The Cultural Revolution was a tumultuous period of time in Chinese history that occurred between 1966 and 1976. It began when then-Communist Party leader Mao Zedong sought to establish his version of socialism and communism within China, which resulted in the displacement of millions of people and the deaths of hundreds of thousands. The Cultural Revolution was a highly politicized period of time and its effects are still felt today.
The major causes of the Cultural Revolution can be traced back to different economic, social and political factors. Firstly, there were deep-seated tensions between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the educated elite of Chinese society. After taking power in 1949, Mao Zedong set up a single-party system of government which gave the CCP absolute authority over the country. This led to a deep mistrust and resentment between the CCP and educated elite, who were seen as anti-revolutionaries by the Party.
Mao also believed that the Soviet Union, one of China’s main allies at the time, had diverted from true Marxism and began to advocate for a more radical approach to socialism. He wanted to break away from the Soviet model and create a unique form of socialism for China. As part of this endeavor, he launched the Great Leap Forward in 1958, an ambitious program that sought to redistribute wealth from urban to rural areas and increase industrial production. Although the Great Leap Forward achieved some success in terms of increasing the agricultural output, it caused massive disruption and mismanagement. By 1963, the economy was in shambles, and the Chinese people became frustrated and disillusioned with their leader.
At the same time, internal power struggles within the CCP were boiling over as different factions competed for control. There was a growing ideological divide between supporters of Mao and those who opposed him. Supporters of Mao saw him as a revolutionary leader while his opponents were more conservative and sought to maintain order and stability. In particular, Liu Shaoqi, President of the People’s Republic of China, disagreed with Mao’s more radical policies, which further aggravated the tensions between the two sides.
In 1965, Mao began to publicly criticize Liu and other moderates within the CCP in newspaper articles and public speeches. This marked the beginning of the Cultural Revolution, as Mao sought to restore his radical ideology as the official doctrine of the CCP. Mao also believed that intellectuals and elites had become too comfortable in their positions and had lost sight of the CCP’s original revolutionary goals. He argued that these people needed to be reeducated and brought back into line with the Party’s ideology.
To achieve this goal, Mao formed the Red Guards, a paramilitary group composed of students and young people, and encouraged them to purge the “counter-revolutionary” elements from Chinese society. The Red Guards attacked individuals suspected of being critical of the government or not following Party doctrine, conducting mass arrests and torture. They also destroyed books, works of art and other forms of cultural expression that were seen as contrary to the goals of the CCP. In addition, they targeted religious organizations and persecuted members of minority groups such as Tibetans, Mongols and Uighurs.
The Cultural Revolution had far-reaching consequences for China. Millions of people were displaced and entire generations were affected by the chaos of the period. Economic growth was stunted, and the country suffered prolonged periods of political instability. The legacy of the Cultural Revolution reverberates to this day, as its effects continue to be felt in modern Chinese politics, culture and economics.