# data[].attributes.body
The Hundred Flowers was t
The Hundred Flowers was the most ambitious attempt ever undertaken in any communist country to combine a totalitarian system with democratic checks and balances. Even Mao was unsure what it would produce. Why then did he decide that a crackdown was necessary? There is no simple answer. The Hundred Flowers was not, as Mao's victims and supporters both claimed, a carefully contrived trap form the start, an example of the Chairman's cunning in "luring the snake out of it's hole". 

Mao was prepared to toler
Mao was prepared to tolerate a period of liberalisation and free thought to promote socialism, to present it as a reasonable ideology that listens to the people, even those who do not agree
There is no simple answer
There is no simple answer. The Hundred Flowers was not, as Mao's victims and suppor
ung Chang "Mao: The Untol
ung Chang "Mao: The Untold Story"
‘He cooked up a devious plan. Few guessed that Mao was setting a trap and that he was inviting people to speak out so that he could then use what they said as an excuse to victimise them.’ 
Johnathan D. Spence, an a
Johnathan D. Spence, an a
 Johnathan D. Spence, an author and teacher at Yale University, states “This latter version was doctored to make it appear that Mao wanted the Hundred Flowers Campaign to serve as a vehicle of class struggle, and that he anticipated trouble from the start.” This is Spence writing about an article altered by Mao in ‘The People's Daily of Peking’ in The New York Times in 1989. It suggests he believes that Mao wished to tailor the Chinese Communist Party to the people, with an initially genuine invitation for intellectual constructive criticism.  Spence is a more reliable source than Chang as he has a less biased view; as he is an American academic looking at Mao from the outside, not someone who had to live in Mao’s China. However, this also makes it a non-contemporary source so does not contain first-hand experiences or information.
Phillip Short (Mao: A Life of Mao, 1999)
Phillip Short (Mao: A Life of Mao, 1999)
The Hundred Flowers was the most ambitious attempt ever undertaken in any communist country to combine a totalitarian system with democratic checks and balances. Even Mao was unsure what it would produce. Why then did he decide that a crackdown was necessary? There is no simple answer. The Hundred Flowers was not, as Mao's victims and supporters both claimed, a carefully contrived trap form the start, an example of the Chairman's cunning in "luring the snake out of it's hole". 
Editor of the Guomindang Daily 1957:
Editor of the Guomindang Daily 1957:
" I think a party leading a nation is not the same as a party
supports the Party, but members of the public have not forgotten that they are the masters of
the nation…isn’t it too much that within the scope of the nation, there must be a Party man as
leader in every unit, big or small, whether section or subsection.…For many years, the talents or capabilitiesof many Party men have not matchedtheir duties.They have bungled theirjobs, to the detriment of the state,and havenot been able to command the respect of the masses, with
the result that the relations betweenthe Party and the masses have beentense"
Jung Chang "Mao: The Untold Story"
Jung Chang "Mao: The Untold Story"
‘He cooked up a devious plan. Few guessed that Mao was setting a trap and that he was inviting people to speak out so that he could then use what they said as an excuse to victimise them.’ 
Glen Kutcha
Glen Kutcha
His true motives, however, are uncertain and continue to be debated by historians. Some argue that Mao was prepared to tolerate a period of liberalisation and free thought to promote socialism, to present it as a reasonable ideology that listens to the people, even those who do not agree.
Jason Chen, studied at China
Jason Chen, studied at China
However, when the ghost was released from the bottle, it was out of control. The leadership of the CCP and Mao himself had obviously not expected such a passionate response from the whole society as many of them, especially those members of democratice parties and intellectuals criticized not individual mistakes of the bureaucrats as Mao planned, but the entire system of communist dictatorship instead, as they apparently had no idea of Mao's true intention and overestimated the CCP's sincerity.
Dr. Jeff Sanders (not sure if this is reliable)
Dr. Jeff Sanders (not sure if this is reliable)
Mao desired to root out dissent in his country
Mao
Mao
. ‘Right now there are certain people who behave as 
if they can sit back and relax and ride roughshod over the people…such people are opposed by the masses…From my point of view…there are times when nothing but a beating can solve the problem. The CCP has to learn its lesson…and not allow a bureaucratic lifestyle to develop.’ (Mao in 1956) 
Jonathan D. Spence
Jonathan D. Spence
"[,,,] was doctored to make it appear that Mao wanted the Hundred Flowers Campaign to serve as a vehicle of class struggle, and that he anticipated trouble from the start. "
Michael Lynch - China's destalinisation
Michael Lynch - China's destalinisation
Johnathan D. Spence, an a
Johnathan D. Spence, an author and teacher at Yale University, states “This latter version was doctored to make it appear that Mao wanted the Hundred Flowers Campaign to serve as a vehicle of class struggle, and that he anticipated trouble from the start.” This is Spence writing about an article altered by Mao in ‘The People's Daily of Peking’ in The New York Times in 1989. It suggests he believes that Mao wished to tailor the Chinese Communist Party to the people, with an initially genuine invitation for intellectual constructive criticism.  Spence is a more reliable source than Chang as he has a less biased view; as he is an American academic looking at Mao from the outside, not someone who had to live in Mao’s China. However, this also makes it a non-contemporary source so does not contain first-hand experiences or information.
Phillip Short (Mao: A Life of Mao, 1999)
Phillip Short (Mao: A Life of Mao, 1999)
The Hundred Flowers was the most ambitious attempt ever undertaken in any communist country to combine a totalitarian system with democratic checks and balances. Even Mao was unsure what it would produce. Why then did he decide that a crackdown was necessary? There is no simple answer. The Hundred Flowers was not, as Mao's victims and supporters both claimed, a carefully contrived trap form the start, an example of the Chairman's cunning in "luring the snake out of it's hole". 
Editor of the Guomindang Daily 1957:
Editor of the Guomindang Daily 1957:
" I think a party leading a nation is not the same as a party
supports the Party, but members of the public have not forgotten that they are the masters of
the nation…isn’t it too much that within the scope of the nation, there must be a Party man as
leader in every unit, big or small, whether section or subsection.…For many years, the talents or capabilitiesof many Party men have not matchedtheir duties.They have bungled theirjobs, to the detriment of the state,and havenot been able to command the respect of the masses, with
the result that the relations betweenthe Party and the masses have beentense"
Jung Chang "Mao: The Untold Story"
Jung Chang "Mao: The Untold Story"
‘He cooked up a devious plan. Few guessed that Mao was setting a trap and that he was inviting people to speak out so that he could then use what they said as an excuse to victimise them.’ 
Glen Kutcha
Glen Kutcha
His true motives, however, are uncertain and continue to be debated by historians. Some argue that Mao was prepared to tolerate a period of liberalisation and free thought to promote socialism, to present it as a reasonable ideology that listens to the people, even those who do not agree.
Jason Chen, studied at China
Jason Chen, studied at China
However, when the ghost was released from the bottle, it was out of control. The leadership of the CCP and Mao himself had obviously not expected such a passionate response from the whole society as many of them, especially those members of democratice parties and intellectuals criticized not individual mistakes of the bureaucrats as Mao planned, but the entire system of communist dictatorship instead, as they apparently had no idea of Mao's true intention and overestimated the CCP's sincerity.
Dr. Jeff Sanders (not sure if this is reliable)
Dr. Jeff Sanders (not sure if this is reliable)
Mao desired to root out dissent in his country
Mao
Mao
. ‘Right now there are certain people who behave as 
if they can sit back and relax and ride roughshod over the people…such people are opposed by the masses…From my point of view…there are times when nothing but a beating can solve the problem. The CCP has to learn its lesson…and not allow a bureaucratic lifestyle to develop.’ (Mao in 1956) 
Jonathan D. Spence
Jonathan D. Spence
"[,,,] was doctored to make it appear that Mao wanted the Hundred Flowers Campaign to serve as a vehicle of class struggle, and that he anticipated trouble from the start. "

# data[].attributes.body
The Hundred Flowers was the most ambitious attempt ever undertaken in any communist country to combine a totalitarian system with democratic checks and balances. Even Mao was unsure what it would produce. Why then did he decide that a crackdown was necessary? There is no simple answer. The Hundred Flowers was not, as Mao's victims and supporters both claimed, a carefully contrived trap form the start, an example of the Chairman's cunning in "luring the snake out of it's hole". 

# data[].attributes.body
Mao was prepared to tolerate a period of liberalisation and free thought to promote socialism, to present it as a reasonable ideology that listens to the people, even those who do not agree

# data[].attributes.body
There is no simple answer. The Hundred Flowers was not, as Mao's victims and suppor

# data[].attributes.body
ung Chang "Mao: The Untold Story"
‘He cooked up a devious plan. Few guessed that Mao was setting a trap and that he was inviting people to speak out so that he could then use what they said as an excuse to victimise them.’ 

# data[].attributes.body
Johnathan D. Spence, an a
 Johnathan D. Spence, an author and teacher at Yale University, states “This latter version was doctored to make it appear that Mao wanted the Hundred Flowers Campaign to serve as a vehicle of class struggle, and that he anticipated trouble from the start.” This is Spence writing about an article altered by Mao in ‘The People's Daily of Peking’ in The New York Times in 1989. It suggests he believes that Mao wished to tailor the Chinese Communist Party to the people, with an initially genuine invitation for intellectual constructive criticism.  Spence is a more reliable source than Chang as he has a less biased view; as he is an American academic looking at Mao from the outside, not someone who had to live in Mao’s China. However, this also makes it a non-contemporary source so does not contain first-hand experiences or information.
Phillip Short (Mao: A Life of Mao, 1999)
Phillip Short (Mao: A Life of Mao, 1999)
The Hundred Flowers was the most ambitious attempt ever undertaken in any communist country to combine a totalitarian system with democratic checks and balances. Even Mao was unsure what it would produce. Why then did he decide that a crackdown was necessary? There is no simple answer. The Hundred Flowers was not, as Mao's victims and supporters both claimed, a carefully contrived trap form the start, an example of the Chairman's cunning in "luring the snake out of it's hole". 
Editor of the Guomindang Daily 1957:
Editor of the Guomindang Daily 1957:
" I think a party leading a nation is not the same as a party
supports the Party, but members of the public have not forgotten that they are the masters of
the nation…isn’t it too much that within the scope of the nation, there must be a Party man as
leader in every unit, big or small, whether section or subsection.…For many years, the talents or capabilitiesof many Party men have not matchedtheir duties.They have bungled theirjobs, to the detriment of the state,and havenot been able to command the respect of the masses, with
the result that the relations betweenthe Party and the masses have beentense"
Jung Chang "Mao: The Untold Story"
Jung Chang "Mao: The Untold Story"
‘He cooked up a devious plan. Few guessed that Mao was setting a trap and that he was inviting people to speak out so that he could then use what they said as an excuse to victimise them.’ 
Glen Kutcha
Glen Kutcha
His true motives, however, are uncertain and continue to be debated by historians. Some argue that Mao was prepared to tolerate a period of liberalisation and free thought to promote socialism, to present it as a reasonable ideology that listens to the people, even those who do not agree.
Jason Chen, studied at China
Jason Chen, studied at China
However, when the ghost was released from the bottle, it was out of control. The leadership of the CCP and Mao himself had obviously not expected such a passionate response from the whole society as many of them, especially those members of democratice parties and intellectuals criticized not individual mistakes of the bureaucrats as Mao planned, but the entire system of communist dictatorship instead, as they apparently had no idea of Mao's true intention and overestimated the CCP's sincerity.
Dr. Jeff Sanders (not sure if this is reliable)
Dr. Jeff Sanders (not sure if this is reliable)
Mao desired to root out dissent in his country
Mao
Mao
. ‘Right now there are certain people who behave as 
if they can sit back and relax and ride roughshod over the people…such people are opposed by the masses…From my point of view…there are times when nothing but a beating can solve the problem. The CCP has to learn its lesson…and not allow a bureaucratic lifestyle to develop.’ (Mao in 1956) 
Jonathan D. Spence
Jonathan D. Spence
"[,,,] was doctored to make it appear that Mao wanted the Hundred Flowers Campaign to serve as a vehicle of class struggle, and that he anticipated trouble from the start. "
Michael Lynch - China's destalinisation
Michael Lynch - China's destalinisation

# data[].attributes.body
Johnathan D. Spence, an author and teacher at Yale University, states “This latter version was doctored to make it appear that Mao wanted the Hundred Flowers Campaign to serve as a vehicle of class struggle, and that he anticipated trouble from the start.” This is Spence writing about an article altered by Mao in ‘The People's Daily of Peking’ in The New York Times in 1989. It suggests he believes that Mao wished to tailor the Chinese Communist Party to the people, with an initially genuine invitation for intellectual constructive criticism.  Spence is a more reliable source than Chang as he has a less biased view; as he is an American academic looking at Mao from the outside, not someone who had to live in Mao’s China. However, this also makes it a non-contemporary source so does not contain first-hand experiences or information.

# data[].attributes.body
" I think a party leading a nation is not the same as a party
supports the Party, but members of the public have not forgotten that they are the masters of
the nation…isn’t it too much that within the scope of the nation, there must be a Party man as
leader in every unit, big or small, whether section or subsection.…For many years, the talents or  capabilities of  many  Party  men  have  not  matched their  duties. They  have  bungled  their jobs,  to  the  detriment  of  the  state, and  have not  been  able  to  command  the  respect  of  the  masses,  with
the  result  that  the  relations  between the  Party  and  the  masses  have  been tense"

# data[].attributes.body
‘He cooked up a devious plan. Few guessed that Mao was setting a trap and that he was inviting people to speak out so that he could then use what they said as an excuse to victimise them.’

# data[].attributes.body
His true motives, however, are uncertain and continue to be debated by historians. Some argue that Mao was prepared to tolerate a period of liberalisation and free thought to promote socialism, to present it as a reasonable ideology that listens to the people, even those who do not agree.

# data[].attributes.body
However, when the ghost was released from the bottle, it was out of control. The leadership of the CCP and Mao himself had obviously not expected such a passionate response from the whole society as many of them, especially those members of democratice parties and intellectuals criticized not individual mistakes of the bureaucrats as Mao planned, but the entire system of communist dictatorship instead, as they apparently had no idea of Mao's true intention and overestimated the CCP's sincerity.

# data[].attributes.headline
Dr. Jeff Sanders (not sure if this is reliable)

# data[].attributes.subject
Dr. Jeff Sanders (not sure if this is reliable)

# data[].attributes.body
Mao desired to root out dissent in his country

# data[].attributes.body
. ‘Right now there are certain people who behave as
if they can sit back and relax and ride roughshod over the people…such people are opposed by the masses…From my point of view…there are times when nothing but a beating can solve the problem. The CCP has to learn its lesson…and not allow a bureaucratic lifestyle to develop.’ (Mao in 1956)

# data[].attributes.body
"[,,,] was doctored to make it appear that Mao wanted the Hundred Flowers Campaign to serve as a vehicle of class struggle, and that he anticipated trouble from the start. "

# data[].attributes.body
British lecturer Michael Lynch suggests that the campaign was an attempt to copy Khrushchev’s destalinisation campaign in Russia

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Li Zhisui (The private life of the Chairman Mao, 1994)

# data[].attributes.subject
Li Zhisui (The private life of the Chairman Mao, 1994)

# data[].attributes.body
Mao knew the intellectuals felt betrayed. He had not, however, asked them to oppose the party or seize power from the party. Mao, I know now, was being disingenuous. His strategy of using the intellectuals to criticise his foes within the party had backfired.

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Jung Chang (Mao: The untold Story, 2005)

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Jung Chang (Mao: The untold Story, 2005)

# data[].attributes.body
But with the trend in the Communist world blowing towards de-Stalinization Mao decided it was not wise to be blatant about launching a purge. To create a justification he cooked up a devious plan... Few guessed that Mao was setting a trap, and that he was inviting people to speak out so that he could then use what they said as an excuse to victimise them.Mao's targets were intellectuals and the educated, the people most likely to speak up.

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"Mao Tse-Tung [...] murdered his own supporters who had simply dared to offer a different opinion."

# data[].attributes.body
The Hundred Flowers movement would change the nation "as gently as a breeze or a fine rain"

# data[].attributes.body
"a gamble, based on a calculation that genuine counter revolutionaries were few, that rebels like Hu Feng had been permanently intimidated into silence, and that other intellectuals would follow Mao's lead, speaking out only against the people and practices Mao himself most wanted to subject to reform."

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“Both the Hundred Flowers movement and the launching of the Great Leap show Mao more and more divorced from any true reality check… and he himself seemed to care less and less for the consequences that might spring from his own erratic utterances.”

# data[].attributes.headline
Phillip Short (Mao: A Life of Mao, 1999)

# data[].attributes.subject
Phillip Short (Mao: A Life of Mao, 1999)

# data[].attributes.body
The Hundred Flowers was the most ambitious attempt ever undertaken in any communist country to combine a totalitarian system with democratic checks and balances. Even Mao was unsure what it would produce. Why then did he decide that a crackdown was necessary? There is no simple answer. The Hundred Flowers was not, as Mao's victims and supporters both claimed, a carefully contrived trap form the start, an example of the Chairman's cunning in "luring the snake out of it's hole".