A Historical Analysis
“Let a hundred flowers blossom; let a hundred schools of thought contend.” Under this slogan, Mao Zedong promoted the Hundred Flowers Campaign, a movement that would signal a significant shift in his career as well as in the history of China’s intellectual and cultural sphere. Mao had instigated the campaign in response to Nikita Khrushchev’s 1956 Secret Speech that had levied charges against Joseph Stalin that Mao himself was also vulnerable to. Though Mao had aimed to restore relations with China’s intellectual community, the movement was roundly criticized, forcing him to respond swiftly and severely with his Anti-Rightist campaign that followed roughly one year after. Considering the outcome Continue reading