International Encyclopedia of Revolution and Protest

Extract

Lin Biao or Lin Piao was, along with Zhu De and Peng Dehuai , one of the foremost military leaders in the Chinese communist movement in the 1930s and 1940s. A prominent figure in the People's Republic of China after the revolutionary victory, and leader of the People's Liberation Army throughout the 1960s, he was for a time closely aligned with Mao Zedong and was a central figure in launching the Great Proletariat Cultural Revolution (1966–76) . He seems to have broken with Mao in 1971, however, and died under mysterious circumstances in that year. He was born with the name Lin Yurong and was the son of a factory owner. His father is said to have been ruined due to “extortionate taxation,” but Lin was able to graduate from prep school and enter Whampoa Military Academy. There he trained under Nationalist Party (Guomindang) leader Chiang Kaishek, graduating with distinction into a post in the Nationalist Army. Serving as a captain in the Great Northern Expedition that broke the power of China's war lords, he had risen to the rank of colonel by 1927. When the Nationalists turned against their Chinese communist allies, however, Lin joined the latter. Lin made central contributions in the rise and the victories of the Chinese Red Army forces in the 1930s, commanding the First Field Army and – particularly with Peng Dehuai – playing a decisive role in military operations during ... log in or subscribe to read full text