To Rebel is Justified

Book excerpt: Differentiating from other studies on China's cultural revolution movement (CRM) which mostly have focused on the infra-party power struggle, the hypnotizing power of the cult of the individual, or the cruelty of man-made class struggle, this book describes, examines, and evaluates the major rhetorical theme of the movement which is summarized in the slogan, 'rebellion is justified'. The orienting model for this criticism is William R. Brown's theory of social intervention. The three sub-systems of Brown's model, needs, power, and attention-switching, are used to explain respectively the growth and development of Mao's needs for change, the people's response to Mao's call for rebellion, and the rhetorical strategies employed by Mao and Maoists to shape the symbolic realities of the audience. This is the first book to analyze the CRM rhetoric using communication theories.