crown of thorns

Much emphasis was placed in the Chinese Communist Party on confessions and humiliation

2 .

What do the letters GPCR stand for?

Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution

Grand Proletarian Cultural Revolution

Great People's Cultural Revolution

Grand People's Cultural Revolution

Mao believed in "permanent" revolution, and by 1966 he feared that the reactionary middle class, especially university academics, was exerting too much influence. Accordingly, a campaign was launched to remove all vestiges of foreign, or historic Chinese, culture. Chaos ensued, and the military had to be called in to restore order. It was a while before things calmed down and China reverted to its pre-1966 state again

3 .

Which paramilitary group, composed of young people, was encouraged by Mao and his cronies to militant action from 1966?

Revolutionary Guards

Red Guards

People's Guards

People's Revolutionary Guards

These young people attacked and intimidated perceived opponents of the regime. They threatened foreigners, damaged cultural icons and quickly became out of control. In July 1968 they themselves were purged, and the PLA enforced their demise

4 .

Mao announced his successor at the new Party Congress which opened in April 1969. Who was this to be?

Zhou En Lai

Lin Biao

Jiang Quing

Deng Xiaoping

Dictators often prefer to announce their successor in advance, to try to prevent squabbles on their death

5 .

The Cultural Revolution involved numerous attacks on people and buildings. Which one of the following was not desecrated in this period?

Qufu in Shandong Province, the home of Confucius

The British Embassy in Beijing

Quinghua University in Beijing

The Forbidden City in Beijing

Cultural sites were especially targeted: shrines, seats of learning, buildings associated with previous regimes, and foreign property

6 .

Throughout this period the Chinese Communist Party published the official newspaper which quickly achieved a monopoly. What was this publication called?

The People's News

The People's Daily

The Red Gazette

The Peking Daily

There was no free speech in China, certainly after the Cultural Revolution

7 .

In furtherance of the cult of personality, Mao was filmed swimming in a Chinese river in July 1966. He intended to scotch rumours of his ill health, and to spread an image of robust good health and power. In which river did this incident take place?

The Hwang Ho

The Yangtse Kiang

The Red River

The Yalu River

Mao was in fact unwell, and he became more unwell in the years before his death in 1976. The swimming incident complemented the familiar propaganda that depicted him as superhuman: places were named after him, and sculptures and portraits of him were displayed in both public and private places

8 .

Mao identified "5 black categories", which the Cultural Revolution was intended to eliminate. Which of the following four groups was not in the original list?

Rich peasants

Reactionaries

Rightists

University scientists

Anyone who harked back to the past in any respect - culturally, intellectually, economically or politically, was at risk

9 .

In 1968 the government introduced a compulsory "rustication" programme for students and young professionals, and 12 million people took part in this scheme between 1968 and 1976. What did rustication involve?

Compulsory relocation to a city far away from home, where they would have to carry out manual work for a period of several years

Compulsory relocation to a rural area, where they would work on a commune (collective farm)

To be sent to another communist country where they would do manual work - either on a collective farm or in a factory (North Korea and North Vietnam were favourite destinations)

To be compelled to undertake manual work either at university or in a professional workplace, (a hospital, clinic, surgery, legal premises, architects' or engineers' practice) near their home or place of study/employment

Mao regarded students and professional people as decadent, and potentially subversive. He only really trusted peasants

10 .

"The Red Detachment of Women" was the title of a work of art that received official recognition under Mao. What form did it take?

A film

A stage play

An opera

A ballet

All kinds of artistic expression were expected to depict either Mao or an industrial or agricultural workplace - rather like "Socialist Realism" in Soviet Russia

Author: Edward Towne