Hu Yaobang (Chinese: 胡耀邦; 20 November 1915 – 15 April 1989) was a high-ranking official of the People's Republic of China.  Hu joined the CCP in the 1930s at the age of fourteen.  He took part in many early campaigns, including the Long March, and rose to prominence as a comrade of Deng Xiaoping. During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), Hu was purged, recalled, and purged again by Mao Zedong.  He was recalled and rehabilitated shortly after Mao's death.

Later, Hu held the top office of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), first as Chairman from 1981 to 1982, then as General Secretary from 1982 to 1987.  As such, he was the second most powerful individual in the Chinese government, behind Deng Xiaoping.   Hu sought to distance China from the style and politics of the Maoist period.  Unsurprisingly some of Hu's policies and political positions proved controversial within China, and he was forced to resign in 1987, although he retained his party membership.

Documents

1981: Speech at the Meeting in Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China

1982: Hu Yaobang's Speech at the First Plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee

1983: The Radiance of the Great Truth of Marxism Lights Our Way Forward - Report at the Meeting in Commemoration of the Centenary of the Death of Karl Marx

1984: Comments Regarding Kampuchea

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