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Spring-Summer 1986
28 September 1986
December 1986 January 1987
16 January 1987
There were some signs of unhappiness with this liberal approach such as in criticism in March of an article on economics by Ma Ding published in Gongren Ribao in 1985 as un-Marxist, and in April a Red Flag article by Chen Yong, critical of Liu Zaifu who was representative of the more liberal trend.
Discussion of Political Reform. This followed on from the above, reaching a peak at this time and was even more radical and sensitive than discussion of the double hundred policy. Debate ranged from proposals for structural changes in order to make the system work better and facilitate economic reform to radical challenges to the existing role of the CCP and proposals for a move towards a multi-party system on western lines. Reformist Party leaders inspired the debate and contributed to the atmosphere in which it could flourish but latterly tended to divorce themselves from the more controversial aspects.
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Sixth Plenum of the 12th Central Committee. resolution on "the guiding principles for building a socialist society with an advanced culture and ideology" was adopted, which attempted to come to terms with the ideological issues thrown up by reform and the open door policy. Key reformist policies on the priority of economic development, the open door and the reinterpretation of Marxism were affirmed, but it complained that social, cultural and ideological work had not matched the needs of modernisation. It noted the need to resist "decadent bourgeois and feudal ideologies" and the danger of rightist deviation. The issue of political reform was barely addressed, marking a cooling of the atmosphere of earlier in the year.
Student Demonstrations. A wave of student demonstrations began in Hefei and spread to other major cities, culminating in marches by Peking students to Tiananmen Square. Demands ranged from greater political freedom to improvements in their own living conditions.
Resignation of Hu Yaobang. An enlarged Politburo meeting accepted the resignation of Hu Yaobang from the post of General Secretary after hearing a self-criticsm of his mistakes
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