How Did The Cultural Revolution Influence Mao Zedong

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Rebecca Chavez MUSHL 107 FINAL PROJECT Music has a major influence on everyone's everyday life. The more someone hears the song the more it becomes memorized in their minds. When music has a message to it, that message also becomes imbedded in the persons mind. It was 1966 in Communist China and leader Mao Zedong was at a plateau in his leadership where he felt he needed to make a greater impact in order for the people of China knew he was stronger than ever. That was when the Cultural Revolution was born and lasted about 10 years. During this time Mao Zedong completely took over the arts and put much emphasis on influencing the youth. He nurtured a young group of radicals known as the Red Guards. During this time Mao completely took over the country and anyone that was against him was taken from their positions. With the help of his wife Jiang Qing, the theatre was transformed in his favor. Plays were altered or completely banned unless they praised Mao or his communist rule. Famous actors that were not loyal were fired and even some famous plays were banned. However, one of Mao Zedong's main and effective tactics of influential rule was through music. He understood how much influence music has over a great…show more content…
The government was able to make this song so successfully powerful by making it simple and recognizable. The homophonic structure of the synchronized loud vocals associated with the strong horn and stringed instruments gave the song a very strong personality, as Moa Zedong wanted the communist party to be portrayed. The disjunct melody makes the song more dramatic and exertive as the notes jump abruptly from different notes. This song was so symbolic that when the Chinese sent their first satellite into space in 1970, it broadcast "The East Is Red," washing an entire planet in the purifying sounds of heightened revolutionary

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