Prospects J Bruce Jacobs FOR many years there have been clear lines of political conflict in China. In the early to mid-1970s, three groups eon- tended to succeed chairman Mao Zedong, who finally died in September 1976, The first group, the 'conservatives', had led China in 1950s and early 1960s, but then suffered severely in the Cultural Revolution. Premier Zhou Enlai later brought them back to senior positions in order to restore some economic growth and political order. Deng Xiaoping was an important leader of this group, which also included an important part of the military. The second group consisted of people who benefited from the Cultural Revolution, such as Hua Guofeng, a provincial official who worked in Mao's native area and whom Mao raised to national level. Hua eventually became Mao's chosen successor. The third group, the 'radicals', had supported many of the Cultural Revolution policies and later became known as the 'Gang of Four'.
