first posted 990314
Return to insults and ideologically precise terminology for the USSR.
These insults and ideologically distinctive terms were used by journalists and politicians of allied socialist countries. Additional historic entries (especially colorful ones) are welcome at hcunn@tiac.net.
Entries are in English alphabetical order.
Many of these were retrieved from
Gao Yuan, Born Red: A Chronicle of the Cultural Revolution, Stanford University Press, Stanford CA, 1987. Paper, 380 pp.
| Chinese | English | Remark | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ? ? | bourgeois bourgeois ideology | ||
| ? ? |
capitalism restoration of capitalism | ||
| ? | capitalist-roader | ||
| ? ? | chauvinism great power chauvinism | policy of Khrushchev's USSR | |
| ? ? | devil Japanese devils | ||
| ? | exploiting classes | ||
| ? | Four Olds | Old ideology, old culture, old customs, and old habits: target of an early Cultural Revolution campaign | |
| ? | Gang of Four | Mao's widow Jiang Qing and three other radicals, forced out of power after Mao's death (ca 1976) | |
| ? | hegemonist | commonly the USSR | |
| ? ? | imperialist imperialist wolves | commonly the USA | |
| ? ? ? |
Khrushchev the Khrushchev of China Khrushchev's phony Communism |
Soviet ruler 1954-1964, whose "de-Stalinization" was denounced by Mao Liu Shaoqi, forced out of office at beginning of Cultural Revolution (late 1960s) | |
| ? | opportunism | ||
| ? | paper tiger | originally referred to US nuclear deterrant in 1950s, as reproach for Khrushchev's supposed cowardice | |
| ? ? | reactionary Indian reactionaries | ? PRC relations with India remained distrustful after the 1962 border war. | |
| ? ? | revisionist revisionism | ||
| ? ? |
rightist anti-rightist | ||
| ? ? |
royalist royalist clown | phony cultural-revolutionist raising smoke-screens to protect revisionist relatives and allies | |
| ? ? | running dog running dog of imperialism | ||
| ? ? | shoe worn shoe | loose woman | |
| ? ? ? | snake venomous snake snake spirit | ||
| ? | social-imperialist | USSR | |
| Chinese | English | Remark |
|---|---|---|
| ? | Away with all pests! | a 1950s campaign to destroy flies, rodents and birds. Destruction of birds increased crop losses from insects. |
| ? | category | See "Five Red Categories," "Seven Black Categories" |
| ? | class struggle | |
| (4)gong(3)chan | Communist | |
| ? ? | Cultural Revolution Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution |
1966 to early 1970s |
| ? | A dragon begets dragons, a phoenix begets phoenixes, and a mouse's children can only dig holes |
Those born of politically-suspect parents cannot be trusted. |
| ? | Five Red Categories | Five politically preferred class backgrounds: worker, poor and lower-middle peasant, revolutionary soldier, revolutionary cadre, and revolutionary martyr See also "Seven Black Categories" |
| ? | Great Leap Forward | 1958-1960 Mao's grand attempt to accelerate economic growth through radical social engineering and labor mobilization (eg "back-yard steel furnaces"). It caused the "Three Difficult Years." |
| ? ? |
hundred flowers Let a hundred flowers bloom! Let a hundred schools of thought contend! |
Mao's call for liberalized speech in 1957. He soon took a dislike to the speech he heard, and silenced it with an "anti-Rightist campaign" |
| ? | "jet-plane" position | uncomfortable crouching position, with arms forced back, imposed on suspects being interrogated by Red Guards |
| ? | Long live Chairman Mao! | |
| ? | Long March | 1934-1935 -- Fighting retreat of Communist forces under Mao's leadership to rural Shaanxi |
| ? | power seizure | During Cultural Revolution, insurrectionary capture of factories and establishments from suspected revisionists |
| (2)hong (4)wei(1)bing | Red Guard | During Cultural Revolution, student rebel against revisionist authorities, sponsored by Mao |
| ? | Seven Black Categories | Seven politically-suspect class backgrounds: landlord, rich peasant, reactionary, bad element, rightist, traitor, and spy. See also "Five Red Categories" |
| ? | Socialist Education Movement | 1963 -- an attempt by Mao to root out bourgeois tendencies in lower Party cadres, frustrated by other Party officials |
| ? | Song of the Red Guards: We are Chairman Mao's Red Guards, Tempering ourselves in great waves and winds; Armed with Mao Zedong thought, We'll wipe out all pests and vermin. | |
| ? | Three Difficult Years | 1960-1962 -- economic hardship, including a huge famine (up to 30 million dead), blamed largely on Mao's "Great Leap Forward." More technocratic Party officials tried to ease Mao upstairs. |
An English translation
http://lexdave.home.attbi.com/WhatsLeft/Library/GPCR_1.html
"Index of Web Resources on the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (GPCR)"
Denounce an enemy of the people!