Liu Shaoqi

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Liu Shaoqi

Liu Shaoqi (24 November 1898 - 12 November 1969) was a Chinese revolutionary, politician, and theorist. He was Chairman of the NPC Standing Committee from 1954 to 1959, First Vice Chairman of the CCP from 1956 to 1966 and Chairman of the PRC, the de jure head of state, from 1959 to 1968, during which he implemented policies of economic reconstruction in China.

Born just a few miles from Mao's village in Hunan, Liu joined the Party in 1921 and was trained in Moscow before returning to organize protests amongst coal miners. He worked in the Communist underground during the 1930s and promoted Mao's personality cult from the 1940s when he became second-in-command in the Party. In the late 1950s, he was made head of state and thus Mao's successor but he angered Mao when he relaxed rural policies in the wake of the Great Leap Forward famine. Liu Shaoqi had been one of the primary leaders following the Great Leap Forward, and he had been considered as Mao's successor. He was the son of a wealthy peasant family and joined the Communist Party of China in the early 1920s. His life was very similar to Mao's, but by 1966, it was clear to Mao that Liu did not have the same values or vision.

Liu tried to prove his dedication to Mao's vision, often attending meetings held by Mao, as being present would demonstrate that he was not acting against Mao or behind his back. Instead of appearing to be working in solidarity with Mao's rising popularity, Liu made himself an easier target of criticism in front of Mao's most rabid supporters. When he tried to criticize himself in October of 1966, it was too late. Mao had been actively demonizing Liu for months at this point, which caused the self-criticism to be seen as an admission of guilt. A month later, Liu was labeled as the "Supreme leader of a black gang," meaning he was an enemy of the people. The first obvious move to remove Liu from power was in 1967 when he and his wife were put under house arrest. Stuck in Beijing, it was only a matter of time before Mao would finally enact his revenge for being sidelined. By the beginning of the next year, he was called "China's Khrushchev," and he was removed from power.

By the end of 1968, Liu had no power whatsoever, and he was finally denounced as a traitor to the CCP. Whatever power he had was stripped away, and Liu was kicked out of the party. Imprisoned as an enemy of the people in Kaifeng, Liu would be beaten regularly as an example, partly to show other leaders what would happen if they gained too much control. Mao had once trusted Liu, even appointing him as the next leader, so it was important to show that no one's position was certain if Mao was dissatisfied. After being denied medicine to treat his diabetes, Liu died in 1969. Some say that his death was no accident, as the guards refused to provide him with the diabetes medication that he needed. Liu was only rehabilitated in 1980.