Gang of Four

E92178

The Gang of Four was a powerful political faction in China, led by Jiang Qing and three close allies, that played a key role in the Cultural Revolution and was later blamed for its excesses.


Statements (48)
Predicate Object
instanceOf political faction
activeDuring Cultural Revolution
afterEvent death of Mao Zedong
alsoKnownAs Si Ren Bang
arrestedOn 1976-10-06
associatedWith Mao Zedong
basedIn Shanghai
blamedFor excesses of the Cultural Revolution
chargedWith counter-revolutionary crimes
ChineseName 四人帮
context late Mao era
convictedOf counter-revolutionary activities
treason
country China
dissolvedIn 1976
goal maintain radical Cultural Revolution policies after Mao's death
historicalReputation scapegoated for Cultural Revolution excesses
symbol of radical leftist politics in China
ideology Maoism
influencedRegion People's Republic of China
languageOfName Chinese
leader Jiang Qing
legalOutcome fixed-term imprisonment for Wang Hongwen
fixed-term imprisonment for Yao Wenyuan
life imprisonment for Jiang Qing
life imprisonment for Zhang Chunqiao
mediaControl control of cultural institutions
control of major newspapers
member Jiang Qing
Wang Hongwen
Yao Wenyuan
Zhang Chunqiao
notableFor control over cultural and propaganda apparatus
radical policies during Cultural Revolution
opposedBy Chinese Communist Party leadership
Deng Xiaoping
opposedPolicy post-Mao economic reforms
politicalParty Chinese Communist Party
politicalPosition far-left
relatedEvent Down to the Countryside Movement
Lin Biao incident
purges of party officials during Cultural Revolution
roleInEvent key role in Cultural Revolution
succeededBy Deng Xiaoping leadership
supportedBy Mao Zedong
timePeriod 1966–1976
trialName Trial of the Gang of Four
triedIn 1980–1981


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