Ideological Dissent and Selective Persecution: Evidence from China’s Cultural Revolution

55 Pages Posted: 14 Dec 2022

See all articles by James Kai-Sing Kung

James Kai-Sing Kung

The University of Hong Kong - Faculty of Business and Economics

Alina Yue Wang

The University of Hong Kong - Faculty of Business and Economics

Date Written: August 1, 2021

Abstract

Academic freedom has been suppressed at various times through history. By analyzing a unique dataset, we demonstrate that the purge of China’s most eminent scholars during the Cultural Revolution was highly selective, targeting those in the humanities and social sciences who either failed to embrace Marxism or criticized Mao’s policies, challenging his legitimacy. In particular, targeted scholars were 28% more likely to be purged and 61% more likely to receive punishments that increased the likelihood of death. We rule out concerns that persecutions were driven by scholars’ class background, disloyalty to Mao, the impracticality of the research, or campus radicalism.

Keywords: Persecution, Scholars, Ideological Dissent, Cultural Revolution, China

JEL Classification: P16, O53, N4

Suggested Citation

Kung, James Kai-Sing and Wang, Alina Yue, Ideological Dissent and Selective Persecution: Evidence from China’s Cultural Revolution (August 1, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=4284253 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4284253

James Kai-Sing Kung

The University of Hong Kong - Faculty of Business and Economics ( email )

Pokfulam Road
Hong Kong
China

Alina Yue Wang (Contact Author)

The University of Hong Kong - Faculty of Business and Economics ( email )

Pokfulam Road
Hong Kong
China

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