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Yan'an's Illusion of Equality
- Mao Zedong established Yan'an as a model communist town, implementing land reform and indoctrination.
- However, Yan'an's image of equality was a facade, concealing a strict social hierarchy.
The Purge of Wang Shiwei
- Writer Wang Shiwei criticized Mao's leadership and inequality in Yan'an, gaining popular support.
- Mao used this as an excuse to purge dissenters, torturing and executing Wang and surveilling his followers.
Mao's Use of Violence
- Mao employed public violence and terror as integral tools for maintaining control and suppressing dissent.
- He delegated the physical acts of violence while setting the ideological tone.