The Cultural Revolution on Trial
Mao and the Gang of Four

This book provides the first account of the most famous trial in Chinese history, and details the search for justice after Mao's Cultural Revolution.

Alexander C. Cook (Author)

9780521135290, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 7 November 2016

292 pages, 18 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.3 x 1.6 cm, 0.43 kg

'Alternating courtroom-based chapters on the trial with knowledgeable snapshots of the culture of the post-Maoist transformation, Cook conjures a realistic image of a conflicted society undergoing far-reaching change … he carefully unpacks the 'linguistic and symbolic freight' of the Gang of Four trial narratives and reveals their 'hidden contents'. By so doing, Cook enables readers to see the most important trial in Chinese history from different angles.' Jens Meierhenrich, The English Historical Review

The trial of Cultural Revolution leaders, including Mao's widow and her Gang of Four, was the signal event in China's post-Mao transition. In its wake, Chinese socialism emerged from the rubble of the Cultural Revolution to create the China that we know today. This spectacular show trial was a curious example of transitional justice, marking a break from the trauma of the past, a shift to the present era of reform, and a blueprint for building a better future. In this groundbreaking reconstruction of the most famous trial in Chinese history, Alex Cook shows how the event laid the cornerstone for a new model of socialist justice; at the same time, a comparison of official political and legal sources with works of popular literature reveals the conflicted cultural dimensions of this justice. The result, Cook argues, saved Chinese socialism as ruling ideology, but at the cost of its revolutionary soul.

Introduction
1. Indictment
2. Monsters
3. Testimony
4. Emotions
5. Verdict
6. Vanity
Conclusion
Index of Chinese terms
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Legal history [LAZ], 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000 [HBLW], Asian history [HBJF]