THE COMUNIST YOUTH LEAGUE IN THE STRUGGLE TO REVOLUTIONIZE CHINESE YOUTH (1962-1966)

Abstract: Following Mao Zedong's new political offensive in September 1962, the Communist Youth League (CYL) was called to play a leading role in the struggle to revolutionize Chinese youth. However, as the Cultural Revolution entered its first phase, the CYL turned to be one of the most challenged institutions. Through a rigorous historical research based on archival data mainly kept in Beijing public libraries, this thesis explores the main issues and problems encountered by the CYL in the struggle to revolutionize youth in the period 1962-1966, attempting to evaluate the impact of Mao's renewed emphasis on class struggle on youth work. Precisely, it examines the main developments in the League political education work and the League's membership and recruitment pattern in order to further understand the way in which the CYL responded to Maoist requests and policies, the causes that led to Maoist criticism in 1966, and ultimately the effect on youth behaviour.