Abstract: After Mao’s death on September 9, 1976, a power struggle for succession ensued between two rival factions within China’s highest political circle. One faction was headed by Hua Guofeng, Ye Jianying and Wang Dongxing; the other by Jiang Qing, Mao’s widow and her associates, the so called “Gang of Four”. On October 6, 1976, accusing its rival of attempting to usurp power, the Hua faction arrested Jiang Qing and her associates, including Wang Hongwen (one of the three vice chairmen of the Central Committee of Communist Party of China), Zhang Chunqiao (member of Standing Committee of Political Bureau), and Yao Wenyuan (member of Political Bureau).
In recent years, individuals who were directly involved in planning and executing the arrest of the Jiang faction published their memoirs in mainland China. In their memoirs, they describe in detail how they planned and executed the arrest of the Jiang faction. Based on the facts revealed in those memoirs and on the research recently published in mainland China, I show that it is the accuser, the Hua faction, who usurped the power by military force; in contrast, the accused, the Jiang faction attempted to seize the political power through legitimate procedures.