| Publication |
2012.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Why did otherwise savvy or cautious intellectuals put themselves at risk by attacking the dictatorial Chinese Communist state during the Rectification Campaign of 1957? This essay highlights the critical impact of the postrevolution institution of the united front. A primary tool for acquiring support of non-Party personnel, the official institution featured at the élite level a bundle of exclusive privilege and cultivated exemplary cooperation as well as sentiments of trust, confidence and even admiration toward the regime. Determined to conduct a successful rectification campaign, the regime targeted the élites as usual for support but with augmented privilege. The particular yet familiar approach greatly affected the psychology and calculus of the élites, prompting some to cooperate in criticizing the state. Their publicized opinions set off the dissent of intellectuals and resulted in their own decline. The analysis furthers understanding of the united front and state-society relations in the early Mao years.
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