levo

Mao’s China, 1945–76

The Hundred Flowers campaign, 1956–57

  • 3 things to know
  • Paper 3

Overview

The slogan of 1956, why Mao invited criticism from educated people and of his own officials, the influence of events in Europe, the opening of the campaign in 1957, who spoke out and what they said, Mao's response, the Anti-Rightist purge and its lasting effect of silencing educated people.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started
Key term

Which slogan gave the campaign of 1956 its name?

Evaluation

What did Mao hope criticism would do to his own officials?

Key term

What were people invited to do when the campaign opened properly in 1957?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    Which slogan gave the campaign of 1956 its name?

    Model answer

    Mao's call to let a hundred flowers bloom and a hundred schools of thought contend.

  2. 2

    Why did Mao want educated people to speak more freely in 1956?

    Model answer

    He needed the skills of scientists, teachers and engineers for the economy and hoped that winning them over would tie them to the party.

  3. 3

    What did Mao hope criticism would do to his own officials?

    Model answer

    Shake up cadres he thought had grown lazy, arrogant and bureaucratic since taking power.

  4. 4

    How did events in Europe in 1956 push Mao towards the campaign?

    Model answer

    Khrushchev's attack on Stalin and the rising in Hungary warned him that bottled-up discontent could explode, so he preferred to let it out under control.

  5. 5

    What were people invited to do when the campaign opened properly in 1957?

    Model answer

    Say openly what was wrong with the party and its officials, with a promise that nobody would be punished for speaking.

  6. 6

    Who took up the invitation most enthusiastically?

    Model answer

    University students and staff, writers, scientists and other educated people in the cities.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

1Closed book
2Open book
3Closed book

The 3-step method, run for you

Answer cold, learn it, then prove it stuck. Levo tracks the jump between your first attempt and your last.

Anglo-Saxon and Norman England, c1060–88
British America, 1713–83: Empire and Revolution
Conflict in the Middle East, 1945–95
Crime and Punishment in Britain, c1000–present

Cram a whole paper in one sitting

Sort every topic into what you know and what you do not, then drill only the weak ones.

£6.6 , fixed in 1921.
billionmillionthousand

Blank Blitz makes facts automatic

Rapid timed gap-fills on the terms and numbers you need to recall without thinking.

AThe huge loss of life left England short of workers.
BForeign craftsmen and labourers were wanted.
CCompetition for work also bred resentment.

Build It gets the exam shape right

Assemble a full-mark answer from its marking points, in the order an examiner wants them.

Strategy means the plan for a whole campaign.
TrueFalse

Test It catches misconceptions

Spot the fault in a statement. The traps are the mistakes students actually make.

721941163128510

Brain Breaks between sessions

Short focus games to reset attention, so the next set lands better than the last.

Every question in Mao’s China, 1945–76, on a schedule.

Attempt a question from memory, write the correct version, then attempt it again. Levo records the jump between your first attempt and your last, and brings each question back on the day you are due to forget it.

Or £46 a year, about £3.83 a month. Cancel anytime.