Summary

In 1966, the world was horrified to see million of uniformed Red Guard youths, waving their 'little red books', attacking their elders and superiors and tearing down traditional Chinese culture.

Historians still do not fully understand what was happening in China during the Cultural Revolution – did it 'run out of control', or did Mao intend things to happen as they did all along?

Links:

The following websites will help you complete the task:

The Cultural Revolution:
• History Learning Site

• About.com 

• Chinese posters 

• Historiography

'Ken Ling':
• Brief review
• Detailed account

During Mao's period of retirement (1959-66), many of the leading members of the CCP were moderates, who had relaxed the policy of communes and even allowed peasants to sell their produce; Mao wanted to embed a more extreme type of 'permanent revolution' in China

After 1962, Mao and Lin Biao began to build up support for Mao, collecting Mao's thoughts into the 'Little Red Book', and launching the Socialist Education Campaign demanding the 'four cleanups' - of politics, the economy, the administration and ideology

As Field-Marshal of the People's Liberation Army, Lin Biao had drilled in propaganda as well as military training, so that the Army were dedicated Maoists

A group of Leftists called the Shanghai Forum, led by the Gang of Four (which included Mao's wife Jiang Qing) took control of the Central Cultural Revolution Group and set about organising the Cultural Revolution

Mao signalled his return to active political life with a publicity swim in the Yangzi; soon after he addressed a huge rally of 1 million young people in Tiananmen Square. His message was to 'Bombard the headquarters' – overwhelming the government with criticism

The campaign identified 'Four Olds' – ideas, culture, customs and habits – which had to be rooted out, by violence if necessary

Gangs of young Red Guards, dressed in uniform and carrying their Little Red Books, roamed the towns and the countryside, attacking bureaucrats, intellectuals, neo-capitalists and the rich, and attacking religion, traditional culture and buildings etc.

This photograph (1967) shows the humiliation of two men at a mass rally in Shenyang (they were not executed).
Yu Ping (department chief) had been accused of being a 'Capitalist Roader', Gu Zhuoxin (secretary of the Secretariat) had been branded a 'trator to the revolution'.

As the Red Guards ran out of control, the country fell into anarchy; when Mao felt they had overturned the moderates in the government, he split them up and sent them out to do manual labour in the villages

After the Red Guards had been dismissed, the PLA continued the purges – hundreds of thousands of 'counter-revolutionaries' were killed; many more were sent to the Laogai for humiliation and re-education

Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping were dismissed and put into solitary confinement; Lin Biao and Jiang Qing rose to importance

The economy went into crisis – agricultural produce fell – because the workers were called out so often for political rallies or socialist work details, or because they were forced to undergo periods of self-reflection and confession

Historic buildings, especially churches and monasteries, were burned – the Forbidden City was only saved because Zhou Enlai sent in the PLA to defend it

In this Government poster, Destroy the old world; build a new world (1966), a young Red Guard crushes the crucifix, a Buddha and traditional books with his hammer

Schools and colleges closed down as students abandoned their studies to travel the country as Red Guards; teachers were humiliated, beaten and made to clean the toilets

Mao was worshipped as the infallible leader who had brought Communism to China – he was 'the red sun rising in the east'