The Chinese Cultural Revolution Positively Impacted China's Well-Being

Kathleen, I disagree with your argument. Although Chairman Mao's intention was to 'revolutionise' China and create a country 'free of 'inequality, poverty and foreign domination', China's well-being was, in many ways, more harmed than benefited. Firstly, you discuss the increase in literacy rates. Indeed, this is a true fact, however, the established schools were primarily in rural areas as Mao didn't want the intellectual, educated and those with a voice to influence others and possibly initiate an uprising. Mao sent educated citizens to rural areas to work in agriculture; isolated from the city centre. Additionally, those who graduated high-school were also sent to the countryside because Mao thought it was necessary for graduates to be re-educated by farmers and peasants. Four million high school and college graduates and 16 million students were sent to remote farm land to preform manual labour. So although the literacy rates increased, so many skills were wasted and so many opportunities missed because those who had something to offer to society, were stuck working in the fields until the revolution ended. Secondly, you debate the economic and social benefits of the cultural revolution. Since China became a classless society, the nation's wealth didn't increase and nor the the national pride because the enthusiasm of the Red Guards nearly pushed China into social turmoil, the economy collapsed, citizens lost their possessions, politicians, land-owners and the upper-class lost their jobs and properties; more and more citizens became peasants and the scarcity of food drastically increased. The production and quality of goods didn't increases, but rather decrease, and the product prices increased. The amount of rice grains produced in a year decreased greatly and cotton production also dropped dramatically. Due to the decreased production, the price for rice increases and the price for cotton fabrics and clothes also increased.Also, transportation also became a significant problem for the Chinese people since industrial production dropped during the harsh ten years. Further, those who were the direct targets of poverty, hard-ship and Mao's rule couldn't bear the stress and either resorted to murder or suicide. In August and September. 1966, 1,772 people were murdered in Beijing alone. in Shanghai there were 705 suicides and 534 deaths. In Wuhan there were 62 suicides and 32 murders during the same period. In Mao: The Unknown Story, Jung Chang and John Halliday claim that as many as 3 million people died in the violence of the Cultural Revolution. Sociologist Daniel Chirot claimed that around 100 million people suffered and at least one million people, perhaps as many as 20 million, died in the Cultural Revolution. Most of the significant information is stated in the above rebuttal paragraphs, however, I would like to expand on the long-term after-effects of this 'revolution' - not. The impact of sending intellectuals and fresh-high school and college students to rural areas denied China of so much possible innovation - you never know, one of those people could have been young Jack Ma. After the revolution ended, those who had experienced the worst of the revolution were denied many work opportunities and were often discriminated upon - this hurts well-being. The educational system took around 9 years to repair and the economy even longer. People were left to suffer in poverty, and for many, educational opportunity was forever over. The so-called 'cultural revolution', the 'step forward to revolutionise China' was a disaster that nearly destroyed China's human well being. References will be posted in final round.