The Chinese Cultural Revolution, which lasted from 1966 to 1976, was a major social and political movement initiated by Mao Zedong, the leader of the People’s Republic of China. Initially, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the Cultural Revolution in order to eliminate any possible challenges to Mao’s power and to reinvigorate revolutionary energy. Over time, it developed into a broad effort to restructure Chinese society and culture through mass mobilization and ideological indoctrination.
The main goals of the Chinese Cultural Revolution can be divided into two general categories: the strengthening of Mao’s political control within the CCP, and the transformation of Chinese society to reflect Maoist ideology.
In terms of Mao’s political control, one of the primary objectives of the Cultural Revolution was to purge the CCP of any “revisionist” elements that may have challenged Mao’s rule, or could potentially do so in the future. The term “revisionist” was used by Mao and the Red Guards to describe anyone who expressed views that were deemed contrary to the Maoist interpretation of Marxism-Leninism. Such people were accused of seeking to “restore capitalism” and “bureaucratize” the party. As a result, party members who were suspected of being revisionist were purged, such as Liu Shaoqi (the former president of China), Deng Xiaoping, and Peng Zhen. In addition, millions of CCP members were sent to rural areas where they were subjected to hard labour and “re-education” in Maoist ideology.
At the same time, the Cultural Revolution sought to transform Chinese society according to Mao’s ideas. Specifically, the movement aimed to establish what Mao called a “New Socialist Society,” in which the state would have a more direct role in ensuring economic and social equality, while simultaneously creating a society in which class distinctions were abolished. To achieve this, the CCP and the Red Guards sought to promote Mao’s political and ideological teachings and to restrict access to information from foreign sources. To this end, books by Western authors were prohibited, and literature and media that promoted traditional culture and activities were heavily censored.
In addition to promoting Maoist thought, the Cultural Revolution sought to encourage greater control over the economy. In particular, it sought to redirect investment away from large, centralized state-owned enterprises and towards smaller, rural farming communities. This was done in order to increase productivity in agriculture and to make the economy more self-sufficient and less dependent on imports. Furthermore, the Cultural Revolution sought to implement land reform policies that promoted collective farms and limited private ownership of land.
Finally, the Cultural Revolution sought to instill a sense of patriotism among Chinese citizens and to inculcate an appreciation of Mao’s leadership in the minds of the population. To this end, Mao’s portrait was posted in public places, while propaganda and slogans encouraging people to follow the “correct” path were disseminated widely. In addition, the Red Guards were encouraged to travel around the country and to promote Mao’s ideas and to criticize those who had been identified as revisionists.
Overall, the main goals of the Chinese Cultural Revolution were to strengthen Mao’s political control within the CCP, to transform Chinese society according to Maoist ideology, to promote greater control over the economy, and to instill a sense of patriotism and loyalty to Mao’s leadership. While these goals were largely unsuccessful in the long run, the legacy of the Cultural Revolution has had a lasting impact on Chinese society and politics.