On what basis did Mao denounce Confucianism?
Upvote:0
Mao's attacks on Confucianism started with a "Criticize Lin, criticize Confucius campaign.
It started with an attack on the "hegemons," or what we westerners would call the "patriarchy," of which Confucius was the prime (Chinese) example. It continued with attacks on Communist leaders, Lin Biao, and later Zhou En Lai, who were rivals to Mao in the hierarchy. Mao, on the other hand, was a continuing "revolutionary," aided and abetted by his wife Jiang Qing and other members of the so-called "Gang of Four"These kinds of struggles sometimes happen in Communist movements, when some party members want to become the "Establishment," while others opt for continuing revolution.
It's possible that Mao's views also reflect his early struggles with his father. Of the three influences cited in the question, Jiang Jie Shi (Chiang Kai Shek) appears to be the least likely.
Upvote:0
Confucianism
On why Master Kong's grave and temples were targeted: Confucianism began as a state-sponsored religion/system of belief during the Han dynasty (202 bce - 220 ce). In its original form, one of the requirements to be accepted as a Confucian scholar was to qualify via taking imperial examination of the Five Classics (of early China).
The other requirement was to participate in rituals honouring Master Kong, namely, visiting his grave and temples. From Religions of China in Practice (1996), p.6:
"Confucianism" is a complex ritual apparatus, an empire-wide network of shrines patronized by government authorities. It depends upon the ability of the government to maintain religious institutions throughout the empire and upon the willingness of state officials to engage regularly in worship."
Activities of Red Guards Against Intellectuals
There are several layers, mainly political, to this question. The missing context are:
- Mao instigated the Cultural Revolution in 1966. In general, the purpose of this movement was to maintain control and preserve his form of communism. Mao's Red Guards were a direct result.
- One of Mao's key adviser which led to the Cultural Revolution was Zhou Yang, a literary theorist. His 1963 report, "The Fighting Task Confronting Workers in Philosophy and the Social Sciences" (pdf), was presented to Mao. In this report, Zhou Yang warned against the potential harm of China's intellectuals:
What the opportunists and revisionists dread and hate most and have therefore tried in every way to revise is the Marxist theory of class struggle, and particularly that of proletarian revolution and the dictatorship of the proletariat.
- It should also be noted that the Communist Party, from its earliest days, have always sought to control and regulate the activities of China's intellectuals. The Yan'am Forum of Literature and Art, led by Mao in 1942, is evidence of this. Merle Goldman's "Literary Dissent in Communist China" (1967) is important and has more on this point.
So, OP's weblink of the 200 Red Guards from Beijing (Jinggang Shan Red Guard Corps of Beijing Normal University) and Qufu (Shandong) desecrating the grave and temples of Master Kong ("Confucius" in Western literature) on 10th November 1966 -- at the beginning of the Cultural Revolution -- is another incident of erasing the memory of China's intellectuals. There should not be anything particularly personal in their attack on the grave and temples of Master Kong/Confucius.
The fact that this group of Red Guards (from Beijing and Qufu) formed the 'Revolutionary Rebel Liaison Station to Annihilate the Kong Family Business' is incidental.
Upvote:1
Confucianism and Marxism are in inherent conflict
Confucianism aims for a strictly hierarchical society in which all places are strictly adhered to:
Duke Jing of Qi asked Confucius about governance. Confucius replied: “Let lords be lords; ministers be ministers; fathers be fathers; and sons be sons.” The duke said: “Excellent! If lords are not lords, ministers are not ministers, fathers are not fathers, and sons are not sons, would I be able to eat even if I had rice?”
Marxism aims for a classless society. Furthermore, it holds that the relationships Confucius describes are inherently exploitive. For instance, in A Revolution Is Not A Tea Party, defending Mao, cited this passage and the word "[tribute]" was interpolated into this passage before "rice" -- the Marxist analysis of this was that it was to hold peasants down and let the duke eat the rice he extorts.
Indeed, the conflict goes much deeper than particular attacks on Confucianism. The New Marriage Law gave the marrying couple the right to marry without parental consent, and required their consent, which would be completely unfilial under Confucianism.
As a consequence, regardless of Mao's personal motives, it would be necessary to attack Confucianism to promote Marxism.
More post
- 📝 After World War II, what happened to the Soviet industrial facilities that had been evacuated?
- 📝 Was Willem the Silent Dutch?
- 📝 What were whale brains used for?
- 📝 Was Castro City ever a city?
- 📝 Where did a ship's navigator usually work?
- 📝 How was 19th century ship tonnage reported?
- 📝 When did humans develop the ability to sail any direction regardless of wind direction?
- 📝 What are the most comprehensive historical references for ancient India?
- 📝 Were early mosques originally oriented on Petra instead of Mecca according to archaeological record?
- 📝 What were China's thoughts on the possibility of a nuclear exchange, during the Cold War?
- 📝 Could someone help to identify this Japanese mon found on what appears to be a late Edo Period Jingasa?
- 📝 Can you identify this US Army uniform?
- 📝 What is the historical basis for the claim that "Taiwan has always been part of China"?
- 📝 To what degree was photography responsible for America's changing perspective of Nazi Germany?
- 📝 What is this 18th or 19th century muzzle gun recently used in a robbery?
- 📝 Was the N.E.P. of Russia successful in terms of economics?
- 📝 Why have we settled while foragers used to be healthier instead?
- 📝 Why did the Sykes-Picot agreement divided the middle east into more than 10 countries?
- 📝 Did any Native Americans adopt a script from Europe (before being assimilated)?
- 📝 Was the average lifespan of a soldier deployed within Stalingrad only 24 hours?
- 📝 How efficiently did the Red Army conduct itself during the invasion of Poland in 1939?
- 📝 Was the Gulf War 1990 a complete surprise, or was a military build up evident?
- 📝 Early history of prime numbers
- 📝 What was the status of peasants who left to join the People's Crusade?
- 📝 What happened to rural gas stations in the US?
- 📝 What uniform is the man in this mid to late 19th century photo wearing?
- 📝 How realistic were von Papen's plans to invade Canada using "German cowboys" during the Great War?
- 📝 How could ancient people determine the winter solstice was occurring?
- 📝 Why was Spanish Fascist dictatorship left in power after World War II?
- 📝 How are Julian and Gregorian dates usually represented in historical works?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 On what basis did Mao denounce Confucianism?
- 📝 Did Adolf Hitler ever address the fact that his own appearance was almost an exact opposite of what he considered the ideal Aryan appearance?
- 📝 What damage did anti-tank rifles hope to inflict on tanks in WW2?
- 📝 What did babies eat before the advent of modern blenders?
- 📝 During the breakup of the Soviet Union, on what basis was citizenship granted or withheld for each of the fifteen new republics?
- 📝 What did the Emancipation Proclamation exactly do?
- 📝 What did Germany do in World War II about the different rail gauge in the Soviet Union?
- 📝 What is the historical basis for the Exodus?
- 📝 What did people in 13th century England know about Greek mythology?
- 📝 What language did Gaius Julius Caesar speak with Cleopatra?
- 📝 Did Rothschild say this famous quote? If yes, what did he mean by it?
- 📝 To what extent did Native American cultures develop metalworking for tools and weapons?
- 📝 What pretext did Hitler use to justify Operation Barbarossa?
- 📝 What concessions did Hitler demand from the Poles before 1939?
- 📝 What was the economic basis for West Berlin?
- 📝 What did squires do in the middle of a medieval battle?
- 📝 What form of home address did Romans use?
- 📝 What is the historical basis for the claim that "Taiwan has always been part of China"?
- 📝 What advantages did Catholic missionaries to the Indians have over Protestant missionaries in old Oregon Country?
- 📝 What is the context for Napoleon's quote "[the Austrians] did not know the value of five minutes"?
- 📝 What did Germany do after World War II to recover so successfully that it became more prosperous than its WW2 victors?
- 📝 On what basis do some historians accuse the British government of genocide during the great Irish famine?
- 📝 What did the Romans do for Judea?
- 📝 What role did the Eastern Roman Empire play in the fall of the Western Roman Empire?
- 📝 What language did Brahe talk with Kepler?
- 📝 in what form did William the Conqueror write the date of his own coronation?
- 📝 What did Native Americans know, or speculate, about the Old world?
- 📝 What did Tacitus write about Nero and the Great Fire of Rome 64AD?
- 📝 What did ancient Romans use instead of shampoo?
- 📝 What did an ancient Roman certificate of land ownership look like; or, what did it consist of?