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What Motivated People Commit The Violence Seen During The Son Of The Revolution?

Better Essays

Raymond Cho
Professor Birge
TA: Jillian Jacobs
EALC 350
December 5, 14
What motivated people to commit the violence seen in the Son of the Revolution? Do you think such violence could happen in any society under the right conditions? Perhaps it is in human nature to turn to violence in turbulent times. We often overlook the violence that goes hand in hand with great historical change. And, as the victors write history, often the violence that acts as the cornerstone of societies are toned down and forgotten. During the Cultural Revolution in China, violence forced its way into the everyday life of the people. Everyday people— peaceful farmers, city folk— became the vehicle for immense violence in both a severe and widespread scope. This violence, while operating within the bounds of human nature, is motivated by a social requirement to prove one’s dedication to the CCP, “soldiers” who become carried away with newfound power and government encouragement, forcing ideology by brute force, retaliation, personal pride or protection, and human instinct to resort to violence; and can occur in any society. The initial cause of violence in Son of the Revolution was likely the turbulent wartime. Since China had been repeatedly invaded by foreign powers such as Japan and Mongolia, in addition to the civil war between the KMT and the CPC, the cruelty inflicted on the local populations may have acted as the catalyst for violence. Perhaps most frightening of all is the violence

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