A Study On The May Seventh Cadre Schools

As one of the results of Great Cultural Revolution, the May Seventh Cadre Schools were founded for the cadres to do tempering concentrative study and work in agricultural villages in China in the name of carrying out Mao Zedong' s May Seventh Directive from 1968 to 1979. It was called a New Thing from birth, and was once vigorously propagated and spread as Newly Emerging Things in the society. Its emergence has greatly convulsed the Chinese society at that time and has had profound influence. The fate of quite a few cadres and intelligentsia have been changed since then. Furthering the study of the May Seventh Cadre Schools has not only high academic value but also strong practical significance.The prolegomenon of the present thesis introduces current researches about the May Seventh Cadre Schools, including the achievements obtained, the progress and limitations of present study. This part also involves terse definitions and analyses of some relevant elementary concepts, and gives a concise account of the significance, the way of examining, the research methods and the innovations of this paper.Chapter one discusses with emphasis the background and the reasons of the rising and establishment of the May Seventh Cadre Schools. According to the paper, Mao Zedong' s May Seventh Directive provided the theoretical bases, and the 1957-1965 Cadre Transference Movement, which supplied some useful models and practices that could be applied mechanically, was its historical premise. The comprehensive launch and entire power seizing of Great Cultural Revolution, which made general cadres "stand-out-of-the-way" and requiring relocating, became its direct realistic reason. And it was Mao Zedong' s instructions of "general-cadre-should-be-sent-to-do-manual-labor" that produced the policy power for the establishment of cadre schools in the nation. Chapter two to four elaborate the development of the May Seventh Cadre Schools and divide it into three stages. Chapter two dwells on its first stage—the rising and establishment of the Cadre Schools, chapter three deals with the second stage—its regulation and consolidation, and chapter four probes into its third stage—the declination and close-down of the Cadre Schools.Taking the research of the first cadre school in China, the Liuhe Cadre School of Heilongjiang Province, for a case study, the fifth chapter makes a thorough analysis of the school patterns of the May Seventh Cadre Schools and sums up them in three aspects. The first was to carry out "three ways, one goal" , the second was that the mass criticism was selected as the only propelling force for the whole procedures, and the third was to implement the paramilitary management and personal style construction.Sixth chapter discourses mainly upon the influence and evaluation of the May Seventh Cadre Schools. The negative influence of the Cadre Schools is huge. In politics, it has instilled the wrong viewpoint of "left" into the cadres, has maintained the errors of the Great Cultural Revolution, has had big impact and disturbance to the works of the Party and government organizations, and has seriously injured many cadre and intellectual's physical and moral integrities. Economically speaking, it has consumed huge financial, physical and human resources, has occupied massive plowlands, and has created serious resource waste and loss. In terms of culture, it has hindered enormously the development of technological, educational and cultural undertakings. On the other hand, objectively speaking, the May Seventh Cadre Schools also has the following positive effects: to enhance cadre' s theory accomplishment by organizing the cadre to read the works of Marx and Lenin and Mao Zedong; to let the cadre learn some production knowledge, exercise their body and whet their will in the labors and tribulations; to prevent and restrain bureaucratic airs, arrogance and delicacy effectively; to create opportunities and conditions for the cadre to know the situation of the people and the country, and to maintain close ties with the masses. However, its limited positive effects can't strike a balance with its huge negative effects. Its negative effects are tremendous. On all accounts, the May Seventh Cadre Schools is not in the least the newly emerging thing. It should be denied and be drawn the lesson from.