ABSTRACT
The Cultural Revolution shattered the previous consensus view of Chinese politics—a view emphasizing a stable, unified leadership, the predominant authority of Mao Zedong, a close working relationship between Mao and his successor, Liu Shaoqi, and the Chinese Communist Party as the institutional embodiment of Mao's revolutionary values. It is undeniable that leadership differences have been a factor in shifting Party policies in the pre-Cultural Revolution period. It is also clear that Mao himself frequently changed his position both in terms of specific policies and by emphasizing different aspects of his intellectual outlook. This chapter examines the adequacy of the "two line struggle" interpretation of policy conflict in China before the Cultural Revolution. It presents a different interpretation of political conflict and policy change in China prior to the Cultural Revolution. The chapter shows case studies that not only indicate the shortcomings of the "two line struggle" concept; they also reflect the changing pattern of policy conflict in the 1949-1965 period.
