1959+Minister+of+Defense+Sacked


 * April 1959: ** Mao resigns as Chairmen and is replaced by Liu Shaoqi but he keeps his position as head of the CCP. Also National Defense Minister Peng Dehuai is fired for criticizing Mao in public and replaced by Lin Biao who purges all of Dehuai's men from the army and starts a hard line military policy.