The Role of Youth in China's Cultural Revolution

[Robert Docter]

FOR BEST VIEW, USE GOOGLE DOC LINK: 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YON97ozYcanbcrxKxjBmW5x3tzBbJuA2JxemrBOhVl0/edit?usp=sharing

 

UNIT PLAN: China’s Cultural Revolution 

INTRO/PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: This unit is taught after WWII unit and Cold War unit in a tenth grade world history class. A prior learning optional assessment resource (https://sheg.stanford.edu/history-assessments/chinas-cultural-revolution) can be used in response to The Great Leap Forward.  The unit takes readings and ideas from multiple resources and readings including Stanford’s Reading Like a Historian’s “China’s Cultural Revolution” lesson, New Vision for Public School’s lesson on China’s Cultural Revolution, with material from USC-China’s Institute resources on the Cultural Revolution. The focus of the unit looks at China’s Red Guards in 1966 in the midst of Mao’s Cultural Revolution. Student’s are the learn the background of the cultural revolution as it responds to the Great Leap Forward, Mao’s rise of power, and the revolutions in China going forward in the 1960s. The unit connects directly to CCSS 10.9.4 while requiring students to practice a number of Common Core standards with primary source analysis and argumentative and explanatory writing. Each day is broken below. At the end is an attached google slideshow that fits to the unit. 

•  https://sheg.stanford.edu/history-assessments/chinas-cultural-revolution

• https://curriculum.newvisions.org/social-studies/resources/resource/107-mao-zedong-the-great-leap-forward-and-cultural-revolution/

• https://curriculum.newvisions.org/social-studies/resources/resource/107-mao-zedong-the-great-leap-forward-and-cultural-revolution/

Central Idea/Question: How did Mao use Youth/Indoctrination during the Cultural Revolution? To support this overall objective, each day of the unit is comprised of a different supporting question to build the students knowledge on the central question. 

 

Day 1: Introduction, What was the Cultural Revolution? 

China’s Cultural Revolution 

Lesson   Mr. Docter
Basic information
Content  Area History Grade/Level	World History  - 10th Grade
Topic(s)	China’s Cultural Revolution  Central Question/Objective: How did Mao use Youth/Indoctrination during the Cultural Revolution?
Agenda	Warm up – Mao/Little Red Book  Image will be projected when student’s walk in, having students analyze to image. Students will make inferences of what the poster/image’s goal is.	8
	Powerpoint – China’s Cultural Revolution Introduction  Slide 1 - 2 China’s After the Cold War Slide 2 - “Great Leap Forward”  Slide 3 - Cultural Revolution  Slide 4 - 4 Olds  Slide 4 - Think/Pair/Share - Why use children as a tool to gain/keep/enhance power?  Slide 5 - VIDEO - BBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LqJ9IpWOYQA	20
	INTRO - PRIMARY SOURCE/IMAGES ROUND ROBIN Students will walk around the room and observe primary source images, maps, photos -- each with a short piece of background information and questions. Student’s will be given a checklist sheet where they'll shortly respond to each image. This sheet will be collected and assessed.	20
	WRAP UP What was the cultural revolution?  Why did Mao start the cultural revolution?	6
STANDARDS   Calif. Content Social Studies 10.9.4 Analyze the Chinese Civil War, the rise of Mao Tse-tung, and the subsequent political and economic upheavals in China (e.g., the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen Square uprising). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.5 · Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.6 · Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.10b · By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

 

Day 2: Why did Chinese youth get swept up in the Cultural Revolution?

China’s Cultural Revolution 

Lesson   Mr. Docter
Basic information
Content  Area History Grade/Level	World History  - 10th Grade
Topic(s)	China’s Cultural Revolution  Central Question/Objective: How did Mao use Youth/Indoctrination during the Cultural Revolution?
Agenda	Lesson: Background of Mao, Timeline Handout  What were Mao’s goals for the Cultural Revolution? What were some of the outcomes of the Cultural Revolution? Based on the timeline, why might teenagers have supported the Cultural Revolution?	12
	Document Analysis - Individual  Students will work individually on two short readings: Mao’s “Little Red Book”, and “At the Center of the Storm” followed by guiding questions.  Students will be guided into discussions in groups of three to exchange thoughts as to why youth were joined in the Red Guards/Cultural Revolution.  Wrap up will include a class effort in answering the various reasons why youth were swept up into the cultural revolution followed by relating it back to the central objective” **these sources and timeline were taken in part of Stanford’s Reading Like a Historian project:  https://sheg.stanford.edu/history-lessons/chinas-cultural-revolution	35
STANDARDS   Calif. Content Social Studies 10.9.4 Analyze the Chinese Civil War, the rise of Mao Tse-tung, and the subsequent political and economic upheavals in China (e.g., the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen Square uprising). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.5 · Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.6 · Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.10b · By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

 

Day 3: Primary Source Reading - What did Red Guard youth fight for?

China’s Cultural Revolution 

Lesson   Mr. Docter
Basic information
Content  Area History Grade/Level	World History CP - 10th Grade
Topic(s)	China’s Cultural Revolution  Central Question/Objective: How did Mao use Youth/Indoctrination during the Cultural Revolution?
Agenda	Warm up – Review Primary Source Images What was the most memorable image from yesterday. What helped you remember it?	5
	GROUP JIGSAW: Primary Source Reading Analysis Red Guards Review/Review on Indoctrination techniques, propaganda techniques, revolution… all learned from prior units. Review of proletariat and bourgeoisie, Mao Zedong and the revolution. Red Guard Marches 4 Olds: Customs, Culture, Habits, Ideas Introduction to the themes to look out for in the readings: Indoctrination/Youth, Building a National Identity, Propaganda, Proletariat vs Bourgeoisie, Destroying Four Olds Reminder about sourcing, annotation procedures, and what to look out for.  Graphic Organizer for analyzing three primary sources given out to students.  Jigsaw Configuration: Groups of 3 - Have students decide who is “A”, “B”, “C” Post slide of Tier II, III words: Proletariat, Bourgeoisie, disseminate, reactionary, crude Parter A - “Long Live the Revolutionary Spirit of the Proletariat”  Partner B - “Red Guards in Nanning and Liuzhou Take the Streets to Clean Up the Four Olds”  Partner C - “March Forward Valiantly Along the Road Pointed out by Chairman Mao” *Note - only part of reading used. Beginning on page 453, starting with “On the way…” until the end. In order to make readings roughly equal in length between partners.  Students will discuss their readings with one another and fill out graphic organizer for ALL three readings.  Students will work together in writing overall claim on graphic organizer answering, “What did youth fight with the Red Guards?” **Optional - looking at a counter, having groups read together the Sept. 11th massacre, “Factual Account of the Sept. 11th Bloodshed” -- for honors, magnet classes.	40
	WRAP UP Go over the themes and the evidence to those themes (themes in graphic organizer)  Indoctrination/Youth  4 Olds  Have groups choose the most powerful piece of evidence when answering, “What was life like in Red Guards?” - exit ticket.	6
STANDARDS   Calif. Content Social Studies 10.9.4 Analyze the Chinese Civil War, the rise of Mao Tse-tung, and the subsequent political and economic upheavals in China (e.g., the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, and the Tiananmen Square uprising). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.5 · Analyze in detail how an author’s ideas or claims are developed and refined by particular sentences, paragraphs, or larger portions of a text (e.g., a section or chapter). CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.6 · Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and analyze how an author uses rhetoric to advance that point of view or purpose. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.10b · By the end of grade 10, read and comprehend literary nonfiction at the high end of the grades 9–10 text complexity band independently and proficiently.

 

Day 4: WRITING ASSESSMENT: ENCOUNTER

China’s Cultural Revolution 

Lesson   Mr. Docter
Basic information
Content  Area History Grade/Level	World History CP - 10th Grade
Topic(s)	China’s Cultural Revolution  Central Question/Objective: How did Mao use Youth/Indoctrination during the Cultural Revolution?
Agenda	ENCOUNTER - You are seventeen year old Chinese youth who is getting ready to embark on the long youth march to Beijing. However, your best friend from back home is not joining you on this journey. You are to write a letter to your friend and convince them to join the march with you and the red guards. Your letter must mention:  Your feelings about Mao Zedong 4 Olds  Frustration with Bourgeoisie.	52
STANDARDS  CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9-10.4 · Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.

 

DAY 1 RESOURCES

LESSON NOTES/DETAILS

SLIDE 1: 

The Two Chinas Affect the Cold War 

China had split into two nations. One was the island of Taiwan, or Nationalist China, with an area of 13,000 square miles. The mainland, or People’s Republic of China, had an area of more than 3.5 million square miles. The existence of two Chinas, and the conflicting international loyalties they inspired, intensified the Cold War.

 

The Superpowers React: After Jiang Jieshi fled to Taiwan, the United States helped him set up a Nationalist government on that small island. It was called the Republic of China. The Soviets gave financial, military, and technical aid to Communist China. In addition, the Chinese and the Soviets pledged to come to each other’s defense if either was attacked. The United States tried to halt Soviet expansion in Asia. 

For example, when Soviet forces occupied the northern half of Korea after World War II and set up a Communist government, the United States supported a separate state in the south.

 

China Expands under the Communists: In the early years of Mao’s reign, Chinese troops expanded into Tibet, India, and southern, or Inner, Mongolia. Northern, or Outer, Mongolia, which bordered the Soviet Union, remained in the Soviet sphere. 

In a brutal assault in 1950 and 1951, China took control of Tibet. The Chinese promised autonomy to Tibetans, who followed their religious leader, the Dalai Lama. When China’s control over Tibet tightened in the late 1950s, the Dalai Lama fled to India. India welcomed many Tibetan refugees after a failed revolt in Tibet in 1959. As a result, resentment between India and China grew. In 1962, they clashed briefly over the two countries’ unclear border. The fighting stopped but resentment continued. 

 

SLIDE 2

“The Great Leap Forward” To expand the success of the first Five-Year Plan, Mao proclaimed the “Great Leap Forward” in early 1958. This plan called for large collective farms, or communes. By the end of 1958, about 26,000 communes had been created. The average commune sprawled over 15,000 acres and supported over 25,000 people. In the strictly controlled life of the communes, peasants worked the land together. They ate in communal dining rooms, slept in communal dormitories, and raised children in communal nurseries. And they owned nothing. The peasants had no incentive to work hard when only the state profited from their labor.

 

The Great Leap Forward was a giant step backward. Poor planning and inefficient “backyard,” or home, industries hampered growth. The program was ended in 1961 after crop failures caused a famine that killed about 20 million people. 

 

New Policies and Mao’s Response China was facing external problems as well as internal ones in the late 1950s. The spirit of cooperation that had bound the Soviet Union and China began to fade. Each sought to lead the worldwide Communist movement. As they also shared the longest border in the world, they faced numerous territorial disputes. 

 

After the failure of the Great Leap Forward and the split with the Soviet Union, Mao reduced his role in government. Other leaders moved away from Mao’s strict socialist ideas. 

For example, farm families could live in their own homes and could sell crops they grew on small private plots. Factory workers could compete for wage increases and promotions. 

 

Mao thought China’s new economic policies weakened the Communist goal of social equality. He was determined to revive the revolution. In 1966, he urged China’s young people to “learn revolution by making revolution.” Millions of high school and college students responded. They left their classrooms and formed militia units called Red Guards.

 

SLIDE 3

Mao thought China’s new economic policies weakened the Communist goal of social equality. He was determined to revive the revolution. In 1966, he urged China’s young people to “learn revolution by making revolution.” Millions of high school and college students responded. They left their classrooms and formed militia units called Red Guards. 

 

The Cultural Revolution: 

The Red Guards led a major uprising known as the Cultural Revolution. Its goal was to establish a society of peasants and workers in which all were equal. The new hero was the peasant who worked with his hands. The life of the mind—intellectual and artistic activity—was considered useless and dangerous. To stamp out this threat, the Red Guards shut down colleges and schools. They targeted anyone who resisted the regime. Intellectuals had to “purify” themselves by doing hard labor in remote villages. Thousands were executed or imprisoned. 

 

Chaos threatened farm production and closed down factories. Civil war seemed possible. By 1968, even Mao admitted that the Cultural Revolution had to stop. The army was ordered to put down the Red Guards. Zhou Enlai (joh ehn•leye), Chinese Communist party founder and premier since 1949, began to restore order. While China was struggling to become stable, the Cold War continued to rage. Two full-scale wars were fought—in Korea and in Vietnam. 

 

ACTIVITY - Image Analysis (Pictures on Google Slides)

Observe its parts. 

• WORDS: Does it have a message printed on it? Are there questions or instructions? Does it say who created it? VISUALS: List the people, objects, places, and activities in the poster. What are the main colors used? Are there any symbols? Does the poster/image try to persuade mainly through words, visuals, or both equally? Write one sentence summarizing this poster

• Identify methods Mao Zedong used to gain, consolidate, and maintain power in China.

• What methods did Mao use to change Chinese culture during the Cultural Revolution?

• Who was targeted and denounced by the Red Guards? Why did the Red Guards denounce these people? What methods did the Red Guards use?

Attachments:

You must be logged in to view attached files.

[Author]

Posts