Date: Sun, 3 Nov 1996 01:42:42 +0100 (MET) From: rolf.martens-AT-mailbox.swipnet.se (Rolf Martens) Subject: M-G: UNITE! Info #22en: 6/12 The 4-Gang in China, 1976 UNITE! Info #22en: 6/12 The 4-Gang in China, 1976 [Posted: 03.11.96] [Continued from part 5/12] In this part are reproduced the orginal series postings (6), "Shanghai, Oct", and (7), "Tsingtao, Oct". "The Four" & events in China 1976 (6): Shanghai, Oct [Sent:13.05.96] This is part of a discussion on the Jefferson Village Virginia Marxism list and is also sent to newsgroups. In this posting on the role of the Gang of Four in the struggle which eventually led to the overtrow of socialism in China, I bring an EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT OF EVENTS IN SHANGHAI IN OCTOBER 1976. Below is an extract from the book (originally in German) by Klaus Mehnert: "Kampf um Maos Erbe" ("Struggle over the Heritage of Mao"), Deutsche Verlags-Anstalt GmbH,1977. The exerpt is translated from a Swedish translation of the book, 1979, pages 38-39.Comments in brackets are ny me. "The jubilation after the overthrow of The Four" [in October 1976] "had, it seems to me, first of all its roots in the hope that those insufferable campaigns now would have an end." [There were of course many campaigns in China at that time, and of various characters. First of all there were proletarian campaigns, against various bourgeois ideas and policies. These were good and absolutely necessary. Secondly there no doubt were a certain amount of hypocritical phoney"leftist" boring reactionary campaigns which practically nobody wanted. Adherents of the bourgeoisie, such as is no doubt this author, probably disliked both kinds, so he might be exaggerating here about how "insufferable" some of them were.] This was paricularly clearly seen where you would least of all have expected it, in Shanghai, supposedly the very bastion of The Four. Independent Weatern eyewitnesses to events in Shanghai unequivocally recount that precisely in that city, the jubilation over the overthrow of of the Four appeared to be particularly genuine and spontaneous. I quote an American professor, specialist in Russian and communist history, who described the city during those days as a mixture of Petrograd 1917 (Lenin's revolution) and the Carneval in Rio: "The atmosphere was electrical, since what was taking place did so spontaneously. (.....) The wall posters (.....) fascinated millions of people. The workers left their factories in order to look at them, he policemen left their sentry-boxes to study them, the soldiers left their barracks to scrutinize them.(.....) It was a revolt directed against The Four, not in particular in favour of Peking." [Meaning, the government.] "Hua's name was seldom mentioned." [That of Hua Guofeng, appointed First Vice Chairman of the CPC on Mao Zedong's proposal on 07.04.76 and now in October being appointed Chairman, in connection with the striking-down of the Gang of Four.] "'We are tired of being mobilised in our free time by The Four for participation in their projects', people said." "For ten days Shanghai, this city with a small surface area and an enormous population, was constantly like a happy sardine can crammed full with blue-clad people. (.....) .'This is not a demonstration', people said. 'This is a celebration.' (.....) Often it was arranged for all of us eleven million people in Shanghai jointly to sing the 'Internationale'. (.....) Being immersed all day in the most colossal of all concievable crowds, marching with them on nimble feet, constantly seeing those red flags, the banners and the people constantly pulsating and moving, hearing the songs of the masses and constantly feeling the penetrating din of the drums, and at the same time knowing that enormous masses of people out of sight, but still not far away, were doing exactly the same thing as we, and that we were all experiencing a turning-point in history - that was an intensive, deeply affecting and indeed psychedelic experience, of an intensity as strong as any man can bear." [So far the extract from Klaus Mehnert's book with its quoted eyewitness account of events in Shanghai in October 1976.] [So far the original series posting (6). No. (7) follows:] _____________________________________________________________________ "The Four" & events in China 1976 (7): Tsingtao, Oct [Sent:13.05.96] This is part of a discussion on the Jefferson Village Virginia Marxism list and is also sent to newsgroups. In this posting on the role of the Gang of Four in the struggle which eventually led to the overtrow of socialism in China, I bring an *Eyewitness account from Tsingtao in October 1976, and analysis* The Swedish writer Jan Myrdal was in China, in Tsingtao, in Octtober 1976, when the big blow against the Gang of Four was delivered. Jan Myrdal was a long-time friend of China and the Chinese people. In 1962, for instance, he wrote the also internationally rather well-known "Report from a Chinese Village." He later got on unfriendly terms with the ruling Deng Xiaoping clique, in the early 1980:s. I reproduce in translation an article of his which was originally published in the Swedish liberal evening paper Expressen on 29.12.1976: THE DAY WHEN TSINGTAO RAN OUT OF LIQUOR The day when it became clear that "The Four" had really suffered defeat, Tsingtao ran out of liquor. China has the most sober of traditions, but on that day, people in the whole country drank to their downfall. When confirmation came of the news, one of my friends got so exhilarated that she got a heart attack and had to be brought to hospital. For four days, people demonstrated in Tsingtao. They beat drums and fired off firecrackers and held large meetings. At that time, in the autumn of 1976, "The Four" had managed to become the most feared but also the most detested politicians in China. The relief at their downfall was very great. The defeat of "The Four" is one of the most important events in China's history since 1949. it's also of importance not only for the countries in Asia but for us in Europe as well. China is no monolithical entity. Political struggle is going on in China and this struggle - of course - in the final instance is one about questions that affect both people's work and their daily lives. "The Four" in mass media outside of China are usually called "the Left" or "the radicals". But this would mean that one can have a "political left" that opposes the interests of the overwhelming majority. Calling this a "left" is just as unreasonable as saying that the regime that is being maintained in its position in East Berlin by Russian bayonets "in reality" is an expression of the will of the East German working-class. Minority groups who try to rule against and over the people are reactionary. This is how the great majority in China consider also "The Four". When Hua Kuo-feng and the Central Committee intervened against "The Four", they secured the policy that had been decided on at the congresses and which was represented by Chou En-lai. It had been formulated together with Mao Tsetung. Politics should serve the people. This means that a fast economical development, based on self- reliance; an improved standard of living; shrinking social gaps, a widened sector of education; care for the old and sick, and law and order. The last-mentioned is not unimportant. "The four" did away with freedom of speech and democracy by putting a stamp on everyone who contradicted them as a "capitalist-roader" or even "counter- revolutionary". They encouraged their groups to use fascist methods and beat people. But the Chinese people haven't made revolution in order to be beaten or silenced when they speak. They demand that those provisions which the constitution contains on protection of privacy, on intergity and legal security must be respected by all, as Chou En-lai has said. There's a law in China against beating people as well as against installing bugging equipment in their homes. If "The Four" had managed to seize power they would have had to establish a harshly terroristic minority dictatorship in order to keep it. Their foreign policy would have been shaped accordingly. They would have made a deal with the Soviet leaders in order to get free hands in Southeast Asia. Soviet pressure against Europe would have increased and China would have become an aggressive big power in Asia. It's not without reason that relief at the defeat of "The Four" is so great all over Asia. This was what my friends in China said when "The Four" fell. But "The Four" were abhorred and despised also as persons. "The Four" were hypocrites. They had climbed towards power moralising loudly. They had combated everything that ordinary people found pleasure in. They had condemned card-playing and banned such music as people liked. They had called those who had goldfish or potted plants reactionaries or bourgeois. All this they had done in the name of the revolution. Then they themselves had gone to restaurants and eaten and drunk at great expense, making the state pay their bills, and afterwards they had watched privately-imported films. People spoke a lot about this. They told me about Wang Hung-wen's interest in cars. - He has adopted parvenu manners and has turned into quite a little Brezhnev. He just wants to go faster and faster in posher and posher cars. But drive he cannot. He isn't even capable of that. "The Four" were feared and detested as well as despised. If in the autumn of 1976 had succeeded in realizing their plans of seizing power in China they would have triggered a sanguinary civil war. [So far the article by Jan Myrdal on events in October 1976.] [Continued in part 7/12] --- from list marxism-general-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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