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China Readjustment and Recovery, 1961-65
In 1961 the political tide at home began to swing to the right,
as evidenced by the ascendancy of a more moderate leadership. In an
effort to stabilize the economic front, for example, the party--
still under Mao's titular leadership but under the dominant
influence of Liu Shaoqi, Deng Xiaoping, Chen Yun, Peng Zhen, Bo
Yibo, and others--initiated a series of corrective measures. Among
these measures was the reorganization of the commune system, with
the result that production brigades and teams had more say in their
own administrative and economic planning. To gain more effective
control from the center, the CCP reestablished its six regional
bureaus and initiated steps aimed at tightening party discipline
and encouraging the leading party cadres to develop populist-style
leadership at all levels. The efforts were prompted by the party's
realization that the arrogance of party and government
functionaries had engendered only public apathy. On the industrial
front, much emphasis was now placed on realistic and efficient
planning; ideological fervor and mass movements were no longer the
controlling themes of industrial management. Production authority
was restored to factory managers. Another notable emphasis after
1961 was the party's greater interest in strengthening the defense
and internal security establishment. By early 1965 the country was
well on its way to recovery under the direction of the party
apparatus, or, to be more specific, the Central Committee's
Secretariat headed by Secretary General Deng Xiaoping.
Data as of July 1987
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