Table of Contents

Part 1 Origins: ideological origins; political origins. Part 2 Backdrop: the purge of the Group of Five; the May 16 Circular. Part 3 The case of Liu Shaoqi: the beginning; the 1lth Plenum of the 8th Central Committee; the fall of Liu Shaoqi. Part 4 The great chaos: the emergence of mass organizations; the seizure of power; the February adverse current; the escalation of the chaos; the role of the military. Part 5 Fluctuations between order and disorder: from great alliances to revolutionary committees; twists and turns from right to left; the 9th Party Congress; the campaign to purify class ranks. Part 6 The Lin Biao affair: the way to Lushan; the fall of Lin Biao. Part 7 Final power struggles: the criticism of Lin Biao and Confucius; the last succession crisis; the elimination of the Gang of Four; notes on Chinese sources.

About the Author

Barbara Barnouin, Yu Changgen