ABSTRACT
Battles between rebels and conservatives were mercifully brief and bloodless in Shanghai as compared to many other Chinese cities in which the January power seizure unleashed a torrent of hostility between attackers and defenders of the powers-that-be. In Shanghai the swift demise of the Scarlet Guards effectively eliminated the conservative alternative. According to incomplete official statistics, Shanghai witnessed 156 armed battles during the latter half of April 1967. On February 5, 1967, the inaugural ceremony for the Shanghai People's Commune was held at People's Plaza. The status of the Workers' General Headquarters (WGH) had risen considerably during the course of the power seizure; and after the Shanghai Revolutionary Committee was established, the WGH occupied a central spot in the new power structure. Over the ensuing years of the Cultural Revolution decade, the Workers' General Headquarters—operating under a succession of names—became a key vehicle for institutionalizing the political gains of rebel workers.
