Gao Gang

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Gao Gang (高岗) (pinyin: Gāo Gǎng, Wades-Giles: Kao Kang) (1905-1954) was a Chinese Communist political figure. A native of Hengshan, Shaanxi Province, he joined the Chinese Communist Party in 1926. In the mid-1930s he was in charge of a small independent Communist area at Baoan, Shaanxi, where the Long March led by Mao Zedong ended. Unlike most other early Chinese communist leaders who were intellectuals, Gao Gang was illiterate.

Although he was persecuted and distrusted by Mao and his allies first, Gao survived in the cleanings. When Mao took control of Shaanxi, he still need a local leader to appease the local CPC members. More importantly, Gao Gang posted no threat to Mao due to his illiteracy. Gao became the ideal candidate for his character of being intrepid and never covering his despise of intellectual which was consistent with Mao's personality and appealed to Mao. Thus Gao turned to a favorite of Mao and went on fast track.

Being a natural born organizer, Gao turned Shaanxi into Mao's power base and made himself close political ally of Mao. During his years in Shaanxi, he held the position of Commissar of Interim Headquarter of Shaangan Frontier Red Army in 1933, Vice chairman and General Commissar of Northwest Revolution and Military Committee in 1935, General Secretary of Shaangan Frontier in 1938, Speaker of Council of Shaangan Frontier in 1939, General Secretary of Central Bureau of Shaangan Frontier and later General Secretary of Northwest Bureau in 1941. Furthermore, Gao gave Mao great support in Zheng Feng and was one of those who got greatest benefits from this large scale purge.

[edit] Manchuria

After the end of Chinese anti Japanese war, he was sent to Manchuria to mobilize the occupation. At first Gao was only the No 4 next to Lin Biao,Peng Zhen and Chen Yun. But he showed his talents in logistics and economic construction, which gave great support to Lin's armies. When Lin had a power struggle with Peng, Gao backed up Lin and got his reward when Peng was transferred to other areas. Gao replaced Peng as Deputy General Secretary of Northeast Bureau (CPC division governing Manchuria) and Deputy Commissar of Northeast Democratic Association Army (the predecessor of 4th Field Army of PLA)in 1946, later became chief Party secretary of Manchuria (1949). He also served as a member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, Secretary of the Northeast Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice-Chairman of the Central People's Government. However, Gao Gang's status was greatly tarnished by his sexual scandals invovling numerous Russian White Emigre women who were ardently anti-communist, though these women were just using him to get better living conditions. Moreover, Gao Gang used large public funds to pay off these Russian White Emigre women, which enraged both Lin Biao and Luo Ronghuan, as well as other lower ranking communist cadres, who refused to help in Gao Gang in his downfall near a decade later. In fact, even those former lower ranking communist cadres Lin Biao disliked had joined Lin Biao in struggling Gao Gang, and Gao's sexual scandales and using public funds for payoff were listed (quite properly) as his crimes. Though Lin Biao's action certainly had something to do with his attempt to clear himself infront Mao, Gao Gang definitely had himself to blame for what he did. Though there were other high ranking communist cadres and commanders who had affairs, none of them dare to use public funds for the payoff, probably because they were not as high ranking as Gao Gang, and more importantly, all of the women in these affairs were either from the lower class or within the communist ranks, none of the women these cadres involved were ardent anti-communist Russian White Emigre. Gao Gang had went too far that not only caused him to lose Lin Biao's favor, but as well as that of Mao Zedong.

When he was in Manchuria, Gao was close to Stalin, which provoked Mao's suspicion of Gao turning Manchuria into an independent autonomy or colony of Soviet Union. However, Stalin was equally suspicious to Gao Gang due to his mumerous and close sexual encounters with various ardent anti-communist Russian White Emigre women, and eventually sold Gao Gang out: according to the recently declassified Chinese archive released to the public, as well as those former Soviet documents declaissifed after the fall of former-USSR, Gao Gang had provided important informations on Mao Zedong, Chinese communist party and Northeast China to Stalin without Mao's approval and knowledge, but Stalin turned this information to Mao during his state visit to former-USSR, thus selling out Gao Gang.

[edit] Beijing

In 1952 Gao Gang was appointed as chairman of Central Planning Commission of the Central People's Government and chairman of Northeast Executive Committee. In 1953 he was transferred to Beijing and left his power base. After the establishment of People's Republic of China, CCP's principal mission changed from military operation to peaceful construction.

In Beijing, Gao got involved in a complex power-battle (being 6th in the official party hierarchy). One interpretation is that the bureaucrat group led by Liu Shaoqi replaced the military group led by Peng Dehuai, Lin Biao as the backbones of CCP. Gao took advantage of generals' discontent to challenge Liu's title as heir to Mao Zedong. But as the bureaucrat group consist of more CCP patriarchs inclusive of Zhou Enlai Chen Yun and Deng Xiaoping, and their influence was so deep that even Mao could not ignore it. Thus, Gao lost support from Mao.

Some sources take a different view, interpreting Gao Gang as part of a pro-Russian faction. Another interpretation - argued by Deng Xiaoping - is that that he was just personally ambitious. While Frederick C. Teiwes's Politics at Mao's Court: Gao Gang and Party Factionalism in the Early 1950's argues that Mao had been trying to use Gao Gang against particular policies of Liu Shaoqi and Zhou Enlai, but that Gao went further than Mao intended. This book reproduces in English some of the official document from the time, as well as subsequent comments on it. Teiwes' view appeared to have some support from the recently declassified Chinese archive released to the public (early 2000's), and those former Soviet documents declaissifed after the fall of former-USSR, as well as the nationalist documents. According to these documentations, one of the alleged crimes of Gao Gang was he openly advocated turning Northeast China into a Soviet Republic, arguing that by doing so it would prevent the United States from attacking the region. Gao Gang's opinion outraged most Chinese communists and was immediately criticized by Liu Shaoqi heavily, and even Mao had to join the Gao Gang's critics after coming out end the harsh criticism of Gao Gang.

Whatever happened behind the scenes, what's definite is that he was purged in 1954 and expelled from the party in 1955 on charges of conspiracy of split of CPC with accessory Rao Shushi after his suicide in Aug 1954.

[edit] Assessment

Gao was a natural-born politician, but he showed more talents in economy regulation and planning, especially when he ruled Manchuria, he turned it into the most energetic and robust part of China. And in the early stage of Korean War, Gao ensure the supply and logistics of Chinese army, like a director behind the stage. But Gao was a controversial figure from the very beginning. Maybe because he seldom covered his ambition and obsession with extravagant life. Gao liked dancing with beautiful girls and had many affairs with them, which made him notorious among senior CPC leaders. The most popular story about Gao is once when he hosted a meeting of thousands people, he described people's preference to bourgeois life style was like penis, getting erection from time to time.

While Deng Xiaoping restored the reputations of Peng Dehuai, Liu Shaoqi, etc., he insisted that Gao Gang had been in the wrong and that his condemnation had been correct.