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• The Cultural Revolution, also known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a struggle for control of the Communist Party of China.

  Launched by Mao Zedong, Chairman of the Communist Party of China, in 1966, the campaign was Mao's attempt to rid China of the influence of the "liberal bourgeoisie." Historians recognize it, however, as Mao's attempt to wrest power of the Party back from his rivals Liu Shaoqi and Deng Xiaoping.

  During the Cultural Revolution, Mao empowered his youth militia of Red Guards to overthrow his perceived enemies and seize control of the state by replacing local governments with revolutionary committees. In the violence that ensued, nearly half a million people were persecuted and died, including artists, authors, religious figures and revolutionary elders.

• Fast Facts

  1. Began: May 16, 1966
  2. Launched by Chairman Mao Zedong
  3. An attempt to regain power after the Great Leap Forward
  4. Led to the death or displacement of millions of Chinese and the destruction of innumerable pieces of art and antiquity
  5. Ended: Declared over by Mao in 1969; Most historians place the end date in 1976 when the Gang of Four was arrested

• Key Dates

  • 1963: Mao Zedong establishes the Socialist Education Movement

  • May 29, 1966: First group of Red Guards formed

  • June 1, 1966: The People's Daily calls for a purge of "imperialists" and "imperialistic intellectuals"

  • August 8, 1966: "16 Points" decision passed defining the extent and nature of the revolution

  • August 20, 1966: Red Guards gather in Bejing and begin the "Destruction of the Four Olds" campaign

  • December 1968: "Down to the Countryside Movement" begins

  • September 8-10, 1971: String of assassination attempts on Mao occur as part of Lin Biao's coup plot

  • September 13, 1971: Lin Biao killed in a plane crash

  • September 9, 1976: Mao Zedong dies

  • October 11, 1976: Gang of Four arrested

• Gang of Four

  The Gang of Four was a group of Communist Party of China officials who were arrested after the death of Mao Zedong and held responsible for the events of the Cultural Revolution. The members of the Gang of Four were Jiang Qing, Yao Wenyuan, Zhang Chunqiao and Wang Hongwen.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  Great Leap Forward | Mao Zedong | Zhou Enlai | Gang of Four (Chinese group) | History of China | China | The Long March | The Great Leap Forward | Gang of Four (Chinese group)

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