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May 16th Notice from the CCP
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) issues the May 16 notice announcing the start of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution (Also known just as the Chinese Cultural Revolution) -
First Big Poster put up
A big-character poster (dazibao in Chinese) is put up at Beijing University denouncing school leaders; the idea soon spread to other universities and secondary schools, with Red Guards ditching classes to join the revolution and vowing to "die fighting to protect Chairman Mao" -
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Atheism enforced: Faith condemned
The Cultural Revolution condemns every form of religion and bans all open expression of faith—churches and temples are shut down and destroyed; believers are imprisoned. -
Mao Creates a Big Poster
Mao writes a dàzìbào headlined "Bomb the Headquarters"—a clear attack on State President Liu Shaoqi. -
Guidelines Published
The party meeting ends with a 16-point document on the revolution setting down so-called guidelines -
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Mao Vistied by Millions of Red Guards
Mao receives an estimated 11 million Red Guards on eight occasions in Tiananmen Square -
14% Decline in Industrial Production
Virtually all engineers, managers, scientists, technicians, and other professional personnel were criticized, demoted, sent down to the countryside to "participate in labor," or even jailed, all of which resulted in their skills and knowledge being lost to the economy. -
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Clashes in Shanghai
Red Guards and workers seize power in Shanghai; the revolution reaches the army -
Power figures denounced
Liu Shaoqi and his wife Wang Guangmei are publicly denounced; Liu is stripped of his duties weeks later and power is left in the hands of Lin Biao and Mao's wife, Jiang Qing.
