Chen Boda

Chen Boda was a Chinese Communist journalist, professor and political theorist who rose to power as the chief interpreter of Maoism (or "Mao Zedong Thought") in the first 20 years of the People's Republic of China. Chen became a close associate of Mao Zedong in Yan'an, during the late 1930s, drafting speeches and theoretical essays and directing propaganda. After 1949, Chen played a leading role in overseeing mass media and ideology; at the start of the Cultural Revolution in 1966, Mao named him Chairman of the Cultural Revolution Group, entrusting him with the task of guiding the new mass movement. However, his ultra-radical line and close ties with Lin Biao eventually led to his downfall in 1970. ¹² Chen Boda was born Chen Jianxiang in 1904 to peasant parents. ¹ His courtesy name was Shangyou. During his childhood, his family moved to Jimei, in modern-day Amoy, likely to facilitate young Chen's enrollment at the Jimei Normal School, from which Chen graduated as a schoolteacher (he taught at various elementary schools until 1927). ² In 1925, Chen enrolled at Shanghai Labor University, studying literature, and in 1927 he joined the Chinese Communist Party. After returning to Fujian, he was hired as the personal secretary of General Zhang Zhen, helping to prepare for the 1926–1927 Northern Expedition from the CCP side of the First United Front. When the Front collapsed, Chen fled and was eventually arrested in Nanjing. He was released after a month on General Zhang's recommendation. Shortly thereafter, Chen was sent by the Party to Moscow Sun Yat-sen University, where he studied politics and Marxist philosophy for four years. ² In 1931, Chen Boda returned to China, and married Sichuan native Zhu Yuren, who had also studied in Moscow. Chen became a professor of politics and ancient Chinese history at China College in Beijing ¹ while writing articles under the pen names Chen Zhimei and Chen Boda. Most of these articles focused on the dispute between advocates of "national defense literature" such as Lu Xun, and more nationalist authors. Chen also did underground work for the Party in Tianjin. ² In 1937, Chen joined Mao Zedong in Yan'an, where he became his "political secretary" and research assistant. ¹ He helped Mao draft his major speeches and writings, such as On New Democracy, On Contradiction, and On Practice. He also edited the Party's theoretical journal, Red Flag, and wrote many articles on Mao's thought and the Party's line. He developed Marxist rationales to justify the harsh Party rectification of the early 1940s, the quick collectivization of the mid-1950s, the political defense of the Great Leap Forward, and the Cultural Revolution. He was considered the chief interpreter and propagandist of Maoism, and was often referred to as the "fourth man" after Mao, Zhou Enlai, and Liu Shaoqi. ² After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, Chen continued to play a prominent role in mass media and ideology. He was appointed as the deputy director of the Central Propaganda Department, the vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress. He was also a member of the Politburo and the Secretariat of the Central Committee. He was involved in various campaigns and movements, such as the Anti-Rightist Campaign, the Great Leap Forward, and the Socialist Education Movement. He was a staunch supporter of Mao's radical policies and a fierce critic of his opponents, such as Peng Dehuai, Liu Shaoqi, and Deng Xiaoping. ²⁴ In 1966, Mao launched the Cultural Revolution, a mass movement aimed at purging the Party and the society of "bourgeois" elements and reviving the revolutionary spirit. Mao appointed Chen as the chairman of the Cultural Revolution Group, the leading body of the movement, and entrusted him with the task of guiding the masses and the Red Guards. Chen became one of the most powerful and influential leaders of the Cultural Revolution, along with Lin Biao, Jiang Qing, and Kang Sheng. He wrote many editorials and articles for the People's Daily and the Red Flag, calling for the overthrow of the "capitalist roaders" and the establishment of a new socialist order. He also participated in the persecution and humiliation of many Party and state leaders, intellectuals, and artists, such as Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, Peng Zhen, He Long, Luo Ruiqing, Wu Han, Lao She, and Ding Ling. ²⁴ However, Chen's ultra-radical line and close ties with Lin Biao soon brought him into conflict with Mao and other moderate leaders, such as Zhou Enlai and Chen Yi. Mao became suspicious of Chen's loyalty and ambition, and accused him of being a "revisionist" and a "counterrevolutionary". In 1970, Chen was removed from all his posts and placed under house arrest. He was later arrested and imprisoned during the Criticize Lin, Criticize Confucius campaign. He was publicly denounced and humiliated at mass rallies and trials, and was forced to confess his crimes and repent. He was expelled from the Party in 1973, and sentenced to 18 years in prison in 1981. ²⁴ Chen Boda died of cancer in Beijing in 1989. He was never rehabilitated by the Party, and his role and contributions in the history of the PRC were largely ignored or condemned. ²⁴