Deng Liqun facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Deng Liqun
鄧力群
Deng Liqun in Yining, Xinjiang, August 1949
Secretary of the Central Secretariat of the Chinese Communist Party
In office September 1982 – November 1987
General Secretary	Hu Yaobang
Head of Publicity Department of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party
In office April 1982 – August 1985
Preceded by	Wang Renzhong
Succeeded by	Zhu Houze
Personal details
Born	(1915-11-27)November 27, 1915 Guidong, Hunan, China
Died	February 10, 2015(2015-02-10) (aged 99) Beijing, China
Political party	Chinese Communist Party
Spouse	Luo Liyun
Children	Deng Yingtao
Alma mater	Peking University

Deng Liqun (November 27, 1915 – February 10, 2015) was a Chinese politician. He was a key figure in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the 1980s. He was especially known for his work in the party's communications and public messaging.

Deng Liqun was born in Guidong County, Hunan province. He joined the CCP in 1936. He came from a family that valued education. People sometimes called him "Little Deng." This was to tell him apart from Deng Xiaoping, who was known as "Old Deng." They were not related.

Deng Liqun faced difficulties during the Cultural Revolution. But he became important again in the 1980s. He was a strong voice for the party's traditional ideas. He believed in a planned economy, like the Soviet Union had. He spoke against new economic changes that used market ideas. He also opposed more political freedom. He stepped back from politics in 1987. This was partly because his strong traditional views made it hard for him to get a top position. But he kept pushing for his ideas.

Growing Up and Learning

Deng Liqun was born in 1915 in Guidong County, Hunan province. His family was wealthy and owned land. His father passed special government exams but did not become an official. Instead, he opened the first modern school in their county.

Deng Liqun went to Beijing in 1935. He first studied at the Peking Academy. A year later, he joined Peking University. There, he studied economics. He also became a very active student. He took part in the December 9th Movement. This was a student protest against Japanese aggression. A year later, he left college for Yan'an, Shaanxi. This was the main base for the CCP during the war. He joined the party there to follow Mao Zedong.

His Time in Politics

During Mao's Leadership

In the 1950s, Deng Liqun helped Wang Zhen. They worked to stop resistance to CCP rule in Xinjiang. Deng played a big part in stopping local uprisings. He also helped carry out land reforms in that large western area. Land reform meant changing who owned the land.

However, some party officials worried about how fast these changes were happening. They also worried about the violence used. Mao Zedong removed both Wang Zhen and Deng Liqun from Xinjiang. He feared their methods might upset ethnic groups. Especially Tibetan religious leaders, who were not happy with CCP rule.

Later, Deng Liqun returned to Beijing. He worked as a secretary for President Liu Shaoqi. He also became a deputy editor for Red Flag. This was a key party magazine. During the Cultural Revolution, Deng was removed from his job. He was called a "capitalist roader." This was because he worked for Liu Shaoqi. He was questioned in Shijiazhuang. He was allowed to return to politics in 1974. He worked in a research office under Deng Xiaoping.

After Economic Changes Began

After Mao Zedong died, the CCP started to change. It began to allow more market-based economic reforms. Deng Liqun became one of the strongest critics of these changes. He did not like the extreme political ideas of the Mao era. He also did not like the collective farming policies. He supported Deng Xiaoping at the end of the Cultural Revolution.

However, Deng Liqun believed the party was moving too far from its original ideas. These were based on Marxism–Leninism. He tried to keep a tight control over the party's main beliefs.

In 1975, Deng Liqun became a senior member of the Party Research Office. This office later became the Political Research Office. When Deng Xiaoping returned to power in 1977, Deng Liqun joined him. He even helped write some of Deng Xiaoping's speeches. Later, Deng Liqun took on several important roles. These roles made him a leading thinker for the CCP after Mao. He was head of the Policy Research Office from 1979. He was also vice-president of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences from 1978 to 1980.

Deng Liqun used his position to oppose liberal reforms. This was in the early 1980s. He was known as a spokesperson for the conservative side. He had a strong disagreement with Yu Guangyuan, who was more liberal. Yu Guangyuan helped write Deng Xiaoping's speech on reform. Because of Deng Liqun's actions, the country's ideas remained conservative. This was true even as the economy opened up.

He was the head of the Propaganda Department of the Chinese Communist Party from 1982 to 1985. This department controls public information.

Deng Liqun was seen as a key figure for conservatives. This was during the Anti-Spiritual Pollution Campaign of 1983. This campaign aimed to stop Western ideas. He reportedly disliked General Secretary Hu Yaobang. Hu was the party's main reform leader at the time. Conservative forces gained power in the late 1980s. Hu Yaobang was forced to resign in 1987. This happened after student protests in 1986. Deng Liqun played a role in Hu's removal.

After Hu was removed, Deng Liqun was considered to take his place. Important conservative leaders supported him. But Deng Xiaoping was worried about Deng Liqun's strong views. Zhao Ziyang, who was the Premier, strongly opposed Deng Liqun becoming the party's top leader. Zhao later said that his fear of Deng Liqun taking the job made him more determined to take it himself.

In the end, Deng Xiaoping made a deal. He offered Deng Liqun a seat on the Politburo. This was a top decision-making body. This was to allow Deng Liqun to share his views. But Deng Liqun had to give up control of the party's ideas.

Deng Liqun's Policy Research Office was then closed. Many of his propaganda duties went to others. At the 13th Party Congress, Deng Liqun was expected to join the Politburo. However, he received the fewest votes of any candidate. He was not even elected to the Central Committee. This meant he could not be on the Politburo.

After Stepping Back

After not being elected to the Politburo, Deng Liqun stepped back from active politics. He said this failure caused him great embarrassment. However, he continued to push for his traditional ideas. He did this through his writings and personal influence. Many people who worked for him later got important government jobs. This increased conservative influence in the new leadership.

Deng Liqun saw the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 as proof of his beliefs. He thought that mixing economic freedom with strict political control would cause problems. He believed the solution was to reduce economic reforms.

After Tiananmen, Deng kept his strong traditional views. He became more critical of the party's reform leaders. He said they were following a capitalist path. He spoke against "bourgeois liberalization." This meant Western-style liberal ideas. He supported a "people's democratic dictatorship." During Deng Xiaoping's "southern tour of 1992," Deng Xiaoping called for more economic freedom. Deng Liqun responded with a strong article. It was titled "Uphold the Dictatorship of the Proletariat."

Deng Liqun also strongly criticized the "Peaceful Evolution theory." This idea suggested that Western democratic ideas could slowly change China's power structure. In 2001, Deng Liqun, at 85, wrote an open letter. He spoke out against the "Three Represents." This was a new idea by Jiang Zemin. It allowed private business people to join the CCP.

In 2005, Deng Liqun published a book called Twelve Years (1975-1987). It was released in Hong Kong in a small number of copies. The book talked about his role in major political events. He sent flowers to mourn the deaths of both Hu Yaobang and Zhao Ziyang.

In August 2014, Deng made a rare public statement. It was a letter to the Xinjiang Party Committee. It honored five Uyghurs who died in a plane crash in 1949. They were on their way to Beijing.

His Impact

Deng Liqun was called the "King of the Left." He was also called the "master of the pen." This was because of his writing skills. He strongly supported traditional Marxist–Leninist and Maoist ideas. He believed that the CCP after Mao had moved away from Communism. His ideas are still used by some leftist groups today.

When he died, the authorities praised Deng Liqun. They called him a "long-tested and loyal fighter of the Communist cause." They also called him "an outstanding leader in the front lines of ideology, thought, and propaganda." He was also called a "Marxist theoretician."

His Family Life

Deng Liqun was married twice. His second marriage was to Luo Liyun. They had a son and a daughter. His son, Deng Yingtao, was part of the Rural Development Group. This group discussed rural development in China in the early 1980s. Deng Liqun lived longer than his son, who died in 2012 after an illness. Luo Liyun died in 2011. Deng also had two daughters from his first marriage, which ended in divorce. After being sick for a few years, Deng Liqun died on February 10, 2015, in Beijing.

Images for kids

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  Deng Liqun in Yining, Xinjiang, August 1949