The two widows: a comparison of the educational influence of Krupskaya, wife of Lenin and Chiang Ch'ing, wife of Mao

Date
2015-08-18
Authors
Rootenberg, Suzanne Eva
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
This dissertation studies the educational influence of two women. One of these women is Nadezhda K. Krupskaya (1863 - ,936), wife of Lenin who was Premier of the U.S.S.A. The other woman is Chiang Ch-ing fbo m in 1914 and still alive today), third wife of Mao Tse-Tung who was Chairman of the People's Republic of China. Both Krupskaya and Chiang Ch'ing had Marxist backgrounds, and both carried out the political ideologies of their husbands. Krupskaya was a pedagogist who stressed especially the need for polytechnical education in the school. She believed that this type of learning would contribute greatly towards fulfilling the ..pciai and economic reouirements of a communist society. Chiang Ch'ing, in contrast to Krupskaya, had little education. While assisting Mao in implementing his re dims in the schools during the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution her greatest influence was in the area of China's national culture Having gained supreme authority in this sphere, she turned the performing arts into a vehicle for Mac's ideas which were to serve Proletarian politics. Krupskaya's polytechnics! concepts are today stressed at every stage of the Russian educational system. Despite this, however, it has been found that Russian schooling produces an inegalitarian society, which is in conlict with the ideals postulated. After Mac's death, Chiang Ch'ing, with the other members of the 'Gang of Pour' of which she was ringleader, was arrested and imprisoned. The new leaders, while systematically restoring ore-Cultural Revolution policies used the 'Gang of Four' as scapegoats in their political campaign. Chiang Cn'ing has been denounced as a traitor, and all vestiges of her influence have been eradicated.
Description
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Education. Johannesburg, 1962.
Keywords
Citation
Collections