2007年是「反右派鬥爭」五十周年祭，在這場堪稱20世紀中國知識分子最大的政治浩劫中，中共官方承認至少有55萬人遭到了程度不一的各種整肅與迫害，輕者懲戒降級，重者交付勞改，甚至有至家破人亡者。然而反右究竟因何而起？毛澤東領導下的中國共產黨何以非得在中華人民共和國初步入社會主義階段之際，發動這麼一場對知識分子心靈與肉體的雙重迫害？動機始終令人費解。對於在意識形態上素來即與共產黨站在對立面的反共人士而言，反右適足以說明共產黨的殘暴與善變，因此中共會發動反右似乎成了一件不證自明的事情，其動機簡言之即是「陰謀」。這種歷史觀的缺點是過於簡化共產黨內的決策過程，無法針對反右前後中共內部複雜的政局得出相對應而合理的解釋。北京權力核心內部實際發生的事情，遠比簡單的陰謀論複雜多了。至於遂行迫害的主謀－中國共產黨，則有另一套完全相反的解釋，中共官方指控部分資產階級知識分子率先「猖狂進攻」，共產黨才不得不起而反擊。本文稱之為「反擊說」。然而真相究竟如何？本文企圖指出「反擊說」的諸多疑點，證明至少最高決策者毛澤東完全沒有被迫「反擊」的壓力。同時，本文進一步說明在反右發生前夕，毛澤東與共產黨內其他高層領導人之間，其實存在著複雜而微妙的權力摩擦，毛澤東企圖掌控所謂「社會主義建設」的關鍵主導權，然而黨內其他人則有不同的想法。本文認為，就是因為這種權力的摩擦，導致毛澤東以發動反右來扭轉黨的政策路線。依照這樣的解釋，反右之所以發生，與知識分子的激烈「鳴放」是否威脅到共產黨政權的穩定，其實一點也不相干。反右的真正原因，肇因於中共高層的權力鬥爭。55萬受害的知識分子，只不過是毛澤東為獨佔黨內決策主導權，而製造出的犧牲品。

The year 2007 happens to be the fiftieth anniversary of the break out of the anti-rightist campaign in 1957. In this large scale political persecution, the Chinese Communist Party admitted that more than half a million Chinese intellectuals had been suffered various kinds of oppression, including degradation, throwing into labor camps, or even execution. For a long time, the official claimed that the causes which resulted in the anti-rightist campaign were the intellectuals' furious attacks to the Chinese Communist Party, the later was forced to fight back. Such way of statement might be labeled as the "fighting-back theory". But there was also an accusation which blamed Mao Zedong as the greatest conspirator, because Mao happened to be who encouraged the intellects to break their silence, and also who launched the whole campaign. This stand could be called as the conspiracy theory. But which theory hold the truth of the history? This article tries to point out the unreasonable doubts of the "fighting-back theory". In fact, the situation of the intellectuals' "contending and blooming" (鳴放) had been firmly under Mao's control. There was no turmoil, nothing out of control, no signs would show that the Hungarian Revolt in 1956 could happen in China. More than that, Mao thoroughly understood the "contending and blooming" policy would sooner or later bring out the intellectuals' reproaches against the communist party. Why Mao insisted to take such a vengeful persecution, just couple of weeks after he invited the intellectuals to criticize the communist party? This article attempts to describe Mao's whole plan as trying to reverse the policy guidelines of the Chinese Communist Party's Eight Congress which Mao unquestionably discontented but had no reason to object. Only by such explanation, Mao's motive will eventually be unveiled, the anti-rightist campaign not only as a clueless conspiracy, but a delicate tactics to push the leading officials to march into Mao's plot for the Great Leap Forward Movement in 1958.