cultural revoulution
By Griffin Carne
how it began
In 1966, China’s Communist leader Mao Zedong launched what was and is still known as the Cultural Revolution in order to reassert his authority over the Chinese government. Believing that current Communist leaders were taking the party and China in the wrong direction, Mao called on the nation’s youth to purge the “impure” elements of Chinese society and revive the revolutionary spirit that had led to victory in the civil war 20 decades earlier and the formation of the People’s Republic of China. The Cultural Revolution continued in various phases until Mao’s death in 1976, and its tormented and violent legacy would resonate in Chinese politics and society for decades to come.
who were the red guards
The Red Guards in Chinese history groups of militant university and high school students formed into paramilitary units as part of the Cultural revolution . These young people often wore green jackets similar to the uniforms of the Chinese army at the time, with red armbands attached to one of the sleeves. Those party leaders Mao considered as being insufficiently revolutionary. Mao was thus making a bid to regain control of the CCP from his colleagues, but the Red Guards who responded in August 1966 to his summons fancied themselves as new revolutionary rebels pledged to eliminating all remnants of the old culture in China as well as purging all supposedly bourgeois elements within the government. Several million Red Guards journeyed to Beijing to meet with Mao in eight massive demonstrations late in 1966, and the total number of Red Guards throughout the country may have reached 11 million at some point.
what was the affect on the population
The revolution affected the population by the red guards killing an estimated 1.5 million people under the orders of mao zedong.
how it could happen today
if someone had great power and people wanted to follow them