Cultural Revolution Begins

Origins and Launch

The Cultural Revolution was initiated by Mao Zedong in May 1966, primarily as a vehicle to reassert his political dominance after the failure of the Great Leap Forward had emboldened pragmatic rivals like Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping. Mao mobilized student Red Guards to attack the "Four Olds" — old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas — and to purge "capitalist roaders" within the Party. The Central Committee circular of May 16, 1966 is considered the formal start of the movement.

Red Guards rampaged through cities destroying temples, burning books, attacking intellectuals, and publicly humiliating teachers, officials, and anyone deemed insufficiently revolutionary. Schools and universities closed. Millions were subjected to struggle sessions, forced to wear dunce caps and signs proclaiming their crimes. Liu Shaoqi, the head of state, died in detention in 1969. Deng Xiaoping was twice purged.

The Decade of Chaos

The Cultural Revolution proceeded through distinct phases: the Red Guard phase (1966–1968), the military-dominated phase after the PLA restored order (1969–1971), the Lin Biao affair (Lin's abortive coup attempt and death in 1971), and the struggle between the Gang of Four and pragmatists (1972–1976). Throughout, normal governance, education, and cultural production were severely disrupted. An estimated one to two million people died from direct violence; millions more suffered persecution.

End and Assessment

The Cultural Revolution officially ended with Mao's death in September 1976 and the arrest of the Gang of Four the following month. The 1981 Party resolution declared it a "catastrophe" for which Mao bore "chief responsibility," while preserving the verdict that he was "70 percent correct, 30 percent wrong" overall. The revolution's legacy remains politically sensitive in China, where a full public reckoning has never taken place.