The Hundred Flowers Movement of 1956-57 represented the first major miscalculation by Mao Zedong in the post-1949 era, one that contributed mightily to the chain of events resulting in the disastrous Great Leap Forward. Beginning as part of a broad appeal to intellectuals in early 1956, ambivalent implementation only produced a limited response from skilled elites and party cadres alike. After a period of wavering, Mao decided to reinvigorate the policy in early 1957 and linked it to rectification of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) itself. By late spring, the criticisms soli…