The Cultural Revolution
A painting of a group of revolutioners holding signs.
- The Cultural Revolution had a massive impact on China from 1965 to 1968
- It was also named the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution
- A year prior to this event, the Little Red Book was published by the People's Republic of China
- That book contained beliefs and qotes from Mao Zedong himself
- Mao Zedong attempted to reassert his beliefs with China
- In the 1950's, Mao feared that someone might try to take his spot as leader
- The Cultural Revoltion was an attempt by Mao to show everyone that he still had authority on the party and the country
- In 1965, Lin Piao made a speech to encourage all student to go back to the basic principles
- The student were also encourages to openly criticize the liberals in the Communist Party
- Mao believed that there was a priviledged class and that people were acquiring too much power
- He believed a new lifestyle was beginning to form in China
- Red Guards told the youth to criticise those who Mao disliked
- Anyone who was believed to have developed a superior attitude was considered an enemy of Mao and his party
- Mao then created a cult and purged anyone in his party that did not fully believe in him
- Mao wanted a classless society and he also wanted per capita for all people
- He also called for a redistribution of wealth, which benefited the poor people
- The Red Guards went overboard and turned on foreigners
- Many schools closed because the economy started to suffer
- The Red Guards burned down the whole British Embassy
- Mao witnessed the removal of the potential rival in the party and then saw no need for the Cultural Revolution anymore
- Shortly after, President Richard Nixon visited the People's Republic of China to heal everything with the U.S.