ABSTRACT
In November 1966 China’s Cultural Revolution entered a new stage, characterized by increasing political turmoil and resultant economic disruptions. More Chinese officials in charge of the post-GLF ‘gradualist’, ‘agriculture first’ ‘readjustment’ economic strategy were purged or lost influence. Those officials who CCP historians describe as ‘leftist’, gained control of the PRC’s policymaking and government apparatus and, without regard for overall balance, implemented policies emphasizing ‘self-reliance’, more rapid economic industrial development in the interior and preparation for war.
