Hu Yaobang

Hu Yaobang, in the 1940s

Hú Yàobāng ( Chinese  胡耀邦 , born November 20, 1915 in Liuyang , Hunan , † April 15, 1989 in Beijing ) was General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party from 1980 to 1987 . He belonged to the second generation of Chinese leaders and the reform faction of the 1980s.

For a long time, Hu was Deng Xiaoping's preferred candidate as a potential successor. He lost his reputation in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) because dogmatic socialists believed he was too lenient in the 1986 student demonstrations.

The public mourning over the death of Hú Yàobāng in April 1989 is believed to have triggered the Tian'anmen massacre in Beijing.

Political activity

Hu Yaobang in Yan'an , between 1937 and 1940

Start of career

There is different information about Hu's first contacts with the Chinese communists. In 1927, during the autumn harvest uprising, he joined a children's corps (the so-called Little Red Devils ). Other sources report that he joined them in 1929 after leaving his homeland. It is certain that he showed up in the Jiangxi Soviet in 1933 and from there participated in the long march as a member of the CCP. During this time he was serving as a political officer under Deng Xiaoping . After the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, he became chairman of the Communist Youth League .

Hu Yaobang (left in the first row), 1953

The third ascent of Deng Xiaoping in 1977 and 1978 also helped his patronized and long-time colleague Hu. At the third plenum of the XI. Central Committee in December 1978, along with Chen Yun , Wang Zhen and Deng Yingchao, he was taken to the CCP Political Bureau at the instigation of Deng Xiaoping . Hu also became the party's general secretary, replacing Zhang Pinghua as director of the Central Committee's Propaganda Department.

Ascent

Between 1977 and 1981, Hu Yaobang rose through several stations within the party to become the leader of the CCP. The rapid rise went hand in hand with the fall of Hua Guofeng . Hu knew how to establish an intellectual network, which included Wang Ruoshui , You Zhang and Su Shaozhi , among others . At the fifth plenary session of the XI. Central Committee in February 1980, the reform faction, with the help of Deng Xiaoping, brought about the overthrow of the so-called Gang of Four. Member Wang Dongxing was inherited by Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang , who were both appointed to the Politburo Standing Committee in place of Wang .

At the end of 1980 the pressure on Hua Guofeng increased so much that he was forced to announce a self-criticism in front of the party leaders. The Politburo came to the conclusion that Hua Guofeng should never have become chairman of the party: although he had also done good things for the party, the lack of leadership qualities predominated. Hua thereafter remained nominally chairman, but at this point Hu Yaobang took his place as party chairman-designate and Deng Xiaoping was appointed chairman of the Central Military Commission .

In 1980 the post of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (after 1921–43) was newly created and filled with Hu Yaobang. At the sixth plenary session of the XI. At the Central Committee on June 29, 1981, Hu was also appointed chairman of the CCP . This office was abolished in 1982 and de facto transferred to the office of Secretary General.

Serving as the General Secretary of the CCP

As an advocate of a liberal policy towards intellectuals and a pragmatic reform-oriented policy, Hu also advocated political reforms within the existing system. With the help of his intellectual network he softened the scope of various campaigns such as B. the 1981 campaign against Bai Hua , the 1983 “Campaign against Mental Pollution” and the 1985 “Campaign against bourgeois liberalization”. Through this mission, Hu was exposed to constant criticism from the political hardliners within the party.

In 1980 he sat Yin Fatang as first secretary of the Tibet Autonomous Region, one that Ren Rong replaced. In contrast to its predecessor, Yin was well versed in the language of the area and knew Tibetan conditions very well. A year later, Hu Yaobang met with Jiale Dunzhu, older brother of the 14th Dalai Lama Tendzin Gyatsho .

Deposition

Various factors contributed to the fall of Hu Yaobang: Hardliners such as B. Bo Yibo , Deng Liqun , Wang Zhen and Hu Qiaomu to the liberal and reform-oriented wing and thus also to Hu Yaobang, by referring to the economic and negative social consequences of Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening policy .

The rivalry between Hu and Zhao Ziyang ultimately had a negative impact on the former: Zhao and Hu, for example, had major differences in 1982 about the contractual system of economic management. The conflict is reflected in a letter from Zhao Ziyang in 1984, in which Zhao Ziyang complained that he was unable to act because of Hu's interference in his affairs.

The student demonstrations in December 1986 provided an excuse to overthrow Hu. According to unofficial information, it was made more difficult by Hu's misjudgment that Deng Xiaoping would resign after a personal interview with him so that Hu could gain full control.

At an expanded meeting of the Central Advisory Committee on January 16, 1987, the decision was made to remove Hu from his post as general secretary. According to unofficial sources, Zhao was one of the proponents of this move. Hu responded with public self-criticism and thus prevented his exclusion from the party. He could remain in the Politburo until his death in April 1989. His death sparked the momentous student demonstrations of 1989, which were finally violently ended as part of the Tian'anmen massacre.

family

Hu Yaobang has an older brother named Hu Yaofu, both of whom are sons of a middle-class farmer who could read and write. In 1941, Hu Yaobang married Li Zhao, who was six years his junior. The couple had four children: the eldest son, Hu Deping , is a politician. The two younger sons, Liu Hu and Hu Dehua, also hold high academic and partisan offices. Hu's daughter Li Heng, who bears her mother's name as a symbol of equality, works as an editor.

Publications

• Report on the XII. Chinese Communist Party Congress. In: The XII. Chinese Communist Party Congress. Documents. Foreign Language Literature Publishing House, Beijing 1982.

literature

• Wolfgang Bartke: The great Chinese of today . Insel Verlag, 1985.
• Richard Baum: Burying Mao - Chinese Politics in the age of Deng Xiaoping . Princeton University Press.
• Joseph Fewsmith: Dilemmas of Reform in China - Political Conflict and Economic Debate . ME Sharpe Inc.
• Liu Jen-Kai: China's second generation of leaders - biographies and dates on the life and work of: Li Peng, Qiao Shi, Tian Jiyun, Zhao Ziyang, Hu Qili, Hu Yaobang, Wang Zhaoguo . Announcements from the Institute for Asian Studies in Hamburg.
• Zhongmei Yang: Hu Yao-Bang: A Chinese Biography. Routledge, London 2015, ISBN 9781315493404 .

Web links

Commons : Hu Yaobang  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hu Yaobang. Encyclopædia Britannica, accessed May 4, 2014 .