ABSTRACT
Hu Qiaomu labeled Hu Yaobang's mistake "a typical example of violating the collegial leadership of the Politburo." Hu Yaobang's crime was allegedly that of "violating the collegial leadership of the Politburo." But to accuse Hu Yaobang of this was in itself absurd, because Deng Xiaoping had decided to kick Wang Ruowang out of the Party without ever consulting the Politburo. After Hu Qiaomu laid out the nature of Hu Yaobang's mistakes at the "Party life meeting," Deng Liqun gave a five-hour speech exposing Hu Yaobang. Hu Yaobang's goal of "building our country into a highly civilized and highly democratic social ist country" was enunciated in the course of a speech in which he ensured the continuation of reform and the open door. If Deng Xiaoping had relied on the democratic reform forces in both the Party and society, his political reform proposals could have been gradually implemented.
