Peng Zhen
Peng Zhen (Chinese彭真, Pinyin Peng Zhen, W.-G. P'eng Chen, born October 12, 1902 in Quwo in Shanxi Province, † April 26, 1997 in Beijing) was mayor and first secretary of the city party committee of Beijing and chairman of the so-called five- man group. Peng is one of the first members of the Politburo of the Communist Party of China, which was established in 1966 humiliated publicly in the Cultural Revolution. After his rehabilitation, he was chairman of the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China. He was like Deng Xiaoping, the so -called " Eight Immortals " who are still in the 1990s exerted great influence on politics in China.
Life and political career
Peng Zhen was born as a son of farmers in Quwo in China's northern Shanxi province. Despite his humble origins, he attended a middle school and soon joined the Communist underground organization of the Socialist Youth League in. His underground political activities against the nationalist ruling party Kuomindang brought him in 1923 for the first time a prison sentence. In the same year he was after his release member of the Communist Party of China (CCP ). In addition to his party's activity Peng was active in various trade unions and temporarily held the post of general secretary of the Chinese Federation of Trade Unions. In 1928 he became a member of the City Party Committee of the Communist Party of China in Beijing and the Hebei Provincial Party Committee, before he was again sentenced in 1929 for revolutionary activities to six years in prison. Suddenly free, he was instrumental in organizing the guerrilla resistance against the invading Japanese troops in the north of the country and met in 1936 in Yunnan after the Long March to the leadership of the party of Mao Zedong.
First, Peng remained independent from the party headquarters. Under Mao Zedong, he rose after the Long March but soon appointed secretary in the North China Bureau of the Central Committee, and was entrusted with the regional party tasks in the border regions of Shanxi and Hebei. At the 7th Party Congress of the CCP 's 1945 in Yan'an Peng was elected to the Central Committee and rose after the war for political commissar of General Lin Biao on in Manchuria. After the proclamation of the People's Republic of China on October 1, 1949 Peng was first secretary of the city Party committee of Beijing and member of the Central People's Government Council, the Cabinet of CCP 's. In March 1951, he was appointed to the mayor of the capital Beijing. In September 1954, Peng was vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and its General Secretary. In December 1954 he followed Zhou Enlai as chairman of the Political Consultative Conference. From 1956 he served behind Deng Xiaoping as second secretary at the secretariat of the Central Committee.
The fall of Peng Zhen's
The descent began in 1966 and coincided with the beginning of the Cultural Revolution. Mao Zedong, the five- man group two years earlier had set up after the catastrophic consequences of the Great Leap Forward and the burgeoning criticism of his management style. This consisted of Peng and other veteran cadres who should initiate the Cultural Revolution to secure the supremacy of Mao Zedong. With the appointment of Peng's another purpose but were secretly pursued: the party leaders went primarily to the weakening of the party leaders in Beijing and the expansion of its influence. In addition, nor his wife Jiang Qing played a decisive role. The former actress from Shanghai harbored a strong dislike Peng, since he had used his influence to sell one of their plays. Once again, Peng has now worked for a theater play. The five- man group had to come to the end of 1965 with a piece of Wu Hans. The vice mayor of Beijing, which thus was also the deputy Peng, Hai Rui was the piece is written dismissed. In this story, it was about the official Hai Rui during the Ming Dynasty. The piece was created by an initiative of the party and was named after the first performances also included according favorably by the party leadership and Mao Zedong. But later he saw in the content a targeted attack on his person and his management style. Since he did not want to accept the supposed criticism Wu Hans, he instructed Peng and his group with the analysis and subsequent opinion for the play. First, Peng avoided any criticism and Wu Han were even backing: as first secretary of the city Party committee of Beijing and mayor of the capital stood Wu Han Peng's under double protection. By relieving report of the Group first campaign against Wu Han in Beijing was prevented. Because an attack not ran over to take the political leadership in Beijing, then Jiang Qing was sent to Shanghai. Using their influence from the time as an actress she was responsible for the distribution of a newspaper article in which the play was sharply attacked. The fact that Mao Zedong had to read the article personally and ultimately forced himself there for a long time remained a secret.
The events in Shanghai addressed directly to the Beijing party leadership. At that time, Peng was increasingly caught in the crossfire: as mayor of Beijing, who simultaneously headed the group that had carried out an investigation against Wu Han, Peng saw in the attack against his vice an attack against itself But first he ignored the attack and forbade the further spread of the newspaper article in Beijing and the rest of China. Only after Peng learned of the involvement of Mao, he authorized a reprint of the article. With the majority of the five-man group behind Peng was able to prevent further negative critical publications against the play. He contradicted by the provisions of Mao. While it was merely for Peng in the analysis of the play to an academic dispute, Mao remained in his opinion, it criticizes the dismissal of Peng Dehuais by Mao Zedong. Thereupon ensued a public debate about the play, which culminated in the February guide the five-man group. The report said Wu Han free of all charges. After the Standing Committee of the Politburo had approved the content of the report, Mao was informed. Mao showed up with the results of the investigation group set up by him against Peng Although largely agree prepared at this time but secretly already further steps against the Beijing leadership before. With the supposed knowledge to support Mao Peng forwarded the report to the Central Committee and provided for a nationwide distribution.
Peng was referring thus to the public a clear position in favor of Wu Hans and allowed Mao so that only his attack. After a forum in Shanghai Mao criticized both the Party leadership in Beijing and Peng during two meetings of the Standing Committee of the Politburo in March and April of 1966 in Hangzhou. Mao Peng designated as an enemy of the Cultural Revolution and denounced him as revisionists and counter-revolutionary. After the personal attacks Mao Peng recognized his predicament. In a desperate attempt to defend himself, he went to Mao's side and eventually turned against Wu Han still. The Chairman Peng had left at this point but already fall. At a meeting of the party secretariat in April 1966 Peng was relieved of all his posts and disbanded the five- man group. At a further meeting of the Politburo in May 1966 it accusations of violation of the law Mao and his thinking was done. At the 11th plenary session of the Central Committee of the decisions of the Politburo were all approved and Peng dismissed from the Politburo. This was followed by the dismissal as mayor and first secretary of the city Party committee of Beijing.
After losing his political offices Peng was made in the following years repeatedly the target of violent attacks: he was brought before the Red Guards on radical mass gatherings and denounced by them. Without prosecution and judicial proceedings he was then thrown into prison. Finally Peng disappeared for nearly a decade as a laborer on the land from the public.
Rehabilitation
After Mao's death in 1976, Deng Xiaoping took care of the return Peng in the Politburo. But it was only after the fall of the Gang of Four is also spoke of his rehabilitation. Peng was first appointed in 1977 to the second secretary in the Party Committee of Guangdong Province. In 1979, he returned to Beijing. Peng received his former post as mayor did not return, but it was followed by the resumption in the Central Committee and the Politburo. In November 1979 he was appointed Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress and elected the following month as chairman of a newly created Committee on Legal Affairs. As head of various "Political- Legal Committees " he again took over the control of public security and gradually turned the apparatus of intelligence restores. At the urging of Deng Xiaoping Peng was also in 1983 as Chairman of the National People's Congress choose.
From the mid- 1980s, Peng drew increasingly withdrew from active politics. After he had passed the 5th meeting of the 6th National People's Congress in March 1987 and was still a member of the Standing Committee of the 13th Party Congress in October 1987, he resigned as a member of the Politburo and the Central Committee of the CCP in November 1987. Despite his withdrawal Peng received his far-reaching influence and expressed his current issues. So he justified, among other things, the Tiananmen Square Massacre in June 1989 for reasons of state policy and the maintenance of power of the party.
Peng was married to Zhang Jieping and had several children. He died at the age of 94 years in Beijing on April 26, 1997.