Hu Yaobang

views updated Jun 11 2018

Hu Yaobang (1915–89) Chinese statesman, general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (1980–87). He joined the Communists in 1933, and took part in the Long March. Hu became associated with Deng Xiaoping in the war against Japan (1937–45), during which he served as a political commissar. In 1952 he became head of the Young Communist League, but lost his post (1966) during the Cultural Revolution. Hu was rehabilitated after Mao Zedong's death (1976). Accused of sympathizing with student demonstrations for democracy, Hu was dismissed. The Tiananmen Square protests followed his death.