Unit Outline
The decade from 1966 to 1976 is often regarded as one of the most anarchic in China's modern history. China has of course experienced other events that have arguably been more severe in terms of loss of life or economic dislocation such as the Japanese Invasion, Civil War, or Great Famine. Yet the Cultural Revolution retains a place in infamy for the sheer scale and lunacy of the social upheaval unleashed by Mao Zedong in the final years of his reign.
Some aspects of the Cultural Revolution present relatively straightforward answers to inquiring historians. Why it was launched by Mao, including his motives and aims, can to an extent be diagnosed and debated. The impact of the events on the economy, society, and political system can also be measured and defined. Yet certain aspects of the Cultural Revolution elude historians and remain contested. What accounts for the severity of violence? Why were young people so willing to follow Mao's orders? Why was Mao so willing to tear apart the Party he had spent so long leading?
These questions and more, whilst interesting to explore, also offer up deeper insights about life in Mao's China. They touch at the heart of Maoist ideology and the concept of 'contradiction'. They also reveal more about the role of culture in social and political systems, and whether tradition and modernity can coexist. To explore this and other questions further, the statement of inquiry for this unit therefore is:
Some aspects of the Cultural Revolution present relatively straightforward answers to inquiring historians. Why it was launched by Mao, including his motives and aims, can to an extent be diagnosed and debated. The impact of the events on the economy, society, and political system can also be measured and defined. Yet certain aspects of the Cultural Revolution elude historians and remain contested. What accounts for the severity of violence? Why were young people so willing to follow Mao's orders? Why was Mao so willing to tear apart the Party he had spent so long leading?
These questions and more, whilst interesting to explore, also offer up deeper insights about life in Mao's China. They touch at the heart of Maoist ideology and the concept of 'contradiction'. They also reveal more about the role of culture in social and political systems, and whether tradition and modernity can coexist. To explore this and other questions further, the statement of inquiry for this unit therefore is:
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STATEMENT OF INQUIRY
Cultural change is a contested process, involving disputes over correct forms of social and political expression
GLOBAL CONTEXT
Personal and Cultural Expression (Social constructions of reality; philosophies and ways of life; belief systems; ritual and play) - Students will explore the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.
KEY HISTORICAL CONCEPT
Perspective - IB students should be aware of how history is sometimes used or abused to retell and promote a grand narrative of history, a narrowly focused national mythology that ignores other perspectives, or to elevate a single perspective to a position of predominance. Students are encouraged to challenge and critique multiple perspectives of the past, and to compare them and corroborate them with historical evidence. Students should recognize that for every event recorded in the past, there may be multiple contrasting or differing perspectives. Using primary-source accounts and historians’ interpretations, students may also investigate and compare how people, including specific groups such as minorities or women, may have experienced events differently in the past. In this way there are particularly strong links between exploring multiple perspectives and the development of international-mindedness.
RELATED HISTORY CONCEPT(S)
Culture - Culture encompasses a range of unique experiences, behaviours, customs and ways of knowing within human communities throughout history. Culture is usually transmitted from generation to generation and it affects the way people perceive their world and the way they behave. Culture can be dynamic or static and is often examined by historians in relation to the time, place and space of historical events, processes or developments. Historians often examine changes in culture in order to make comparisons between the past and the present. Culture is a system.
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1. What caused the cultural revolution?
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2. How did the cultural revolution evolve?
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3. What was the impact of the cultural revolution?
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4. Assessment: How can we explain the cultural revolution?
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