Conservative Faction (Cultural Revolution)

During the Cultural Revolution, a Conservative Faction (Chinese: 保守派; pinyin: Bǎoshǒu pài), also called a Loyalist Faction (Chinese: 保皇派; lit. 'Protecting-the-emperor Faction'), referred to a group or a sociopolitical movement that embraced the local establishment. Composed of well-born children and political activists, the conservatives made up the majority of the Red Guards after Red August, but declined with the rise of the rebels.

Origins

When Mao Zedong launched the Cultural Revolution in 1966, the initial thrust was to attack the so-called "bourgeois reactionary authorities" and "white experts", and students who opposed their teachers and focused more on politics formed the Red Guards. However, after Red August, Mao began to have students attack the "capitalist roaders of the Party", which led to a split in the Red Guards, with those who remained opposed to the "white experts" loosely being referred to as the Conservatives.^[1]^[2]

Structures

Conservative students

A fairly significant portion of students joined the conservatives.^[2]^[3]^: 135

Pro-establishment forces

In order to confront the rebels, who were supported by Mao and the left wing of the party, the committees in various places mobilized workers, members of the Communist Youth League, who supported them.^[4]^: 200^[2]^[5]

Development

The conservative-rebel conflict in Wuhan is one notable case during the Cultural Revolution.^[4]^: 203

References

^ Unger, Jonathan (18 January 2019). "Turmoil at the Grassroots in China's Cultural Revolution: A Half-Century Perspective". Made in China Journal. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Yin, Hongbiao (November 1996). "Ideological and political tendencies of factions in the red guard movement". Journal of Contemporary China. 5 (13): 269–280. doi:10.1080/10670569608724255. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
^ Zhang, Joshua; Wright, James D. (18 December 2017). Violence, Periodization and Definition of the Cultural Revolution. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-36047-1.
^ ^a ^b Wemheuer, Felix (2019). A Social History of Maoist China: Conflict and Change, 1949–1976. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-12370-0. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
^ "Intelligence Report: MAO'S "CULTURAL REVOLUTION" IN 1967 : THE STRUGGLE TO "SEIZE POWER"" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. 24 May 1968. Retrieved 7 February 2024.

[1] Unger, Jonathan (18 January 2019). "Turmoil at the Grassroots in China's Cultural Revolution: A Half-Century Perspective". Made in China Journal. Retrieved 7 February 2024.

[:1-2] Yin, Hongbiao (November 1996). "Ideological and political tendencies of factions in the red guard movement". Journal of Contemporary China. 5 (13): 269–280. doi:10.1080/10670569608724255. Retrieved 11 June 2023.

[3] Zhang, Joshua; Wright, James D. (18 December 2017). Violence, Periodization and Definition of the Cultural Revolution. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-36047-1.

[Wemheuer2019-4] Wemheuer, Felix (2019). A Social History of Maoist China: Conflict and Change, 1949–1976. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-107-12370-0. Retrieved 7 February 2024.

[5] "Intelligence Report: MAO'S "CULTURAL REVOLUTION" IN 1967 : THE STRUGGLE TO "SEIZE POWER"" (PDF). Central Intelligence Agency. 24 May 1968. Retrieved 7 February 2024.

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v t e Cultural Revolution
Prelude	Anti-Rightist Campaign Great Chinese Famine Great Leap Forward Lushan Conference Seven Thousand Cadres Conference Socialist Education Movement Taoyuan Experience
Major events	Down to the Countryside Movement Cleansing the Class Ranks 12-3 incident January Storm February Countercurrent Wuhan incident 9th Party Congress One Strike-Three Anti Campaign Project 571 Lin Biao incident 10th Party Congress Black Painting incident Criticize Lin, Criticize Confucius Hangzhou incident 1975 Banqiao Dam failure Counterattack the Right-Deviationist Reversal-of-Verdicts Trend 1976 Nanjing incident 1976 Tiananmen Incident
Massacres	Red August Daxing Massacre Guangxi Massacre Inner Mongolia incident Guangdong Massacre Hunan Massacres Daoxian massacre Shaoyang County Massacre Yunnan Massacres Zhao Jianmin Spy Case Shadian incident Ruijin Massacre
Key figures	Mao Zedong Liu Shaoqi Zhou Enlai Lin Biao Deng Xiaoping Gang of Four (Jiang Qing Zhang Chunqiao Yao Wenyuan Wang Hongwen) Peng Dehuai Wu Han Peng Zhen Tao Zhu Chen Boda Wang Dongxing Xie Fuzhi Ji Dengkui Wang Li Qi Benyu Wu Faxian Qiu Huizuo Yang Chengwu Chen Zaidao Kang Sheng Mao Yuanxin Hua Guofeng Ye Jianying
Documents	Bombard the Headquarters Quotations from Chairman Mao Hai Rui Dismissed from Office May 16 Notification Six Articles of Public Security Sweep Away All Cow Demons and Snake Spirits On Class Origins
Concepts	Four Olds Newborn socialist things Struggle session Feudal fascism Big-character poster Cow demons and snake spirits Bloodline theory Continuous Revolution Theory Seizure of power Violent Struggle One Divides into Two Democracy Wall Eight model plays Loyalty dance Capitalist roader Yiku sitian Learn from Daqing in industry Learn from Dazhai in agriculture Stinking Old Ninth Five Black Categories Five Red Categories
Groups	Red Guards Conservative Faction Little Red Guards Rebel Faction Scarlet Guards Ultra-Left Faction Xiaoyao Faction May Sixteenth elements Five Man Group Cultural Revolution Group Central Case Examination Group Central Organization and Propaganda Leading Group Hunan Provincial Proletarian Revolutionary Great Alliance Committee Revolutionary committee 8341 Special Regiment Sent-down youth 61 Renegades Barefoot doctor Worker-Peasant-Soldier student May Seventh Cadre School Xiang River Storm and Thunder
Related topics	Maoism Mao Zedong's cult of personality Mango cult Great Leap Forward List of campaigns of the Chinese Communist Party Class struggle Sino-Soviet split Two Whatevers Morning Sun (film) 3rd Plenum of the 11th Central Committee Boluan Fanzheng New Enlightenment Scar literature
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