Mao led China for many years.

Mark scheme

Marking points from the official mark scheme (May/June 2023). The mark or mark type is shown in brackets.

1. [1-4] (a) e.g. 'Millions of letters were sent in criticising the party.'
2. '(a) It was a mistake because it led to criticism.'
3. '(a) It identified opponents of the regime who were then punished.'
4. '(a) A halt was called to it in June 1957.'
5. '(a) Many of the people who had been critical were discredited or sent to camps for re-education.'
6. '(a) It made people less likely to voice their criticisms and this made it easier for the authorities to control the country.'
7. '(a) It was a failure because it did not create an atmosphere of free debate.'
8. '(a) It led to less freedom for everyone.'
9. [4-5] (b) In the later stages of the Cultural Revolution, the Gang of Four had a lot of power and made a lot of the decisions instead of Mao. The Cultural Revolution was a mistake and ended up causing chaos and set China back educationally and in other ways. Afterwards they were blamed for the worst aspects of the Cultural Revolution and all the damage that was done. The Communist Party removed them just a month after Mao's death.
10. [2-3] (b) e.g. 'They were blamed for the worst features of the Cultural Revolution and for all the damage it did.'
11. '(b) The Cultural Revolution ended and this destroyed their power base.'
12. '(b) They were defeated in a power struggle with their rival Hua Guofeng who won the support of the army.'
13. '(b) They were finished once Mao had died.'
14. '(b) They were regarded as people who wanted power for its own sake.'
15. [4-6] (c) 'I disagree with this. I think he wanted the Cultural Revolution because his position in China was not secure because of the failure of the Great Leap Forward and he saw Liu Shaoqi as a threat. He was worried that collective farms and factories were under threat. He launched the Cultural Revolution to stop all this. He did achieve what he wanted because Liu Shaoqi was removed and Mao's position and reforms were secured.'
16. OR
17. '(c) I agree with this. Mao thought that the Chinese Revolution was going stale and that the people seemed to be turning against its original spirit. The enthusiasm for it had gone. He was also worried that some people were becoming richer than others. He decided to use young people to change all this. He told them that a privileged class was emerging and that this should be stopped. This led to the Red Guards acting against millions of people for being revisionists. Many people were forced into the countryside where they could be re-educated.'
18. [2-3] (c) e.g. 'Mao got rid of his biggest rival, Liu Shaoqi.'
19. '(c) He did it to restore his own position as he was no longer Chairman of the Party.'
20. '(c) Some of Mao's achievements such as collective farms and factories were saved.'
21. '(c) He did manage to create new enthusiasm for the revolution in China among young people.'
22. '(c) Elements of capitalism that had been creeping in were got rid of.'
23. '(c) He did it because a privileged class was emerging.'
24. '(c) He was worried the Revolution was going the same way as in Russia.'