ABSTRACT
The Lin Biao incident deals a fatal blow to the theories and policies of the Cultural Revolution. For the Maoist party center, Lin's purge caused the alienation of Lin's followers without wining much support from his enemies in the army. The party center's lack of confidence in the loyalty of the officer corps was evidenced in its continued efforts to contain the political power of military authorities at all levels. During the campaign to criticize Lin Biao and to rectify work styles, Zhou Enlai tried to direct the campaign toward a condemnation of Lin's "ultraleftism and anarchism," in order to discredit Maoist policies and move the party to the right. The purge of the Lin faction not only removed a major political ally for the Maoists, it also gave rise to anti–Cultural Revolution sentiment in the party and in society at large.
