Boluan Fanzheng
ChinaThe Boluan Fanzheng period was a time in the history of the People's Republic of China when Deng Xiaoping led a major effort to correct the mistakes of the Cultural Revolution started by Mao Zedong. This program sought to undo the Maoist policies that had been implemented during the Cultural Revolution, rehabilitate those who had been wrongfully persecuted, bring about various social and political reforms, and help to restore order to the country in a systematic way. This period is seen as a major transition and the foundation for the Reform and Opening-up program, which began on December 18, 1978.
In 1976, after the Cultural Revolution had concluded, Deng Xiaoping proposed the concept of "Boluan Fanzheng". He was aided by individuals such as Hu Yaobang, who would eventually be appointed the General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In December 1978, Deng Xiaoping was able to begin the Boluan Fanzheng program and became the leader of China. This period lasted until the early 1980s, when the CCP and Chinese government shifted its focus from "class struggles" to "economic construction" and "modernization".
Nonetheless, the Boluan Fanzheng period generated a number of disputes, such as contention over approaches to Mao, the incorporation of the "Four Cardinal Principles" in China's Constitution which maintained the CCP's one-party governance of China, and legal arguments including the reality that many of those in charge of and participants in Cultural Revolution massacres received either no or minimal punishment. The CCP has not completely disclosed the reports linked to the Cultural Revolution and has been limiting scholarly studies and public dialogs about it within Chinese society. Additionally, there has been apprehension about the reversal of the Boluan Fanzheng initiatives and the shift to one-man rule that has been evident since Xi Jinping became CCP general secretary in 2012.