The Cultural Revolution began in 1966 and was officially known as The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. It was a period of political upheaval and social upheaval in China from 1966 until 1976.
The Cultural Revolution was initiated by Mao Zedong, the then-Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Mao wanted to reassert and reassert his authority both within the party as well as in the community at large. He believed there had been a betrayal of the revolutionary ideals following the death of fellow Chairman Liu Shaoqi in 1969.
In order to achieve Mao’s aims, he created the ‘Red Guards’, a group of mostly young people who would spread the message of Maoism and promote the Cultural Revolution throughout China. The Red Guards attacked those they believed to be associated with the old regime in China, such as landlords, intellectuals, and high-ranking party members. They also encouraged the masses to rise up and reject the ‘bourgeoisie’ values in society.
One of the main goals of the Cultural Revolution was to eliminate the ‘Four Olds’: old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits. In pursuit of this goal, cultural and religious sites were destroyed, books were burned, and works of art were vandalized.
The effects of the Cultural Revolution were far-reaching and devastating. Thousands of people were persecuted, imprisoned and killed for their supposed counter-revolutionary activities. During the course of the Revolution, economic productivity was severely stunted and education practically ceased to exist in some areas.
It was not until 1977, when Deng Xiaoping assumed control of the Chinese Communist Party following Mao’s death, that the Cultural Revolution finally came to an end. In the years afterwards, China began its slow process of rebuilding and reconciling the wounds from the Cultural Revolution.
Overall, the Cultural Revolution had lasting impacts on the development of 20th Century China. It demonstrated the power and capability of Mao’s ideology, as well as its dark side. It also caused unprecedented disruption to the lives of millions of Chinese people, leaving deep scars on the nation’s collective memory.